Paul Newman

It has been nearly two months since Paul Newman’s death, and so this is my late tribute to the Academy Award winning actor who astonished multiple generations with his works.



Paul Newman was born on January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Early in his life, Paul Newman expressed interests in theater and acting, and with his mother’s encouragement, he starred in multiple school plays; Newman made his debut at the age of seven as the court jester in his school’s production of Robin Hood. Later in life, Newman served in the Navy in World War II, but after the war, he completed his degree at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio in 1949. He then studied drama at Yale University and graduated in 1954.

Paul Newman made his Broadway theater debut in 1953 with William Inge’s play Picnic, and later he appeared in the Broadway Productions The Desperate Hours in 1955 and Sweet Bird of Youth in 1959. In the film industry, Newman first made his mark in 1954 with The Silver Chalice, and continued with some of his most acclaimed roles including Somebody Up There Likes Me in 1956and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1958. Once Paul Newman was on the scene, he, unlike most actors and actresses, successfully made the transition from 1950s cinema to that of the 1960s and 1970s. He starred in the biggest movies of all decades leading up to his death including Exodus, The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, Slap Shot, The Drowning Pool, The Verdict, Harry & Son, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, and many more. One of Paul Newman’s most acclaimed roles is his academy award winning (Best Actor) part as “Fast” Eddie Felson in Martin Scorsese’s directed The Color of Money in 1986. But throughout the decades, Paul Newman amazed many from the years 1952 to his retirement in 2007.

In June 2008, Paul Newman announced that he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He continued chemotherapy until August 2008 and soon after told his family he wished to die at home. On September 26, 2008, Paul Newman died at his longtime home in Westport, Connecticut surrounded by his family and close friends. When the news reached the public, people were devastated as the actor who had impressed over 50 years of generations was now gone forever. However, he is still around through all of his famous works, and I will never forget him or his talent as I watch my favorites of his including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.