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Lone wreath for modest icon Paul Newman
Monday, 29 September 2008
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A lone wrath lay atop Paul Newman's star on Hollywood Boulevard yesterday as tributes continued to pour in for an actor whose career spanned six decades but who in life spurned celebrity culture and found just as much joy in car-racing and charitable work for children.
Family members were gathered at his home in Westport, Connecticut, to begin making funeral arrangements for the man considered by many to have been the last of the silver-screen greats of the 20th century alongside the likes of Marlon Brando and James Dean.
While Mr Newman, who died at his house from cancer late on Friday night at the age of 83, touched the lives of millions both through his acting accomplishments and his philanthropic work, he is likely to be laid to rest with the same restraint and sense of humility for which he was known.
“His death was as private and discreet as the way he had lived his life, a humble artist who never thought of himself as ‘big,'” said a statement released by his family on Saturday.
Mr Newman, a ten-time Oscar nominee who was often cast as the anti-hero rebel in films ranging from Cool Hand Luke to The Hustler and The Color of Money, announced in May last year that his acting days were over. This spring, he revealed he was abandoning plans to direct ‘Of Mice and Men' just as the first rumours that he was dying from lung cancer were starting to circulate — rumours he swatted away.
Last weekend Mr Newman sat in the garden of his home with one of his five daughters to share in some of the last rays of the summer sun. Apparently aware that he was slipping away, he reportedly turned and said to her, “It's been a privilege to be here”.
Newman appeared in some 60 movies and starred with his second wife, Joanne Woodward, in several films including Long Hot Summer and Paris Blues.
He received his only competitive Oscar in 1987 for The Color of Money but was given an honorary Oscar in 1986 and won a third in 1994, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.
Mr Newman also leaves behind 11 summer camps for children with chronic diseases, built with money generated by Newman's Own, a purveyor of salad dressings, spaghetti sauces and popcorn.
The company generated $250 million in profits, all channelled into charitable endeavours.
Meanwhile, tributes have been paid from both sides of the Atlantic. Oscar-winning British director Sam Mendes, who worked with Newman on the 2002 film Road to Perdition, said it was “the highlight of my professional life”.
Mendes added: “It seems to me to be one of the great 20th century lives: he was famously generous, with his extraordinary and unstinting work for his charities; he was a passionate advocate for the adrenaline and danger of his beloved racing cars; he was a shining example of how to use global fame for the greater good; and most of all he was one of the great movie actors of this or any other age.”
Broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson, who interviewed Newman for a documentary, said the star will be remembered as “one of the very finest screen actors of our time”.
Parkinson said Newman was a “quiet, reserved and suspicious” person who was deeply affected by
the death of his only son, Scott, from a drug overdose in 1978.
Robert Redford, who starred alongside Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, said: “I have lost a real friend. My life — and this country — is better for his being in it.”
British actor Daniel Craig, who appeared alongside Newman in Road to Perdition, said: “I think an era just ended.”
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey described Newman as a “great humble giant”.
As a racing driver, Newman’s career highlight was his second place finish in the Le Mans 24 Hours race of 1979. Formula One’s McLaren chief Ron Dennis told Autosport magazine: “Paul Newman was one of those very few people for whom the term ‘megastar’ was no exaggeration: truly, he was a legend of the silver screen.”
Mr Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.
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When I was 14 I thought Paul Newman was so incrediby sexy.
When I was in my 30's I thought he was an extraordinary actor.
When I was in my 50's I knew he was an incredibly generous human being.
And now that I am 60, I feel a pain in my heart for having lost him.
Posted by Sue | 07.10.08, 21:12 GMT
"He was an extraordinary man who did not want to be viewed as a beautiful piece of meat. Mr. Newman was a humanitarian and preferred to remain in the shadows...watching others glow."
Blessings and thank you for your art. My heart-felt condolences.
Laura
Posted by Laura | 06.10.08, 17:49 GMT
words cannot express how sad I feel on the passing of Paul Newman. My heart goes out to Joann and family. I was a fan of his from the time I was a child and have seen all his films, probably several times. However, the one thing I always respected him for was the love he had for Joann Woodward. Also, the way he gave to the kids and never took a cent of the money. God smiles on him. I will truly miss him.
Posted by kaye | 30.09.08, 20:58 GMT
I extend my deepest sympathy to Mrs. Newman (Ms. Woodward) and his children for their loss. I enjoyed all the entertainment he gave in his films and the true talent he was. I admire the way he handled his private life and how he gave back. I believe that God will give great responsibility to those that will honor him and give back to those less fortunate and I pray Mr. Newman knew God and I believe he did by the fruit of his life.
God keep you and bless you in the coming days.
Posted by P. Williams | 30.09.08, 18:31 GMT
When I was a young teenager, I was lured into film studies in a serious way because of Paul Newman's performance in Hud. From that one, definitive viewing moment, my love of film became a life-long journery. As I grew older, my respect for the 'actor' became a respect for the 'man'.
What an extraordinary life lived! What a life to celebrate and learn from!
I teach film at university now, and have devoted today's class to Mr. Newman. It is the very least that I can do.
God Bless you!
Sandi Galway, Ottawa, Canada
Posted by Sandi Galway | 30.09.08, 15:36 GMT
my thoughts are with the newman family.a star has gne out on earth but shine bright in the sky looking at us all god blss you paul
Posted by jane cook | 30.09.08, 15:15 GMT
God surely is enjoying the company of a pious, generous man. We can all learn from the way Paul lived his life. May God shed his many blessings on his family at this trying time in their life. Paul will surely be missed by a nation that produces so few like him.
Posted by John Bagby | 30.09.08, 11:34 GMT
The thing about Paul Newman, what made him a hero to myself and many generations of people, is the fact that he had staying power.
On assignment, I was privileged enough to watch him exercise a twin-turbo V8 powered (engine from a Nissan President limo - Japan only) Datsun 280ZX, around the course at Portland International Raceway, for Bob Sharp Racing, back in July of 1981.
On the Friday, before a scheduled race on the following Sunday, he was having a miserable day. Somehow, the car's engine sucked up some debris - stones as I recall - off the track. Crew chief Gene Crowe had to rebuild one of the turbos; but somehow, Mr. Newman qualified that car at position 36, in a field of 36 cars.
Nonetheless, on the day of the race, he came up through the field and finished sixth.
He seemingly applied that same determination to all his endeavors. The results show how much a person can accomplish in life.
Posted by Terry Parkhurst | 30.09.08, 08:10 GMT
I love to enter cooking contests, and I remember years ago when I entered a recipe contest using Newman's Own food products. The five winners were to be flown to New York to have lunch with Paul Newman, and the five winning recipes were to be served. I was not one of the five winners, but I remember thinking how wonderful it would be to have lunch with a philonthropic person such as Mr. Newman, and who would require that contest winnings would be donated to the finalists' favorite charities.
As a school teacher, I have taken that idea and have incorporated it into an annual project I do with my students. Each year I try to win money from cooking contests at our state fair, and the winnings are used to give $5 to each of my students; they are to use the $5 in some kind of service project, and then write about it. The project has been tremendously successful, and is now an annual tradition in my class. Bless you, Mr. Newman, for showing us how to serve others.
Posted by Carol Bartholomew | 30.09.08, 04:43 GMT
God bless you Mr. Newman. You will be missed by all of use who felt we knew you. My condolences to his wife and family.
Posted by Terry | 30.09.08, 01:38 GMT
I dreaded the day that we would lose Paul Newman and in my heart felt it was close at hand. It is such a loss to the world and reading the prior quotes from Paul himself and his friends and family bring tears to my eyes. I feel the loss personally. My best friend and I had the privilege of meeting Paul for only a brief moment at Nelsons Ledges, OH when he was racing on a very rainy afternoon. It is a story retold many times over the years. A humble gentleman and though we know you joked about your blue eyes, your eyes spoke with or without words. Your legacy will live on and we will miss you. And as Paul said, it was a privilege to be here. Well, Dear Paul, it was a privilege to have known you. God Bless you, Joanne and your family and friends. Hollywood and the world has lost a great man among men.
Posted by Stella | 29.09.08, 23:51 GMT
A wonderful actor and a generous person.Our deepest Sympathy to his family . Davis family
Posted by DAVIS | 29.09.08, 17:10 GMT
He was a special man, and I think we will all miss him.
Posted by Paulette | 29.09.08, 16:36 GMT
Paul Newman possessed a quality that can't be bought. He had class.
Posted by Patty Wynn | 29.09.08, 12:15 GMT