Newman Born: Screen Legend and Philanthropist

Paul Newman spent fifty years acting and was known for not acting, which is harder. His face communicated things without performing them, and directors learned to let the camera sit on his eyes and wait. Born on January 26, 1925, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, he studied at the Yale School of Drama and the Actors Studio in New York. His early career was rocky. His first film, "The Silver Chalice" in 1954, was so bad he took out a newspaper ad apologizing for it. But within a few years he had established himself as one of the finest screen actors of his generation. "Cool Hand Luke," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Sting," "The Verdict," "The Color of Money." He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor eight times before winning for "The Color of Money" in 1987. The award was widely seen as overdue recognition for a career of sustained excellence. Off screen, his business ventures were as distinctive as his acting. He co-founded Newman's Own in 1982, a food company that donates 100 percent of its after-tax profits to charity. The company began with salad dressing and expanded to pasta sauces, cookies, lemonade, and other products. As of 2024, Newman's Own has donated over $600 million to thousands of charities worldwide. He was also a serious competitive race car driver, winning four Sports Car Club of America national championships and finishing second at Le Mans in 1979. He continued racing into his 80s. He married Joanne Woodward in 1958 and stayed married to her for fifty years. He died of lung cancer on September 26, 2008, at age 83.