What can you say about Paul Newman that has not already been said over the past few days? Amongst the stories of celebrities falling out of taxis drunk, or flashing their bits to the press it seems that the defenition of the words ‘icon’ or ‘legend’ have all but been lost yet Paul Newman was much more than this.
The iconic actor starred in some 60 films in a career that spanned five decades.
He was nominated for an Academy Award 10 times – but it took him 33 years to win one, picking up the best actor trophy for The Color Of Money in 1987.
In May 2007, Newman said he was giving up acting because he could no longer perform to the best of his ability.
“I’m not able to work any more… at the level that I would want to,” he told US broadcaster ABC.
“You start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your invention.
“So I think that’s pretty much a closed book for me.”
Earlier this year, he pulled out of directing a stage production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men in Connecticut because of unspecified health problems.
Film star George Clooney said: “He set the bar too high for the rest of us. Not just actors, but all of us.”
Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey added: “Paul Newman was a great, humble giant.
Although his handsome looks and piercing blue eyes made him an ideal romantic lead, Newman often played rebels, tough guys and losers.
“I was always a character actor,” he once said. “I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood.”
His movies included Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, The Sting and Hud.
Along the way, he worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood – including Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall and Tom Hanks.
He also appeared with his wife, Joanne Woodward, in several films including Long Hot Summer and Paris Blues. The star later directed his wife in movies such as Rachel, Rachel and The Glass Menagerie.
But his most famous screen partner was undoubtedly Robert Redford, his sidekick in both Butch Cassidy and The Sting.
In addition to his Academy Award for best actor, he was given an honorary Oscar in 1986 “in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft”.
In 1994, he picked up a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.
His philanthropic efforts included the establishment of summer camps for children who suffered from life-threatening illnesses.
He also donated profits from his Newman’s Own food range to a number of charitable organisations.
Newman’s last film role was as the voice of Doc Hudson, one of the most famous racing cars in history, in the Pixar animation Cars.
It was perhaps a fitting epitaph for the actor, who had a lifelong fascination with the sport – and put his film career on hold in the 1970s to become a professional racing driver.
He is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.
RIP Paul Newman, the last of the living legends.
