Paul Newman
1925 -
Biography: Paul Newman was born on January 26th
1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. Newman grew up in a suburb to Cleveland called Shaker
Heights where he showed great interest in acting already at high school,
where he participated in the local high school productions. He graduated in
1943 and immediately enlisted in the Navy. He spent the remainder of the war
in the South Pacific as a radio operator. He was hoping to become a pilot,
but was denied because he is color blind. In 1946 he enrolled at Kenyon College
and this time his goal was to pursue an acting career. In 1949 he met and
married actress Jacqueline Witte with he had a child, Scott. Soon after that
his father died which postponed his acting career, because he moved back
to Shaker Heights to manage his parents' sporting goods store. However, he
grew tired of the business pretty soon and sold his share to his brother and
moved with Jacqueline and Scott to New Haven where he enrolled at Yale University's
graduate drama program.
He only spent one year at Yale, then moved to New York to attend the New
York Actors Studio. It was at the Actors Studio that Newman learned about
method acting, a modern type of acting used by Marlon Brando. Newman won
his first television part in 1951, it was the CBS production of "The Aldrich
Family". Two years later he made his first appearance on Brodway, in "Picnic".
The performance caught the attention of some Warner Bros. executives who signed
him up immediately. His first film was THE SILVER CHALICE, an epic costumer
that became a huge flop which halted Newman's career before it had begun.
He came back two years later, this time to stay, with SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES
ME, where he played boxer Rocky Graziano. Newman became known as the new
Brando. His next appearence worth mentioning was in THE LONG HOT SUMMER,
along with veteran Orson Welles and up-and-coming actress Joanne Woodward,
who soon was to become Newman's second wife.
The following years Newman would appear in films of outstanding quality,
beginning with Richard Brooks' CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, based on Tennessee
Williams' play, where he played opposite Elizabeth Taylor. Newman's performance
as "Fast" Eddie Felson in THE HUSTLER could very well be his finest hour,
it brought him his second Academy Award nomination, his first was for CAT
ON A HOT TIN ROOF. During this period Newman's charachters were often cynical
opportunists with strong sex appeal and seeming contempt for women. He was
nominated for the third time for his performance as an amoral Texas rancher
in HUD. His fourth nomination was for his charachterization of a prison inmate
in the superb chain-gang drama COOL HAND LUKE. Yes, it's the film with the
famous egg eating bet. 1969 saw Newman team up with Robert Redford in the
revisionist western classic BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, which became
the highest grossing western of all time.
In 1969 Newman formed the First Actors production company along with Steve
McQueen, Sidney Poitier and Barbra Streisand. The idea was to create opportunities
for performers to produce their own projects, the same idea that United Artists
was based on. The project did result in some interesting experiments, but
that's all. Newman returned for a solid smash hit when he re-teamed with
Robert Redford in George Roy Hill's delightful comedy THE STING. It won seven
Academy Awards, but still nothing for Newman. Then he shared first billing
with Steve McQueen in the star studded disaster movie THE TOWERING INFERNO.
His most notable performance of the late 70's was as a hockey player/coach
in the cult comedy SLAP SHOT. In the beginning of the 80's Newman left the
matinee idol persona for good and accepted more mature roles starting with
ABSENCE OF MALICE opposite Sally Field. Then came his sixth Academy Award
nomination for his brilliant charachterization of an old, hard drinking
lawyer attempting a comeback in THE VERDICT.
Newman did win his Oscar on his seventh attempt, when he reprised his
role as "Fast" Eddie Felson in THE COLOR OF MONEY opposite young Tom Cruise.
During the 80's Newman launched "Newman's Own", a successful series of food
products such as spaghetti sauce and salad dressing, the earnings goes to
charity. He also founded a drug rehabilitation center named after his son
Scott, who died in 1978 of an overdose of tranquilizers and alcohol. Newman
remains outspoken in important political issues that he labours for. Nowadays
he just works in movies when he finds a script that inspires him, such as
in 1994 when he appeared in the Coen-brothers' THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, and in
1995 when he scored his eighth Academy Award nomination for NOBODY'S FOOL.
Newman and Woodward reside in Westport, Connectict where they just celebrated
their 45th wedding anniversary. They have three daughters together.
This biography was written by Erik Stahlberg