Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83

[E.J.]

Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83

LINK

WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) - Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as an activist, race car driver, popcorn impresario and the anti-hero of such films as "Hud,""Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money," has died, a spokeswoman said Saturday. He was 93.

Newman died Friday of cancer, spokeswoman Marni Tomljanovic said. No other details were immediately available.

In May, Newman he had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.

He got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Oscars 10 times, winning one regular award and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus,""Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,""The Verdict,""The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."

Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."

He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."

Copyright 2008 Associated Press

[Trab]

Amazing, but one part says, "83" and the other, "93". That's in the original article. You have to hope somebody has a red face over this.

[Camy]

83. It's very sad. There goes another icon.

[E.J.]

Amazing, but one part says, "83" and the other, "93". That's in the original article. You have to hope somebody has a red face over this.

The first story was rushed out just moments after Newman's death. A corrected and more complete version is available HERE

[Jason Rimbaud]

*silence*

J

[The Pecman]

There was a great piece on Paul Newman in Vanity Fair last month:

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features...09/newman200809

I was surprised to find out how many millions the guy gave to charity -- an extremely unselfish, good man. At least he had a great life and an amazing career.

[Guest Fritz]

Thanks for the Vanity Fair link Pecman. Reading it brought back many memories such as his work on the McGovern campaign. While I was aware of some of his charitable work, I had no idea it was that extensive. Mr. Newman was a very good actor and an even better man who will be missed by his friends and those of us who admired him.

[rick]

The world is, indeed, a somewhat darker and colder place as a result of his passing.

Requiescat in pace, Paul.

Rick

[Cole Parker]

One of the surprising things was how his acting seemed to improve with age. In both Empire Falls and Nobody's Fool, I thought he was magnificent, and couldn't quite understand how he was doing it. His acting was so understated you just bought into the character he was playing. He was those characters, totally and wholly, and you empathized with them.

It's remarkable, but I get the impression that we all feel we've lost a personal friend.

C

[JamesSavik]

Paul Newman: real man with true grit.

Not your typical Hollywood candy-ass.

John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Steve McQueen, Charlton Heston, Paul Newman...

Sounds like a blockbuster I'd wanna see.

[DesDownunder]

Yes Cole, I feel I have lost a personal friend.

As a cinema projectionist I showed many of Paul Newman's films and watched them all.

Every time one of these iconic actors dies or yet another real cinema closes its doors for the last time, it is like a little bit of me never existed.

I can't help but wonder what the legacy of these actors will be for future generations who will never have the joy and excitement of watching them on the big screen in a movie theatre.

There is nothing quite like watching actors like Paul on a huge screen with a thousand other people all sighing as he brings a character to life.