Paul Newman Dies at 83

Sadly, screen icon Paul Newman died of cancer today at his home in Connecticut. The beloved actor, professional racecar driver and owner, and influential philanthropist was 83.

Inarguably, Newman was one of our finest actors, the star of such films as The Hustler, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Cool Hand Luke. While there was almost no one better at playing the devilish, but lovable rogue (Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, The Sting), he was equally affecting turning down-on-luck, otherwise unlikable men into complex, sympathetic characters (Hud, The Verdict). His on-screen partnership with Robert Redford remains perhaps the finest and most popular buddy pairing in Hollywood history.

Along with Marlon Brando, James Dean and others, Newman helped usher in a new, more naturalistic and emotive form of acting in the 1950s. But unlike Brando, Newman always seemed and, by most accounts was, a genuinely nice and approachable man. It was basically impossible not to like him both on screen and off - perhaps because, despite his movie-star good looks and impossible charisma, people could easily identify with him and the flawed, human characters he portrayed on screen.

In addition to his incredible acting career, Newman was for a time a professional racecar driver and later owner of his own racing team. In 1982, he launched Newman's Own, an enterprise that has donated more than $200 million to charity since its inception.

He is survived by his wife, the actress Joanne Woodward, and his five daughters and eight grandchildren. Newman's son Scott died in 1978.

Rest in peace, Mr. Newman. You will be sorely missed.




Excerpts from various obits


Roger Ebert, from The Chicago Sun Times:

I met him several times, most memorably in 1968, on the set of "Butch Cassidy." Yes, his eyes were blue. Very blue. He was genial, relaxed; it felt more like hanging out than doing an interview. Between scenes, he held court in his trailer, sometimes sipping a beer. He was not closed-off and self-protective like many superstars, not seeming overly impressed with himself. One reason he and Woodward lived in Connecticut, he often said, was to have a more normal life than was possible in Hollywood.

It was that sense of accessibility that audiences responded to. In a reconsideration of "Cool Hand Luke," I observed: "Could another actor than Paul Newman have played the role and gotten away with it? Of the stars at the time, I would not be able to supply one. Warren Beatty? Steve McQueen? Lee Marvin? They would have the presence and stamina, but would have lacked the smile. The physical presence of Paul Newman is the reason this movie works: The smile, the innocent blue eyes, the lack of strutting. Look at his gentle behavior in the touching scene with his mother (Jo Van Fleet). Both know they will never see each other again, and in a way are apologizing." The movie's hardened character Dragline describes Luke as "you wild, beautiful thing." Could he have described Marvin that way?


Aljean Harmetz, from The New York Times:

If Marlon Brando and James Dean defined the defiant American male as a sullen rebel, Paul Newman recreated him as a likable renegade, a strikingly handsome figure of animal high spirits and blue-eyed candor whose magnetism was almost impossible to resist, whether the character was Hud, Cool Hand Luke or Butch Cassidy. 


Lynn Smith, from The Los Angeles Times:

"Acting," he once said, "is really nothing but exploring certain facets of your own personality trying to become someone else." In early films, he said, he tried to make himself fit the character but later aimed "to make the character come to me."

The actor was proudest, friends say, of his later Oscar-nominated roles in "Absence of Malice," "The Verdict" and "Nobody's Fool," in which he dug deep into the complex emotions of ordinary men struggling for dignity, justice or a sense of connection.


Stephanie Zacharek, from Salon.com:

Newman's beauty never peaked; it simply kept evolving into something new. I happened to catch a glimpse of him, in real life, very briefly one night in 2005, after a special screening of George Clooney's "Good Night and Good Luck," as he quietly slipped into a waiting car. He looked frail, maybe, but I didn't have to use my imagination to see the young man still alive in the old one. It occurred to me then, and I think of it again now, that while it's impossible to stay young forever, it's entirely possible to carry the best aspects of youth within you, even as your bones, your joints, your very cells, conspire against you.


From the Newman's Own website:

Paul occasionally referred to Newman's Own as the "joke that got out of control" and would express astonishment at its success. Despite this humorous approach, Paul was committed to the company's business and to providing top-notch quality – he brought all-natural food products to a wide audience long before it was fashionable. And he was one of the greatest recyclers, giving back to charity all the money he earned from the sale of Newman's Own products.



Photo Source: The New York Times