Paul Newman in the film"Cool Hand Luke."
As a young man, actor and Hollywood star Paul Newman was so beautiful that his beauty itself — the blue eyes, the sculpted planes — became a danger to his ambition to be more than a pretty face.
By his life’s end, late last week, of cancer at 83, that was a battle Paul Newman had won, hands down.
He played the alcoholic, the convict, the cowboy, the lover, the lawyer — in “Cool Hand Luke,” “The Hustler,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Verdict,” “Nobody’s Fool,” and more. He helped define American manhood, and reached out of the move theater deep into the tough parts of life: in his ground-breaking work for charity and sick kids, Newman carved a unique path in art and activism.
We’re not finished thinking about him and his career. This hour, On Point: remembering icon, actor and activist Paul Newman.
You can join the conversation. Did his blue eyes make you weak in the knees way back when? In what film? Did his career help you understand what it means to mature — in art, in life?
-Tom Ashbrook
Guests:
Mark Harris, columnist at Entertainment Weekly and author of “Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood.”
See this special photo gallery at EW.com, annotated by Harris, showing Newman in 30 of his unforgettable roles.
Jeanine Basinger, chair of the film studies department at Wesleyan University and author of “The Star Machine.”
Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.
More links:
“Paul Newman, a Magnetic Titan of Hollywood, Is Dead at 83″ — The New York Times obituary of Paul Newman from Sept. 27.
Newman’s Own, the hugely successful premium food company started by Paul Newman in 1982 — which donates all profits and royalties after taxes for educational and charitable purposes — offers its tribute to Newman’s life and legacy. The company’s motto: “Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good.”
Watch the scene from “The Hustler” (1961) in which Newman’s character Fast Eddie plays the final game against Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason):
Tags: arts, culture, movies, Paul Newman
Paul Newman was not only a great actor he was also a model citizen.
His life was an example of how to live and to contribute to society. Which seems to be missing in spades in these days.
Farewell Mr.Newman and thanks.
Posted by jeff, on October 2nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm EDTI fully admire this well rounded man — handsome, classic, graceful, sympathetic, generous, and compassionate. He seems to have lived his life fully. A true hero!
Mr. Newman, you will be remembered forever.
Posted by Rachel, on October 3rd, 2008 at 12:15 am EDT