Monday, 04 June 2007
Paul Newman : the Actor, the Author, the Motor Racer, the Family Man and the Philanthropist
“Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good”.
So wrote, Paul Newman, the Hollywood actor, in his book. A man whose donations to charities far exceeded half a billion US dollars.
Paul Newman, won many awards both in acting, as well as directing and producing films.
In addition he is also a Motor Racer, Author and Philanthropist.
He retired from work, at the ripe age of 82 years, reported BBC late last month.
Now in his early eighties, Newman announced on May 25, 2007 that he will retire from acting entirely.
He said: “I don’t feel I can continue acting on the level that I want to. 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.”
Paul Newman is the founder of Newman’s Own, a food company.
All its profits and royalties are donated to charity. He also co-sponsors the PEN/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award. A $25,000 reward for those who protect the first amendment as it applies to the written word. Paul Newman, in his film career of half a century has won: Academy Award, Golden Globe, Cannes Award, and Emmy Award.
Birth and Acting Career
Paul Leonard Newman was born on the 26th of January, 1925 in an affluent suburb of
Cleveland. His father, Arthur, was a Jewish owner of a profitable sports goods store. His mother, Theresa was Catholic.
Young Paul was bright and good at sports. His mother encouraged his early interest in acting. He made his acting debut at 7, as the court jester in a school production of Robin Hood.
Newman attended Ohio University in
Athens, Ohio. There he was initiated into the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.
He studied acting at Yale University and under Lee Strasberg at the Actors’ Studio in New York City.
Colour blind
We film buffs were saved by providence. We nearly lost our Paul Newman to aviation.
He served as a tail gunner in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific theatre. He flew out of aircraft carriers. He had hoped to be accepted for pilot training.
But luckily for us he did not qualify. He is colour blind.
Philanthropist
He founded ‘Newman’s Own’. A food products establishment. It started with salad dressing, and expanded into serving pasta sauce, salsa, popcorn and lemonade and other popular items.
The total net profits, after taxes, are donated to charity.
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is another institution that benefits from his generous heart. It is a residential summer camp for handicapped children.
It has many branches within US
America. And also has braches in Ireland, France and
Israel. It serves 13,000 children every year.
Outspoken
His first movie: ‘The Silver Chalice’ was made in 1954. Newman himself described it as the ” worst movie of the entire 1950s decade,”
But he came up with very popular films like: Somebody Up There Likes Me, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In this film he was with Elizabeth Taylor. A film acclaimed by most people in the English speaking world.
Film history
Paul Newman has acted in many classics. Some of them are: Towering Inferno, Cool Hand Luke, The Verdict, The Hustler, Exodus and Slap Shot.
He and his wife, Joanne Woodward, appeared in many feature films such as, Rally Round the Flag Boys, The Long Hot Summer and Mrs. Bridge, as late as 1990.
Recently he appeared in Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks.
Also he has voiced for Disney/Pixar’s Cars as the character Doc Hudson. We can view it in Sony’s ‘X-BoX 360’ Games.
Awards
Newman was nominated for Academy Award nine times as an actor. And once as Producer for Rachel, Rachel.
He won an honorary Oscar for his “many and memorable and compelling screen performances.”
In 1969, he won the Golden Globe award for Best Director, for Rachel, Rachel.
He won the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984.
In 1968, Newman was named “Man of the Year” byHarvard
University’s performance group, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals.
In 1994, the Academy awarded him the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his charity work. In all, he has three Oscar statuettes. Life outside the cinema
Detached from Hollywood, Newman makes his home in
Westport, Connecticut with his wife Joanne Woodward.
His first marriage was to Jackie Witte, and lasted nine years and three children. Their son Scott died in 1978 from an accidental drug overdose.
Newman married Joanne Woodward in 1958 and they have three daughters.
Newman has been married to Woodward now for almost 50 years.
Once the Empire magazine audaciously asked him why he never committed adultery, he famously replied “Why go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home?”
Motor Racing
Paul Newman started Motor Racing in 1972. Once he took part in the 24 hours of Le Mans and finished second in a Porsche 935. At the end of the race he said the credit goes to my co-driver and his driving skills, the German team mate Rolf Stommelen.
Newman was mostly attached to Nissan of Japan. They named a model after him, the “Newman”.
At the age of 70, he became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team. In the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1995.
Newman Day
This is a silent facet of the man . . . not so well known. This day is named after Paul Newman . . . but it is not known whether he has concurred in the idea.
An annual tradition where beers are consumed for 24 hours. This tradition is found in Princeton University, Bates College, and Kenyon College to name the prestigious ones.
The plausible explanation for this tradition is found inBates
College: Paul Newman once said “24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not.” . . . loosely based upon his character in the film Cool Hand Luke.
This statement has never been confirmed as coming from Newman. He has stated that he is opposed to this traditional celebration.
At Princeton, the day is celebrated on every April 24 with the slogan: “24 in 24 on the 24th”. Once Newman’s lawyer sent a letter to Princeton University and Bates College indicting this tradition should end.
But the celebration continues.
Here is the Wikipedia .org entry for this ‘newman’s day’:
At Princeton University tradition involving drinking 24 beers within a 24 hour period. Held every April 24th by students at Princeton.
It is also held at other colleges in the United States.
The event is not officially sanctioned by any university.
A great man indeed . . . it is said of Paul Newman: If each nation has one paul newman, the entire world would be a far better place !
Hear! Hear! A great man indeed
By: cloudedyellow on July 18, 2008
at 6:29 pm