1925-2008
Paul Leonard Newman has taken that final bow. Newman was an extraordinary man of many interests. A true Hollywood movie star for several decades, he still found time to be an activist, race car enthusiast, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He died last night at his home in Connecticut, after a battle with cancer which he fought as privately as he could.
The Silver Screen loved his stunningly handsome face and brilliant baby blues. And Newman could act! What a package. Newman became a movie star in the 1950s, but did not win the best actor Academy Award until 1986 for his role in “The Color of Money.”
His body of work is lengthy and impressive. Some of my favorite Newman films are: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” with Elizabeth Taylor (1958), “The Long, Hot Summer” with Joanne Woodward (1958), “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), “The Sting” (1973), and “The Verdict” (1982).
Along with incredible talent, Newman had a generous heart and contributed to many charities. He started Hole in the Wall camps for seriously ill children and the incredibly successful Newman’s Own, a food company he founded with a friend in 1982.
All of the profits from Newman’s Own go to charity –the total stands at more $250 million. The Newman’s Own products get my personal shopper’s seal of approval; especially the salad dressings which I love. Poignant tributes to Paul Newman are posted on the Newman’s Own website as well as on the Hole in the Wall camps site.
Newman & Woodward 1958
Along with this diverse legacy, Newman leaves behind his wife of 50 years, actress Joanne Woodward, and five children.
