Legendary Hollywood star Paul Newman passed away Friday after a long battle with cancer, his publicist tells the Associated Press. He was 83.
Newman died at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn., where he was surrounded by friends and family.
“Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special. Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity,” Newman’s five daughters said in a joint statement. “Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune. In his own words: ‘It’s been a privilege to be here.’ He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves us with extraordinary inspiration to draw upon. During this difficult time, we ask for privacy for our family.”
Writer A.E. Hotchner, who partnered with Newman to start a salad dressing company called Newman’s Own in 1982, first announced his friend’s cancer battle in June. Speculation about the actor’s health had begun a month earlier when the Westport Country Playhouse announced that Newman would not direct “Of Mice and Men” in the fall, citing health reasons. He had also appeared frail in a photograph taken while he attended a practice session for the Indianapolis 500.
Newman was born in 1925 in in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. He showed an early interest in acting, making his debut at the age of seven in a school production of “Robin Hood.” After graduating from Shaker Heights High School in 1943, Newman moved on to Ohio University, where his studies were interrupted by his service in the Navy during World War II.
Following the war, Newman enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he continued to study acting as he earned his degree. After running his family’s sporting-goods business for a brief period of time, Newman headed to the Yale Drama School. He eventually made his Broadway debut in the original production of William Inge’s “Picnic” in 1953.
One year later, Newman made his feature film debut in “The Silver Chalice.” His first major film role arrived in 1956 when he starred as boxer Rocky Graziano in “Somebody Up There Likes Me.”
During the course of his distinguished career, Newman was nominated for 10 Oscars. His lone win was a big one, earning best actor honors for his return as pool shark “Fast” Eddie Felson in the 1986 Martin Scorsese-directed film ‘The Color of Money,” a sequel to 1961’s “The Hustler.” Other notable films during the course of his career included “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Sweet Bird of Youth,” “Hud,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting.”
Newman was a well-known philanthropist. His Newman’s Own company, which evolved into more food products like pasta sauces, donated all proceeds after taxes to charity. To date, more than $250 million has been donated to charity, according to the company.
“There is a point where feelings go beyond words. I have lost a real friend. My life — and this country — is better for his being in it,” said fellow actor Robert Redford, Newman’s friend and co-star in “Butch Cassidy” and “The Sting.”
Newman is survived by his wife, actress Joanne Woodward, whom he married on Jan. 29, 1958, and their three daughters: Elinor, Melissa, and Claire. He also has two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, from his first marriage to Jackie Witt. Newman and his first wife also had a son, Scott, who died in 1978.
