Paul Newman passed away after a long battle with cancer Friday at his farmhouse near Westport, Connecticut, surrounded by his family and close friends. He was 83 years old.
The actor was famous for his roles in The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in which he stared opposite Robert Redford.He was nominated for 10 Oscars, winning for 1987's The Color of Money and taking home two honorary ones.
I first got to see Paul Newman in The Battler, a television adaptation after Ernest Heminguay. His breakthrough was enabled in fact by tragedy: James Dean, already a star at that time, and former classmate of Newman at Actors Studio in New York, died in a car accident in 1955. His role was then taken by Paul Newman a little- known performer.
But my favorite movie starring the blue eyed actor was " Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", an adaptation of Tennessee Williams` play.
In this 1958 film, he received his first Oscar nomination for playing a bitter, alcoholic former star athlete and Elizabeth Taylor played his unhappy wife. This is one of my all time favorite movies, I`ve definitely seen it more than 50 times, and each time it`s aired I still watch it with the same thrill.
The vice-chairman of Newman's Own Foundation,Robert Forrester, issued a statement saying : “Paul Newman’s craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all."
Indeed, in the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1972 film, "Winning" and after turning professional in 1977, he and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.
"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.
Newman was also known for his philanthropy. He created the Newman's Own brand of organic foods and donated the company's profits to charity."What started as something of a joke in the basement of his home, turned into a highly-respected, multi-million dollar a year food company," Forrester said. "He shared this good fortune by donating all the profits and royalties he earned to thousands of charities around the world, a total which now exceeds $250 million."
One of the most beautiful love stories I know was that of Paul Newman and his wife, actress Joanne Woodward. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."
Newman once said, "I'd like to be remembered as a guy who tried, tried to be part of his times, tried to help people communicate with one another, tried to find some decency in his own life, tried to extend himself as a human being. Someone who isn't complacent, who doesn't cop out."
He definitely succedeed and did a whole lot more than that.
May you rest in peace and we will not forget you, Paul Newman...
Source : AP, People, US Weekly
