Paul Newman: filmography and biography of the actor

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Paul Newman is a legendary actor who was rightly called one of the pillars of Hollywood. During his life, he managed to star in a lot of wonderful films, which to this day are considered masterpieces of world cinema. He also made an excellent debut as a director, was actively involved in charity work and participated in auto racing. But not all fans of the famous actor know that the path to fame was not so easy.

Paul Newman: biography and childhood

The famous actor was born in Cleveland (Ohio) on January 26, 1925. His family was of simple origin - a Slovak mother Teresia and a Jewish father Arthur Samuil owned a small business selling sporting goods.

From a young age, the boy was solid and purposeful. During the Second World War, he served in the Navy, and at the end of it he returned home alive and unharmed. After the death of his father, Paul Newman inherited the store and started doing business.

First career steps

Despite the fact that the business brought a good income, Paul still did not forget about the dream of becoming an artist. That is why in 1947 he sold part of his property and entered theYale School of Acting.

It should be noted that the path to success began with the series in which Paul starred from 1952 to 1958. In addition, he participated in productions on Broadway. In 1954, the first film with the participation of the actor appeared on the screens - "The Silver Cup". This picture was not very popular and was criticized. The actor himself subsequently called her the worst work in his career.

"Someone up there loves me" and long-awaited success

Success came to the young actor quite unexpectedly. In 1956, he managed to pass the casting for the lead role in the film "Someone Up There Loves Me." Initially, it was planned to give it to James Dean, but due to the untimely death of a talented actor, the place remained vacant.

This part biopic tells the story of the success of boxer Rocky Graziano, played by Paul Newman. He perfectly played a teenager from a dysfunctional family who went through prison, deserted from the army and became a famous boxer.

Paul Newman Filmography

After the film about Rocky, the actor literally woke up famous. In 1958, he was offered the next leading role in the film "The Long Hot Summer". Here he brilliantly played Ben Quick - a simple guy expelled from his own home. By the way, his partner was Joan Woodward. After this picture, the whole country already knew who Paul Newman was. Films with his participation were very popular among the audience.

In the same year, 1958, another famous picture appeared called "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", where Paul Newman played along with Elizabeth Taylor. Here the actor got the role of Brick Pollit.

In 1963, the film "Hud" was released, where the actor successfully played Hud Bannon - a cynical reveler and a burnt reveler who is waiting for his father's death in order to inherit a ranch. This film received the best reviews from critics. And in 1966, Paul showed himself perfectly in the film "Torn Curtain" by Alfred Hitchcock. In 1967, the film "Cool Luke" was released, in which the actor, of course, gets the main role.

The next film, which received a lot of awards and positive reviews, was released in 1968. The plot of the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was based on real events, and the actors Newman and Redford became the most memorable couple in the history of cinema. This story about the famous bandits of the Wild West has become a real legend.

By the way, in 1973 another picture appeared on the screen called "The Scam", starring Redford and Paul Newman. The music from this film is probably familiar to everyone, and the film itself is considered one of the most successful in the entire career of a popular actor.

Of course, there are many more works with Paul's participation. These are The Quintet (1979), When Time Is Running Out (1980), Without Malicious Intent (1981), Harry and Son (1984), Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990), No Fools (1994), Message in a Bottle (1999), Damned Road (2002).

Director's work

Aftersuccess in the movie actor Paul Newman began to think about the director's career. Many people at the time joked that Paul decided to make his first film just to give a job to his wife, Joan, who rarely came across really bright work.

In 1968, Paul's first film was released called "Rachel, Rachel", where the main role of an unmarried and unhappy school teacher went to Joan Woodward. To Newman's surprise, the film received massive positive reviews, two Golden Globe Awards and four Oscar nominations.

In 1972, Paul's new film, "The Effect of Gamma Rays on the Behavior of Daisies," was released, in which not only his wife Joan played, but also his daughter Nell Potts. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and Woodward won the Best Actress award.

In 1984, another picture appears called "Harry and Son", which tells the story of a difficult and complex relationship between a simple worker Harry and his son Howard. 1987's The Glass Menagerie also won numerous awards and positive reviews, including the Golden Globe and Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Actor's personal life

It's no secret that Paul Newman was very popular with women. His "bluest eyes in cinematic history" as well as his neat features and chiseled musculature drove women on both sides of the ocean crazy.

The actor started a family at a young age - in 1949 he married Jackie Newman,who bore him three children. Perhaps they could have stayed together for the rest of their lives, but the actor was constantly traveling and meeting new people.

During the filming of The Long Hot Summer, the young actor met the talented actress Joan Woodward, who changed his life dramatically. It was true love. And although cheating was not considered rare events in the acting circle, Paul's decision to part ways with his wife caused a negative reaction from the public and fans. However, in 1958, the actor managed to divorce his first wife.

Since then, Paul Newman and Joan Woodward have become a real legend. The inseparable lovers stayed together for fifty years, until the death of the famous actor. Their tender and reverent relationship delighted the public. And to his particularly persistent admirers, Paul reported that he was "hopelessly and hopelessly married." By the way, the star couple had three daughters.

Unfortunately, the parents' divorce was a real stress for Scott, Paul's son from his first marriage. Severe depression, drug addiction, death from an overdose - this was a real tragedy for Newman, which affected his future activities.

Charity and political activities

Throughout his career, Paul Newman (the photo of the actor is presented in the article) has been actively working on completely different projects. In particular, after the tragic death of his son, he founded a charitable organization to combat drug addiction, in the development of which he invested more than twenty million dollars. Hefounded a whole business network, the work of which to this day ensures the existence of a number of centers for assistance and rehabilitation.

In many interviews, the actor mentioned that his brilliant career is the result of constant hard work, because he suffered from dyslexia since childhood. Several times he used his popularity for good purposes. For example, in the 1960s, he organized and campaigned in support of the Democratic Party campaign, which was aimed at combating racial prejudice in the United States. By the way, for this, Newman entered the famous list of personal enemies of President Nixon.

Later, Paul was able to once again use his acting merits and audience appreciation. This time he advocated the reduction of nuclear weapons and enthusiastically urged the governments of different countries to establish careful control over the production of weapons of mass destruction.

Participation in car racing

It's no secret that the famous Paul Newman (Paul Newman) was interested in motorsport and even took part in the race. It became his hobby and an opportunity to take a break from the hard shooting everyday life. He first became interested in this sport in 1969 while working on the film Winners.

And for the first time he had a chance to participate in professional races in 1972. Many people know that in 1979 the actor took part in the famous 24-hour race at Le Mans, where he finished second.

In 1983, he even founded his own racing team, and Karl Haas became a partner. In 1995, Paul (at that time hewas already 70 years old) competed in the 24-hour race in Detroit, which his team won. By the way, it was a kind of record, since groups with such elderly members rarely won.

Death of famous actor

In June 2008, the famous artist was diagnosed with lung cancer. A few months later, on September 26, 2008, he died at his own home in Westport, Connecticut.

Paul Newman has become a legend. During his career, he received a lot of prestigious awards - he won the Golden Globe three times, and in 1987 he received the coveted Oscar statuette (by the way, he was nominated for this award ten times, and in eight cases he was nominated for Best Actor). And, of course, Newman was awarded dozens of different awards.