WESTPORT, Conn. - Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" — and as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83.
Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.
In May, Newman had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.
Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.
In May, Newman had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.
I knew this was coming, and it still hits me very hard. Newman was truly one of the first guys (along with Redford) who made me want to be an actor. Those two brilliant, and pivotal (in my life, anyway) films, BUTCH CASSIDY and THE STING made such a strong impression on me at such a young age. As much as I dug Redford's macho image, it was Newman's cool, low key persona and very realistic, genuine portrayals that really helped to shape my impression of what acting, as it's finest, is all about. Over the years, I became aware of his older performances (HUD, THE HUSTLER, THE LONG HOT SUMMER,COOL HAND LUKE, and his brilliant turn as Brick in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF) and in later years came to truly enjoy the work he did in his twilight. (NOBODY'S FOOL and ROAD TO PERDITION, especially). I was genuinely in awe of his presence onscreen, and also of the man he was off screen. A remarkably long Hollywood marriage, founding the NEWMAN'S OWN company, his opposition to the Vietnam war and his civil rights activism, not to mention that the man drove a race car well into his 70's!
There just aren't many great ones like Newman. He's truly one of the last of a dying breed. That's unfortunate, but I feel genuinely blessed to have come up in a time with his fine example of how to practice the craft of acting. He will be missed...for a long time to come.
RIP Butch...
19 comments:
Well said Tim. He was everything a "man" should be . . . sexy, intelligent, funny, talented, caring, devoted, scarred. . . he had it all. And because he gave back what he could in memory of his son, he showed the world that you can, in fact, make a difference.
I'm just glad that my son got to know him in some way also. For Kieran, Doc Hudson was my Butch Cassidy. Of course, the raw sexuality was missing (but that's a good thing in this case).
There aren't many great ones left.
Amen. My dad has recommended only a handful of films to me in my life. "Cool Hand Luke" was one of these, and I watch it about once a year. Paul Newman is one of those few souls that we can look at and feel he was unsullied by the Hollywood hype of today, even if we only consider his marriage. A classic "man's man" and incredibly attractive, to boot.
He is missed.
All right Mr OTHER...FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!
Post the film, if you think there's a better one than the one on that list.
X, I pick up the gauntlet.
I love THE LONG HOT SUMMER right from its terrific opening theme song sung by Jimmie Rodgers all the way through to the end. The story has been cobbled together from a couple of Faulkner short stories and doesn't really quite jell; except that the superb acting makes it jell. It is the rich characters that sell the thing. Most notably Newman and Woodward who spark electric heat and sensuality every time they're onscreen together. But the whole movie is one writhing heatwave of sexuality and sexual innuendo and sexual tension. All beautifully portrayed by all the secondary characters as well...Orson Welles as Woodward's Daddy who wants heirs and throw his daughter and Newman's drifter together; Tony Franscio as Welles' neglected son and his eternally hot wife, Lee Remick, and Angela Lansbury as the mistress to Welles' Southern patriarch. And Richard Anderson plays the beau who will never ask for Woodward's hand, because it's strongly implied, without ever mentioning it, that he's a latent homosexual. The movie is just one simmering implication of sexuality all the way through, and the dialogue is rife with sexual allusion. Everytime it's on I watch it; it is utterly mesmerizing.
I am also a huge fan of THE LEFT-HANDED GUN where Newman plays Billy the Kid. Directed by Arthur Penn and I think the script is by Gore Vidal. I know it's based on a teleplay of Vidal's that Newman did.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a big, big fan of Butch & Sundance too. William Goldman is one of my few gods.
Cool, Chuck. I love that one too! (and actually thought I had it on the list!)
Never saw LEFT HANDED GUN but now I'll have to check it out.
BTW- not putting that up there to say that I think those are the only great ones. I'd just like people to elaborate on the ones they think were left off.
Hell, I left off SLAPSHOT, THE VERDICT, CARS and THE TOWERING INFERNO,just to name a few. The man rarely made a bad film.
Rarely made a bad film?...Naw, Tim, really THE TOWERING INFERNO kinda stinks...not his fault, but it's like most of that all-star hokum.
And he himself used to take out full-page ads apologizing for THE SILVER CHALICE, his first movie, whenever it ran on TV. It's loopy fun; but pretty damned bad.
The great gap in my Newman education is SLAP SHOT. I've heard nothing but great things about this film since it came out and somehow have just never gotten around to seeing it; something I must rectify...perhaps this week, if Blockbuster carries something that old.
X, as you know I was and am still a huge PAUL NEWMAN fan. Cool Hand Luke is by far my favorite film of all time. Butch and Sundance, The Sting, Hud, The Hustler, all of these easily find their way into my top 20 list. With Luke and Buthch right at number two. I can speak that dialogue right along with the film. I never grow tired of them.
I must say that the Left Handed Gun is a very good early film as is Sombody Up There Likes Me. Newman plays Rocky Graziano. Hombre is a decent Newman film, he plays a half breed Apache who has to deal with racist, drunken, cowardly stage coach passengers who are being hunted by a band of outlaws. The last film I would mention is not a particularly good film however, it is interesting and he is good as Buffalo Bill Cody in Robert Altman's Buffalo Bill and the Indians. Fort Apache the Bronx is another very good Newman film,
I have a major man crush on Paul Newman.
Peace,
D$
D, HOMBRE is a good one (as is LIFE AND TIMES F JUDGE ROY BEAN, as I recall!)
Chuck, I agree that he made some clunkers- but I actually love THE TOWERING INFERNO, in all of it's glorific badness! I have a major soft spot for Irwin Allen disaster films, as they were some of the first movies I went to see in a theatre. And come on, how can you go THAT wrong with Newman AND McQueen??? Throw in Richard Chamberlain, William Holden , a SMOKING hot Faye Dunnaway, Robert Wagner, Fred Astaire, and OJ FRIGGIN Simpson and you got yourself a doozy of a film!!! :)
And I haven't seen SLAPSHOT in years, but I remember thinking it the height of awesomeness as a kid!
Yes, how can I forget L & T of Judge Roy Bean.
THE LIFE & TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN is terrific. John Milius writing; John Huston directing. It's like someone whittling on a stump and spinning you a yarn. Stacy Keach as Bad Bob is a kick!
I remember BUFFALO BILL & THE INDIANS being an interesting film which ultimately doesn't quite work. I believe it is a film of Kopit's play, INDIANS (speaking of Keach). I think the great Burt Lancaster plays Ned Buntline.
Time when you tell me movies you saw movies like THE TOWERING INFERNO and SLAPSHOT as a kid...I just feel so frigging old!
Soory, man. I feel the same way when my students tell me they've never HEARD of these films.
...or perhaps SORRY, not "soory". I was typing that word in a Scotish dialect.
So do you think Palin even knows what "Achilles heel" means?
It's a technical term for "athlete's foot". She would know about such things because she's part of a team... a team of Maverick's, by gosh-darn-it golly-gee!
She thinks they were the shoes she had on. "Doggoneit, I am ROCKING these achilles Heels!!"
That was the turning point of the debate, imho- Biden seemed to be playing softball with her till then.
Gary Shandling on Bill Maher last night: "I expect Biden had to prepare for Palin the same way Johnny Carson used to prepare for Charro."
Palin WAS rocking those heels honey. If the debate was won on who was more fashionable then she killed.
Unfortunately for both candidates its supposed to be about substance which neither had much of.
Im so tired of talking points. i want someone so confident and unafraid to actually say something....i want a REAL debate. I cant take another two hour session of talking point volley ball. I want slamming, spiking, searing honesty...i want plans...i want to feel like someone is intelligent and capable enough to understand and weigh the issues of the day in a public forum.
Darn it, i miss Bill Clinton.
And gosh golly gee whiz i would love to see Hillary the policy wonk get a shot at debating all FOUR of these "candidates".
=joy
oh yeah....i love Newman. All those films were so good. I used to love watching his old movies with my mom late at night. Another excellent one was mr. and mrs. bridge. I just loved watching he and his wife together.
Just a heads-up.
Pogue's Daily Words of Theatrical Wisdom is making its debut on the Actors Guild of Lexington Blog today!
www.actorsguildoflexington.blogspot.com
wouldn't it be funny to have seen Hillary or Margaret Thatcher winking and using whosit, whatsit jargon...not...
anyway, The Verdict, The Young Philadelphians, Sweet Bird of Youth & Exodus are some of my favorites..those eyes, those lips, that nose...this is bond571, sign in was odd
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