Paul Newman dead at 83

**Rasputin** · 09-27-2008, 09:59 AM

Paul Newman dead at 83

Legendary film star Paul Newman, whose brilliant blue eyes, good looks and talent made him one of Hollywood's top actors over six decades has died at age 83 after a long battle with cancer.

Newman died on Friday night at his farmhouse near Westport, Connecticut, said his Los Angeles-based spokesman Jeff Sanderson.

"His death was as private and discreet as the way he had lived his life, a humble artist who never thought of himself as 'big,' surrounded by his beloved family and the close circle of friends," said a statement released by his family on Saturday.

Paul Leonard Newman, known as "PL" to his friends, appeared in more than 50 movies, including "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "The Hustler," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting." He earned nine Oscar nominations for acting and won the best actor honor for 1986's "The Color of Money."

Famed for his philanthropy as well as his acting, Newman was married to Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward for more than 50 years.

He had successful side careers as a race car driver and creator of a line of food products, Newman's Own, that bore his name and face on their labels.

His Newman's Own Foundation gave more than $250 million to thousands of charities worldwide and his Hole-in-the-Wall Camps provided summer breaks for children with serious illnesses.

"Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special. Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity," his five daughters said in a statement.

"Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune. In his own words: 'It's been a privilege to be here,'" they said.

Newman was born in a Cleveland suburb on January 26, 1925, and was a Navy radio man in the Pacific during World War Two. Afterward, he went to Kenyon College in Ohio on a football scholarship but took up acting after being cut from the team because of a barroom brawl.

After his father's death, Newman helped run the family sporting goods store before heading to the Yale Drama School.

He ended up in New York, finding bit parts on TV and a Broadway role in "Picnic" in 1953. His first major movie role was portraying boxer Rocky Graziano in "Somebody Up There Likes Me." From there, his career was on the rise.

In 1958, Newman starred in "The Long Hot Summer" with Woodward, who he married that year shortly after divorcing his first wife, Jacqueline Witte.

He also played an alcoholic loser in "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof," opposite Elizabeth Taylor and the pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in "The Hustler." Then came hits like "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a 1969 Western pairing him with Robert Redford. The two also teamed up as con men in the 1973 movie "The Sting."

Newman was also recognized for his work behind the camera, earning an Oscar nomination for best picture and a Golden Globe award for best director for "Rachel, Rachel," which he produced and directed, and which starred Woodward.

Though his movie career slowed in later years, Newman picked up Oscar nominations in 1994 for drama "Nobody's Fool" and again in 2002 for the crime thriller "Road to Perdition."

He returned to the stage the same year in "Our Town" for Connecticut-based Westport County Playhouse. The show moved to Broadway and Newman was nominated for a Tony award for his performance and won and Emmy for the 2003 broadcast of the show on PBS.

In 2005 he won another Emmy, U.S. television's highest award, for best supporting actor in the HBO mini-series "Empire Falls." His last movie part was a voice-over role in the 2006 animated film "Cars."

OUTSIDE THE LIMELIGHT

Throughout his career, Newman resisted the glare of Hollywood's spotlight. He said once that his profession had "nothing to do with being an adult" and he bristled at the attention to his blue eyes, which happened to be color blind.

His long marriage to Woodward ran counter to Hollywood convention, where fast weddings and quick divorces seem to be the standard, and the pair lived in a 200-year-old Connecticut house, far from the heart of the entertainment industry.

Asked the secret of his marriage, Newman once said: "I know this is going to sound corny but there's no reason to roam. I have steak at home. Why should I go out for a hamburger?"

As an auto racer, he came second in the Le Mans 24-hour competition in 1975 and in 1995 at age 70, he became the oldest driver on a winning team at the 24 hours of Daytona race.

But Newman said he got his deepest satisfaction from philanthropy. He used his influence to advance many social causes, and sometimes worked in the political arena. He was a delegate to the U.N. conference on disarmament in 1978.

Particularly close to his heart were the Hole-in-the-Wall Camps where children with life-threatening illnesses can find inspiration and sometimes even recovery or remission from their sicknesses. Today, there are eleven camps around the world, that have helped over 135,000 children, free of charge.

Newman is survived by Woodward, five daughters, two grandsons, and his older brother, Arthur. Newman also had a son Scott, who died in 1978.

**Rasputin** · 09-27-2008, 04:16 PM

پل نیومن بازیگر افسانه ای سینما در 83 سالگی درگذشت

پل نیومن سال گذشته اعلام کرد که از فعالیت های سینمایی کناره گیری می کند
پل نیومن، از آخرین بزرگان سینمای کلاسیک آمریکا پس از نبردی طولانی با سرطان درگذشته است. او 83 سال داشت.
بازیگر فیلم هایی چون "بوچ کسیدی" و "ساندنس کید" روز جمعه در منزلش در ایالت کانتیکات در شمال شرقی آمریکا درحالی که خانواده و دوستانش در کنار او بودند درگذشت.

رابرت ردفورد همبازی او در "بوچ کسیدی" درباره یار قدیمی چنین گفت: "لحظاتی در زندگی هست که احساسات از قوه بیان فراتر می رود... من یک دوست واقعی را از دست داده ام."

پنج دختر پل نیومن در بیانیه ای که در اختیار رسانه ها قرار گرفت پدرشان را به خاطر "تواضع، از خود گذشتگی و سخاوتش" ستایش کردند.

آنها در بیانیه خود نوشتند: "پل نیومن نقش های به یادماندنی زیادی بازی کرد. اما نقش هایی که بیش از هر چیز به آنها افتخار می کرد ربطی به سینما نداشت: شوهری فداکار، پدری مهربان، پدربزرگی با محبت، نیکوکاری جدی."

در لس آنجلس قرار است بر ستاره نیومن واقع در "پیاده روی مشاهیر هالیوود" گل نهاده شود. انجمن تصاویر متحرک آمریکا در این شهر از "زندگی حرفه ای خارق العاده" نیومن تقدیر کرد.

بازنشسته

پل نیومن با چشمان آبی و چهره جذابی که داشت در طول 50 سال فعالیت سینمایی یکی از پرطرفدارترین هنرپیشگان آمریکایی بود. وی در این مدت در 60 فیلم بازی کرد.

نیومن 10 بار نامزد دریافت جایزه اسکار برای نقش اول شد اما 33 سال طول کشید تا به این جایزه دست یابد که به نقش آفرینی در فیلم "رنگ پول" در سال 1987 مربوط می شد.

وی با همسرش جون وودوارد نیز در چندین فیلم از جمله "تابستان داغ و طولانی" بازی کرد.

دست اندرکاران سینما، بازی وی در فیلم های "گربه روی شیروانی داغ" ، "بیلیاردباز"، "بوچ کسیدی" و "ساندنس کید" را فراموش نشدنی می دانند.

در ماه مه سال 2007 بود که وی اعلام کرد از آنجا که دیگر قادر نیست بهترین بازی خود را ارائه دهد، هنرپیشگی را کنار می گذارد.

وی که در جریان مصاحبه با شبکه تلویزیونی آمریکایی ای بی سی، دلیل کناره گیری خود را شرح می داد گفت: " شما به تدریج حافظه تان را از دست می دهید، به تدریج اعتمادتان را از دست می دهید، و به تدریج خلاقیتان را از دست می دهید."

اوایل سال جاری میلادی پل نیومن به علت برخی ناراحتی های جسمانی از کارگردانی نمایش "موش ها و آدم ها" از جان اشتاین بک در کنکتیکات منصرف شد.

در کنار فعالیت سینمایی، پل نیومن به کارهای خیریه نیز می پرداخت.

وی از طریق یک شرکت مواد غذایی که تاسیس کرده بود توانست درآمدی نزدیک به 250 میلیون دلار داشته باشد. وی این پول را در اختیار سازمان های خیریه قرار می داد.

'مردی خارق العاده'

بسیاری از دوستان و همکارانش در آمریکا و سراسر جهان در مدح او پیام داده اند.

سم مندز کارگردان فیلم "جاده ای به سوی عذاب ابدی" (Road to Perdition) که پل نیومن در سال 2002 در آن بازی کرد گفت که او "مردی خارق العاده از هر جهت بود."

او به خصوص فروتنی و افتادگی کامل پل نیومن را مورد ستایش قرار داد.

جورج کلونی هنرپیشه هالیوود گفت: "متر و معیاری که او به جا گذاشت خیلی بالاست. نه فقط برای هنرپیشه ها بلکه برای همه."

کوین اسپیسی برنده جایزه اسکار گفت: "پل نیومن غولی بزرگ اما فروتن بود. او از موفقیت خود برای کمک به دیگران استفاده کرد و این کار را کرد بی آنکه در فکر خودنمایی باشد."

"او باید الگوی همه کسانی باشد که در کار بازیگری هستند چرا که طوری رفتار می کرد که انگار حس تکبرش را بریده و دور انداخته است."

هرچند قیافه جذاب و چشمان نافذ او برای شخصیت های رمانتیک ایده آل بود، اما نیومن اغلب نقش شورشیان، آدم های بی سر و پا و بازنده ها را بازی می کرد.

وی در سال 1986 یک اسکار افتخاری دریافت کرد.

**Rasputin** · 09-28-2008, 09:38 AM

In Hometown, Newman Remembered As 'Regular Guy'

In Hollywood, Paul Newman was royalty. But in Westport, Conn., where he lived with his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, he was just "a regular guy," says AJ Izzo, part owner of Crossroads Hardware on Main Street, where Newman had been a customer for more than 20 years.

"He'd walk in and say, 'How are you, AJ?' And I'd say, 'Hey, Paul.' He probably gave more than he took in life, and you don't find many people like that."

Newman, who will be remembered in town as upbeat, generous, and down-to-earth, often popped into the store to buy supplies to fix common household problems.

"He was a gadget guy in many ways,"" says Izzo. "He'd buy light bulbs or a new screw for a hinge just like an average guy would do."

Izzo says he last saw Newman about two months ago when he came in alone to buy some masking tape. "He looked really thin," recalls Izzo, adding that Newman did not discuss his illness. "He was the kind of person who liked his privacy."

However, Izzo says he saw one of Newman's friends less than a week ago, and when he asked how Newman was doing the friend replied, "Good. He's having a beer and glass of milk because he needs to gain weight."

About a month ago, Newman treated himself to a cold beer during dinner with Woodward at Pane Vino Restaurant, says owner Marty Levine. The couple sat at their usual corner table, and though Newman appeared frail and had a smaller appetite, he remained his usual cheerful self. "His personality was about the same," Levine recalls. "He was always upbeat. He didn't seem dour or depressed."

As a customer, Levine says Newman was "honorable and courteous. I never felt like he gave off the aura of a big celebrity."

Bryan Malcarney, chef/owner of Blue Lemon Restaurant, another favorite spot, agrees: "He'd joke a little with the staff. He was never a pompous Hollywood kind of person-neither is Joanne-and that was nice."

Newman-who often ordered Dover sole-came in to eat about three weeks ago. "We're really sad to see him go," says Malcarney.

Newman supported the town's small business, including Oscar's Deli, where he had been a loyal customer for the past 40 years, says owner Lee Papageorge.

"It's a loss for the whole town," Papageorge explains. "He was very generous, nice to have around, always approachable and very friendly."

In addition to his humility and his kindness, Ramze Zakka, owner of Acqua restaurant, remembers the actor for another of his best features: "His baby blue eyes were brilliant across the dining room."

Albert DeAngelis, Acqua's executive chef, added: "He's just one of the finest human beings I've ever been around."

Elias Vlandis, owner of Coffee and Donut shop, says the whole community is affected by the loss. "There are a lot of regular people coming in today who are really sad about it," he says.

But Newman will never be forgotten in Westport.

"We have a picture on the wall here," says Vlandis. "We're not taking it down. We're proud to have it."

**Rasputin** · 09-28-2008, 09:39 AM

Dad Paul Newman Was a 'Rare Symbol of Selfless Humility'

His characters onscreen were monumental, but it's at home where Paul Newman’s death may leave the biggest void.

"Paul Newman played many unforgettable roles. But the ones for which he was proudest never had top billing on the marquee," his daughters said in a statement following their father's death.

Calling Newman a "devoted husband,” “loving father," "adoring grandfather” and a “dedicated philanthropist," the women paid tribute to the head of their family.

The statement continued, "Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special. Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity."

Newman leaves behind five adult children: Stephanie and Susan with his first wife, Jacqueline Witte, and Clea, Nell, and Lissy with his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward. Nell runs Newman's Own Organics, a spinoff of her father's Newman's Own products. A son, Scott, died of a drug overdose in 1978.

"Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune," they said. "In his own words: 'It's been a privilege to be here.’ "

They concluded, "He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves us with extraordinary inspiration to draw upon.

"During this difficult time, we ask for privacy for our family."

**Rasputin** · 09-28-2008, 09:40 AM

Robert Redford 'Beyond Words' over Newman’s Death

Paul Newman’s lasting impact in Hollywood was more than evident Saturday, a day after the Oscar winner succumbed to cancer, as stars and pals alike expressed their sadness over his death.

"There is a point where feelings go beyond words," two-time costar Robert Redford said in a statement. "I have lost a real friend. My life – and this country – is better for his being in it."

The pair, who shared heartthrob status in their heyday, starred together in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969 and again in The Sting, in 1973. A testament to their easygoing friendship: Redford famously gave Newman a dented, engine-less Porsche as a joke for his birthday one year. Newman repaid the favor by having the car crushed and sent back to the actor.

Hollywood in Mourning
Newman's Absence of Malice costar Sally Field echoed the sentiment of fondness for the Oscar winner. "I was blessed to have known him," she said in a statement. "The world is better because of him. Sometimes God makes perfect people and Paul Newman was one of them."

Martin Scorsese, who directed Newman in The Color of Money – for which he won the Best Actor Oscar in 1987 – paid tribute to Newman's big screen legacy. "It’s a great loss, in so many ways," said Scorcese in a statement. "The history of movies without Paul Newman? It’s unthinkable. His presence, his beauty, his physical eloquence, the emotional complexity he could conjure up and transmit through his acting in so many movies – where would we be without him?"

The director called Newman's characters "lasting and durable" and praised his effortless talent. "His powerful eloquence, his consummate sense of craft, so consummate that you didn't see any sense of effort up there on the screen, set a new standard."

George Clooney, a fellow humanitarian (and heartthrob), never worked with Newman onscreen, but saluted the actor's impact on the world: "He set the bar too high for the rest of us – not just actors, but all of us. He will be greatly missed."

**Rasputin** · 09-28-2008, 09:40 AM

Screen and Real-Life Hero Paul Newman Dies at 83

Paul Newman, a screen hero for more than half a century and the head of a philanthropic food empire for the past 25 years, has died, it was announced Saturday. He was 83.

Surrounded by his family and close friends at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn., Newman succumbed Friday after a long battle with cancer, according to a statement from publicist Jeff Sanderson.

Famed for his intense blue eyes, his love of car racing and one of the coolest demeanors ever to heat up the silver screen, Newman was nominated for Oscars ten times.

But perhaps his proudest accomplishment, besides his 50-year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward, was starting Newman's Own, which since 1982 has made popcorn, spaghetti sauce, lemonade and salad dressing and has donated more than $250 million to charities selected by Newman himself.

Career Highs
With more than 80 films and TV productions to his credit, Newman's career spanned generations. His first Oscar nomination was in 1959 for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and his most recent was in 2003 for Road to Perdition.

The son of a sporting goods storeowner, the Ohio native enrolled in Ohio's Kenyon College after his 1946 discharge from the Navy. He married for the first time in 1949, then moved wife Jackie and their young son Scott east, where Newman attended the Yale Drama School and, later, the New York Actors Studio.

Dramatic TV roles came his way, but it was his Broadway debut in 1953, as the sexy stranger in Picnic, that led to a Warner Bros. Hollywood contract and his first movie – the 1954 toga epic The Silver Chalice, which even he considered one of the worst movies ever made.

Still, the looker more than redeemed himself in two screen adaptations of Tennessee Williams dramas, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof costarring Elizabeth Taylor, and Sweet Bird of Youth, with a highly charged Geraldine Page.

In 1957, Newman and Jackie, with whom he also had two daughters, divorced. The next year, he married Woodward, with whom he eventually had another three daughters.

Paul Newman, in the 1950s

Photo by: Hulton Archive / Getty
By the '60s Newman had hit his stride with such career-defining roles as the leads in The Hustler, Hud and Cool Hand Luke. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, followed by The Sting, made him and screen partner Robert Redford the hottest male stars of the '70s.

Newman won an Oscar for The Color of Money, in 1987. Exactly 20 years later, he announced his retirement from acting, saying, "I'm not able to work anymore ... at the level that I would want to. You start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your invention."

Among his final roles was the voice of Doc Hudson in the 2006 animated movie Cars.

Charitable Investments
In 1988, Newman and Woodward established the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, named for the outlaws in Butch Cassidy. The camp permits seriously ill youngsters to enjoy the great outdoors – at no cost to the kids or their families.

"I'm a cynical S.O. B.," Newman said when the camp opened, in Ashford, Conn. "But I have a sense of wonder here."

After his retirement from acting, Newman, who was based in Westport, Conn., remained active in his charity work (in 2007, he donated $10 million to Kenyon College) and his food business, and even started theater directing for the first time.

Besides Woodward, Newman's five daughters and several grandchildren survive him. His son, Scott Newman, died following an accidental drug overdose in 1978. In his memory, Paul Newman instituted the Scott Newman Center for drug abuse prevention.

**Rasputin** · 09-28-2008, 09:42 AM

http://www.people.com/people/package...219605,00.html

**Lihualee** · 09-29-2008, 03:48 AM

nothing

I'm going to bump the tread up.

**Rasputin** · 09-29-2008, 03:26 PM

In Memory of Paul Newman

by Kaveh Afrasiabi

Today, I am grieving at the loss of 83 year old legendary actor and social activist Paul Newman, who was also a great humanist and dedicated his life to helping the world's needy, especially the sick children.

Although I had met him only once at a fund raiser for his ‘Hole in the Wall’ charity, I felt I knew him rather well, not simply because I am like countless millions of others a devout fan of his movies and always admired his tireless charitable activities, but also because Paul was a dear friend of my brother, Mohsen (above photo), and our brief encounter in Palo Alto, California, two years ago left a lasting impression that I cherish forever.

Addressing an intimate group of high tech executives that evening, Paul spoke briefly about the current and future plans of Hole in the Wall, expressing appreciation for my brother’s effort in organizing that successful fund raiser.

He was genuinely interested in the United Nations and I used the opportunity to make a pitch for putting him together with the UN Undersecretary For Peacekeeping Operations, Jean Marie Guehenno, whom I had recently interviewed for a UN magazine, hoping that Paul would then consent to celebrating the UN Peacekeeping Day at the auto races through a UN button attached to the uniform of drivers.

Subsequently, I was informed by my brother that Paul had expressed real interest in such a meeting and yet due to health reasons was unable to make it.

Also, subsequently Paul expressed a strong interest in a movie idea called “The Fourth Man” dealing indirectly with the Iran-Contra Affair. He had just turned down a film script by his old friend Robert Redford and felt that Redford would be rather unhappy if he picked up another script.

He was done with movies and was now officially retired from Hollywood, though never from his true passion of auto race, in light of the couple of race cars he and his partners, Karl Haas and Mike Lainigan, owned, one driven by a young driver, Rahal, in whom Paul vested a lot of hope as a future champion.

I once asked Mohsen what he thought was the underlying cause of Paul’s passionate love for racing and he thought that “it’s something holy for them, as if he feels nearer to God when he is at the pit stop.”

What I liked most about Paul was his humility and selflessness, his unique ability to engage in conversation with people as a most ordinary man that, if you did not know his identity, you would never think that you were speaking with a world renowned living legend who was loved and admired around the world, although I must say that I found his piercing, mildly inquisitive stares deep into your eyes, instantly revealing a seasoned veteran of life’s so many adventures who reached the pinnacle of Hollywood stardom and who selflessly devoted a major chunk of his time to various charitable activities.

Paul was an exemplary hero, for all of us, the entire humanity, who broke the barriers, religious, political, racial, etc., and reached us all through the combination of his numerous artistic creations and equally impressive dedication to humanitarian causes. God bless his soul.

**Rasputin** · 09-30-2008, 07:09 AM

Iranians Mourn Paul Newman

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranians mourned Paul Newman on Sunday in a rare instance of adoration of cinema trumping ideological and political differences.

In an unusual move, even a major state newspaper, IRAN, ran a front-page story about Newman's death. Government dailies traditionally trumpet the Islamic Republic's staunch anti-American stance and rarely cover American pop culture.

More liberal independent newspapers, including Iran's largest circulation Hamshahri, also ran front-page articles on Newman's death. The independent Etemaad and Kargozaran splashed large photos of the American actor on their front pages.

"The end of the last classic star," was Etemaad's headline. "The end of the blue eyed kid," Kargozaran mourned.

The Islamic cleric-run government tends to look down on cinema and other aspects of pop culture, particularly Western. Iran's Culture Ministry in March shut down nine cinema and lifestyle magazines for promoting "corrupt" foreign film stars after one of them published photos of Cameron Diaz, Naomi Watts, Mandy Moore and Angelina Jolie.

But many Iranians are avid movie fans, taking deep pride in their domestic movie industry and obsessively following American movies, mostly on bootleg DVDs or illegal satellite dishes.

Newman, who died Friday at 83 of cancer, became popular among Iranians in the era before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when his movies "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "The Towering Inferno" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" played in Iranian theaters.

Just earlier this year, state TV — which regularly airs Hollywood movies — broadcast Newman's "Cool Hand Luke."

"He will not be repeated," 45-year-old film enthusiast Maryam Khayyami said in front of a movie theater in downtown Tehran.

A prominent female Iranian director, Tahmineh Milani, told the Associated Press that she has seen some 30 movies of Newman, "I am sad for his death. He had a positive impact on the world cinema," she said.

Paul Newman dead at 83

Paul Newman dead at 83

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