Name : Paul Newman
Birth Name : Paul Leonard Newman
Date of Birth : January 26, 1925
Place of Birth : Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Nickname : King Cool, PL
Height : 5' 9½" (1.77 m)
Date of Death : 26 September 2008, Westport, Connecticut, USA (lung cancer)
Nationality : American
Occupation :Actor, director, humanitarian, entrepreneur
Years active : 1952–2008
Spouse : Jackie Witte (m. 1949–1958), Joanne Woodward (m. 1958–2008)
BIOGRAPHY
PAUL LEONARD NEWMAN was born on January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. His parents, Arthur and Theresa Newman, were fairly well-to-do and ran a successful sporting-goods store. Paul was a fan of the theatre as a youngster and his mother encouraged his interest. At the age of seven he made his acting debut as the court jester in the school play, "Robin Hood." It would be several years before he seriously considered acting as a career however.
After graduating from high school in 1943, Paul wandered a bit, even working as a door-to-door salesman for Collier's Encyclopedias before enlisting in the Naval Air Corps. His piloting ambitions were cut short however, because it was discovered that Paul's famous blue eyes were actually color-blind. He joined the regular navy however, and served in the South Pacific during World War II. When he returned he enrolled at Kenyon College in Ohio, studying literature and acting, and playing a little football. It was at Kenyon that Paul rediscovered his interest in acting.
After receiving his BA from Kenyon in 1949, Paul joined a few summer stock companies including the prestigious Woodstock Players, and began to develop his talents. He wanted to be known for more than his famous blue eyes and good looks. In 1949 he met and married Jackie Witte, and when his father died in May 1950, Paul had to decide whether to continue his acting or chose the more stable profession of running the family business. Paul's love for acting won out and he moved his family (son Scott was born in Ohio) to New Haven, CT where he enrolled at Yale University's graduate program in acting. There Newman and his wife had two daughters, but New York called and Paul left Yale for Broadway.
In New York, Paul began his professional career playing small television roles and he was eventually accepted to the Actor's Studio, an acting school famous for "The Method" acting of such new stars as Brando, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. After success in his first big Broadway production, "Picnic," and subsequent roles Paul went to Hollywood and in 1954 signed a contract with Warner Bros., though he would eventually do most of his work for 20th Century-Fox.
Paul's first film THE SILVER CHALICE (1954) was a disaster and a life-long embarrassment, but he was lauded for his portrayal of boxer Rocky Graziano in SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME (1956) and his career began to take off. Meanwhile his personal life was going through some changes. He had left his wife and family in New York, and while in Hollywood, began an affair with an up-and-coming young actress named Joanne Woodward. In 1957 they were paired in THE LONG, HOT SUMMER also starring Orson Welles and Angela Lansbury. That same year Paul and his wife were divorced.
On January 29, 1958 Paul married Woodward and he received his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF with Burl Ives, Elizabeth Taylor and Judith Anderson. He would go on to be nominated six more times for films such as THE HUSTLER (1961) in which he played pool shark Fast Eddie Felson, HUD (1963), and COOL HAND LUKE (1967) before he finally won in 1987 for his reprisal of Fast Eddie in THE COLOR OF MONEY. Paul, sure that the statuette would once again elude him, didn't attend the ceremony.
Other notable films of Paul's career include Alfred Hitchcock's TORN CURTAIN (1966) and two films co-starring Robert Redford, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) and THE STING (1973). In 1992 he and Woodward were recognized at the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors and in 1994 he received his eighth Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his role as Sully in NOBODY'S FOOL with Jessica Tandy.
Paul continued to make occasional films after the turn of the century, including Sam Mendes' crime drama ROAD TO PERDITION (2002) for which he earned his first Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination (and tenth overall). He also lent his voice to the character of Doc Hudson in Disney/Pixar's popular Oscar-nominated animated feature CARS (2006) and starred as the stage manager in a Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" in 2002-3. But for the last decade of his life, most of Paul's energies were focused on his philanthropic interests. The profits from his "Newman's Own" line of salad dressings and other food items have supported causes ranging from The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for terminally ill children, to the Scott Newman Foundation for drug and alcohol abuse education (named for his son who died of an overdose), to drought relief in Africa. When Newman died of cancer at age 83 on September 26, 2008, he was survived by his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, their three daughters, and his two daughters from his first marriage.
After graduating from high school in 1943, Paul wandered a bit, even working as a door-to-door salesman for Collier's Encyclopedias before enlisting in the Naval Air Corps. His piloting ambitions were cut short however, because it was discovered that Paul's famous blue eyes were actually color-blind. He joined the regular navy however, and served in the South Pacific during World War II. When he returned he enrolled at Kenyon College in Ohio, studying literature and acting, and playing a little football. It was at Kenyon that Paul rediscovered his interest in acting.
After receiving his BA from Kenyon in 1949, Paul joined a few summer stock companies including the prestigious Woodstock Players, and began to develop his talents. He wanted to be known for more than his famous blue eyes and good looks. In 1949 he met and married Jackie Witte, and when his father died in May 1950, Paul had to decide whether to continue his acting or chose the more stable profession of running the family business. Paul's love for acting won out and he moved his family (son Scott was born in Ohio) to New Haven, CT where he enrolled at Yale University's graduate program in acting. There Newman and his wife had two daughters, but New York called and Paul left Yale for Broadway.
In New York, Paul began his professional career playing small television roles and he was eventually accepted to the Actor's Studio, an acting school famous for "The Method" acting of such new stars as Brando, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. After success in his first big Broadway production, "Picnic," and subsequent roles Paul went to Hollywood and in 1954 signed a contract with Warner Bros., though he would eventually do most of his work for 20th Century-Fox.
Paul's first film THE SILVER CHALICE (1954) was a disaster and a life-long embarrassment, but he was lauded for his portrayal of boxer Rocky Graziano in SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME (1956) and his career began to take off. Meanwhile his personal life was going through some changes. He had left his wife and family in New York, and while in Hollywood, began an affair with an up-and-coming young actress named Joanne Woodward. In 1957 they were paired in THE LONG, HOT SUMMER also starring Orson Welles and Angela Lansbury. That same year Paul and his wife were divorced.
On January 29, 1958 Paul married Woodward and he received his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF with Burl Ives, Elizabeth Taylor and Judith Anderson. He would go on to be nominated six more times for films such as THE HUSTLER (1961) in which he played pool shark Fast Eddie Felson, HUD (1963), and COOL HAND LUKE (1967) before he finally won in 1987 for his reprisal of Fast Eddie in THE COLOR OF MONEY. Paul, sure that the statuette would once again elude him, didn't attend the ceremony.
Other notable films of Paul's career include Alfred Hitchcock's TORN CURTAIN (1966) and two films co-starring Robert Redford, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) and THE STING (1973). In 1992 he and Woodward were recognized at the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors and in 1994 he received his eighth Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his role as Sully in NOBODY'S FOOL with Jessica Tandy.
Paul continued to make occasional films after the turn of the century, including Sam Mendes' crime drama ROAD TO PERDITION (2002) for which he earned his first Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination (and tenth overall). He also lent his voice to the character of Doc Hudson in Disney/Pixar's popular Oscar-nominated animated feature CARS (2006) and starred as the stage manager in a Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" in 2002-3. But for the last decade of his life, most of Paul's energies were focused on his philanthropic interests. The profits from his "Newman's Own" line of salad dressings and other food items have supported causes ranging from The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for terminally ill children, to the Scott Newman Foundation for drug and alcohol abuse education (named for his son who died of an overdose), to drought relief in Africa. When Newman died of cancer at age 83 on September 26, 2008, he was survived by his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, their three daughters, and his two daughters from his first marriage.
CAREER
Major films
Newman was one of the few actors who successfully made the transition from 1950s cinema to that of the 1960s and 1970s. His rebellious persona translated well to a subsequent generation. Newman starred in Exodus (1960), The Hustler (1961), Hud (1963), Harper (1966), Hombre (1967), Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Towering Inferno (1974), Slap Shot (1977), and The Verdict (1982). He teamed with fellow actor Robert Redford and director George Roy Hill for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)The Sting (1973) and Absence of Malice (1981).
He appeared with his wife, Joanne Woodward, in the feature films The Long, Hot Summer (1958), Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!, (1958), From the Terrace (1960), Paris Blues (1961), A New Kind of Love (1963), Winning (1969), WUSA (1970), The Drowning Pool (1975), Harry & Son (1984), and Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990). They both also starred in the HBO miniseries Empire Falls, but did not have any scenes together.
In addition to starring in and directing Harry & Son, Newman also directed four feature films (in which he did not act) starring Woodward. They were Rachel, Rachel (1968), based on Margaret Laurence's A Jest of God, the screen version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), the television screen version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Shadow Box (1980), and a screen version of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie (1987).
Twenty-five years after The Hustler, Newman reprised his role of "Fast" Eddie Felson in the Martin Scorsese-directed The Color of Money (1986), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He told a television interviewer that winning an Oscar at the age of 62 deprived him of his fantasy of formally being presented with it in extreme old age.
He appeared with his wife, Joanne Woodward, in the feature films The Long, Hot Summer (1958), Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!, (1958), From the Terrace (1960), Paris Blues (1961), A New Kind of Love (1963), Winning (1969), WUSA (1970), The Drowning Pool (1975), Harry & Son (1984), and Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990). They both also starred in the HBO miniseries Empire Falls, but did not have any scenes together.
In addition to starring in and directing Harry & Son, Newman also directed four feature films (in which he did not act) starring Woodward. They were Rachel, Rachel (1968), based on Margaret Laurence's A Jest of God, the screen version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), the television screen version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Shadow Box (1980), and a screen version of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie (1987).
Twenty-five years after The Hustler, Newman reprised his role of "Fast" Eddie Felson in the Martin Scorsese-directed The Color of Money (1986), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He told a television interviewer that winning an Oscar at the age of 62 deprived him of his fantasy of formally being presented with it in extreme old age.
Auto racing
Newman was an avid auto racing enthusiast, and first became interested in motorsports ("the first thing that I ever found I had any grace in") while training at the Watkins Glen Racing School for the filming of Winning, a 1969 film. Newman's first professional event was in 1972, in Thompson, Connecticut, and he was a frequent competitor in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events for the rest of the decade, eventually winning four national championships. He later drove in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans in Dick Barbour's Porsche 935 and finished in second place.Newman reunited with Barbour in 2000 to compete in the Petit Le Mans.
From the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, he drove for the Bob Sharp Racing team, racing mainly Datsuns (later rebranded as Nissans) in the Trans-Am Series. He became closely associated with the brand during the 1980s, even appearing in commercials for them. At the age of 70 years and 8 days, he became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a major sanctioned race, winning in his class at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona. Among his last races were the Baja 1000 in 2004 and the 24 Hours of Daytona once again in 2005.
Newman initially owned his own racing team, which competed in the Can-Am series, but later co-founded Newman/Haas Racing with Carl Haas, a Champ Car team, in 1983. The 1996 racing season was chronicled in the IMAX film Super Speedway, which Newman narrated. He was also a partner in the Atlantic Championship team Newman Wachs Racing. Newman owned a NASCAR Winston Cup car, before selling it to Penske Racing, where it now serves as the #12 car.
Newman was inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame at the national convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 21, 2009.
From the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, he drove for the Bob Sharp Racing team, racing mainly Datsuns (later rebranded as Nissans) in the Trans-Am Series. He became closely associated with the brand during the 1980s, even appearing in commercials for them. At the age of 70 years and 8 days, he became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a major sanctioned race, winning in his class at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona. Among his last races were the Baja 1000 in 2004 and the 24 Hours of Daytona once again in 2005.
Newman initially owned his own racing team, which competed in the Can-Am series, but later co-founded Newman/Haas Racing with Carl Haas, a Champ Car team, in 1983. The 1996 racing season was chronicled in the IMAX film Super Speedway, which Newman narrated. He was also a partner in the Atlantic Championship team Newman Wachs Racing. Newman owned a NASCAR Winston Cup car, before selling it to Penske Racing, where it now serves as the #12 car.
Newman was inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame at the national convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 21, 2009.
Political activism
For his support of Eugene McCarthy in 1968 (and effective use of television commercials in California) and his opposition to the War in Vietnam, Newman was placed nineteenth on Richard Nixon's enemies list, which he claimed was his greatest accomplishment.
Consistent with his work for liberal causes, Newman publicly supported Ned Lamont's candidacy in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic Primary against Senator Joe Lieberman, and was even rumored as a candidate himself, until Lamont emerged as a credible alternative. He donated to Chris Dodd's presidential campaign.
He attended the first Earth Day event in Manhattan on April 22, 1970. Newman was also a vocal supporter of gay rights, including same-sex marriage.
Newman was concerned over global warming and supported nuclear energy development as a solution.
For his support of Eugene McCarthy in 1968 (and effective use of television commercials in California) and his opposition to the War in Vietnam, Newman was placed nineteenth on Richard Nixon's enemies list, which he claimed was his greatest accomplishment.
Consistent with his work for liberal causes, Newman publicly supported Ned Lamont's candidacy in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic Primary against Senator Joe Lieberman, and was even rumored as a candidate himself, until Lamont emerged as a credible alternative. He donated to Chris Dodd's presidential campaign.
He attended the first Earth Day event in Manhattan on April 22, 1970. Newman was also a vocal supporter of gay rights, including same-sex marriage.
Newman was concerned over global warming and supported nuclear energy development as a solution.
Illness and death
Newman was scheduled to make his professional stage directing debut with the Westport Country Playhouse's 2008 production of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, but he stepped down on May 23, 2008, citing health issues.
In June 2008 it was widely reported that Newman, a former chain smoker, had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was receiving treatment at Sloan-Kettering hospital in New York City. Photographs taken of Newman in May and June showed him looking gaunt. Writer A.E. Hotchner, who partnered with Newman to start the Newman's Own company in the 1980s, told the Associated Press that Newman told him about the disease about eighteen months prior to the interview. Newman's spokesman told the press that the star was "doing nicely," but neither confirmed nor denied that he had cancer. In August, after reportedly finishing chemotherapy, Newman told his family he wished to die at home.
He died on September 26, 2008, aged 83, surrounded by his family and close friends. His remains were subsequently cremated after a private funeral service near his home in Westport.
In June 2008 it was widely reported that Newman, a former chain smoker, had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was receiving treatment at Sloan-Kettering hospital in New York City. Photographs taken of Newman in May and June showed him looking gaunt. Writer A.E. Hotchner, who partnered with Newman to start the Newman's Own company in the 1980s, told the Associated Press that Newman told him about the disease about eighteen months prior to the interview. Newman's spokesman told the press that the star was "doing nicely," but neither confirmed nor denied that he had cancer. In August, after reportedly finishing chemotherapy, Newman told his family he wished to die at home.
He died on September 26, 2008, aged 83, surrounded by his family and close friends. His remains were subsequently cremated after a private funeral service near his home in Westport.
Filmography, awards, and nominations
The Silver Chalice (1954)
Producer's Showcase: Our Town (1955)
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
The Rack (1956)
The Helen Morgan Story (1957)
Until They Sail (1957)
Until They Sail (1957)
The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)
The Young Philadelphians (1959)
From the Terrace (1960)
Exodus (1960)
The Hustler (1961)
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Mar del Plata Film Festival Best Actor
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Paris Blues (1961)
Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962)
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
Hud (1963)
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
Hud (1963)
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
A New Kind of Love (1963)
The Prize (1963)
The Prize (1963)
What a Way to Go! ((1964)
The Outrage (1964)
Lady L (1965)
Harper (1966)
Torn Curtain (1966)
Torn Curtain (1966)
Hombre (1967)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968)
The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968)
Winning (1969)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
WUSA (1970)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
WUSA (1970)
Sometimes a Great Notion (1971)
Once Upon a Wheel (1971 TV program) (1971)
Winner: World Television Festival Award,
Winner: Best International Sports Documentary
Pocket Money (1972)
Winner: World Television Festival Award,
Winner: Best International Sports Documentary
Pocket Money (1972)
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
The Mackintosh Man (1973)
The Sting (1973)
The Sting (1973)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
The Drowning Pool (1975)
Silent Movie (1976)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976)
Slap Shot (1977)
Quintet (1970)
When Time Ran Out...(1980)
Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981)
Absence of Malice (1981)
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Come Along with Me (1982)
The Verdict (1982)
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Absence of Malice (1981)
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Come Along with Me (1982)
The Verdict (1982)
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Harry & Son (1984)
Harry & Son (1984)
The Color of Money (1986)
Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
Blaze (1989)
Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990)
La Classe americaine (1993)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Nobody's Fool (1994)
Silver Berlin Bear Award for Best Actor
Nobody's Fool (1994)
Silver Berlin Bear Award for Best Actor
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Twilight (1998)
Message in a Bottle (1999)
Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor - Drama/Romance
Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor - Drama/Romance
Where the Money Is (2000)
The Blunder Years (The Simpsons episode) (2001)
Road to Perdition (2002)
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
Our Town (2003)
Nominated — Emmy Award
Our Town (2003)
Nominated — Emmy Award
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
Empire Falls (2005)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Miniseries or a Movie
Empire Falls (2005)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Miniseries or a Movie
Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D
Cars (2006)
Dale (2007)
The Meerkats (2008)
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