Ringside Report Puts the Spotlight on the Late Acting Icon Paul Newman
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By Geoffrey Huchel
I wish I would’ve been old enough to appreciate Paul Newman when he was in the prime of his career. It wasn’t until later when I knew what an accomplished actor he was. Now as an adult, I am able to appreciate who he was. Newman wasn’t just known for his leading man status in films, he had a long list of other roles that made him an influential figure to the world: director; producer; race car driver; Indy car owner; entrepreneur and philanthropist, as well as husband and father.
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925-September 26, 2008) was born in Westport, Connecticut. He started his career in the theatre, making his Broadway debut in 1953’s PICNIC, with Kim Stanley. Newman appeared in a few additional stage productions until he transitioned to television.
Newman has more than 80 film and TV credits that spanned 6 decades. His first credited role was in a 1952 episode of TALES OF TOMORROW. In 1954, Newman costarred with Eva Marie Saint and Frank Sinatra in a live-and-color television broadcast of OUR TOWN. Newman’s first film for Hollywood was THE SILVER CHALICE (1954). Newman’s next project gained him much attention and acclaim- SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME (1956), playing the role of Rocky Graziano. Newman’s next film, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958), was a box office smash. Newman played Brick Pollitt, starring opposite Elizabeth Taylor. The following year, Newman appeared in the drama THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS (1959). Newman appeared in several more movies throughout the 1960s including HUD (1963), COOL HAND LUKE (1967) and BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969).
In the 1970s, Newman appeared in a dozen movies including THE STING (1973), with Robert Redford and THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974), opposite Steve McQueen. Both of those films went on to win multiple Academy Awards. In 1982, he starred in the Oscar nominated THE VERDICT, playing Frank Galvin and costarring James Mason. In 1986 he portrayed Fast Eddie Felson in the drama, THE COLOR OF MONEY, with Tom Cruise. The 1990s brought Newman more notable film roles with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars; NOBODY’S FOOL (1994), with Bruce Willis and Jessica Tandy; TWILIGHT (1998), with Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman and Reese Witherspoon and MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE (1999), with Kevin Costner and Robin Wright. In 2002 Newman starred opposite Tom Hanks in the Oscar nominated thriller ROAD TO PERDITION, playing John Rooney. In the few years before his death he starred as Max Roby in the series EMPIRE FALLS (2005), with an All Star cast that included Ed Harris, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt and Robin Wright. He also voiced the character Doc Hudson for the Disney animated film CARS (2006).
Besides his long and successful film career, Paul Newman was known for his entrepreneurial endeavors. He co-founded Newman’s Own, a line of food products, in 1982. What began with salad dressing has expanded to include pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, salsa and wine, among other things. Newman established a policy that all proceeds, after taxes, would be donated to charity. As of 2014, the franchise has donated in excess of 400 million. One beneficiary of his philanthropy is the Hole In the Wall Gang Camp, a residential summer camp for seriously ill children located in Ashford, Connecticut, which Newman founded in 1988.
Newman should be remembered for more than just his acting career, because he was so much more than that. Paul Newman was no doubt, a very remarkable man who lived an extraordinary life.
Newman’s Major Awards and Recognition:
Honorary Oscar (1986)
Academy Award Winner (1987) Best Actor in a Leading Role for
THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986)
Cecil B. DeMille Award (1980)
Golden Globe Winner (1969) Best Director for
RACHEL, RACHEL (1968)
Golden Globe Winner (2006) Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made For Television for
EMPIRE FALLS (2005)
Golden Globe Winner (1957) Most Promising Newcomer-Male (1957) for
THE SILVER CHALICE (1954)
Primetime Emmy Winner (2005) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for EMPIRE FALLS (2005)
Screen Actors Guild Award Winner (2006) Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for EMPIRE FALLS (2005)
Screen Actors Guild Award (1986) Lifetime Achievement Award
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