Tower Blog

Screen-Legend Paul Newman, 1925-2008

September 27, 2008 by Bob

It is hard to imagine a world where Paul Newman isn’t busy working on philanthropy.  The infamous handsome blue-eyed actor was a respected elder in Hollywood, a feat that should not be overlooked.  Mr. Newman passed away yesterday on September 26th at his home in Connecticut at the age of 83.

Paul Newman got his start in showbiz with the now forgotten film, The Silver Chalice in 1956.  In 1958, he starred alongside Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and in the American melodrama The Long, Hot Summer.  In 1960 he played Ari Ben Cannon, an Israeli freedom fighter in Exodus, the first film to end Hollywood’s blacklist era.

It wasn’t until the 1960s when Mr. Newman was a sure box-office success with films like Hud, The Hustler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Cool Hand Luke.  The Color of Money was the film that finally gave Paul Newman an Oscar for his performance as an aging pool shark — he had been nominated 9 times prior to earning an Academy Award for this film.  Later he starred in The Verdict and Road to Perdition.

In later years, Mr. Newman became as well-known for his philanthropy, as his roles in major Hollywood films.  With Newman’s Own — a food product line including salad dressings, pasta sauces and wine — Paul Newman donated all proceeds to charity.  You can read all about it a book he recently co-wrote entitled, In Pursuit of the Common Good.

Paul Newman was an incredibly talented actor, but more than that, he was a generous man with an inspiring spirit and may we always remember him for those reasons.