Paul Newman (Paul Newman): the filmography and biography of the actor

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

Paul Newman: Biography and Childhood

Born a famous actor in Cleveland (Ohio) on January 26, 1925. His family was of simple origin - the mother of the Slovak Theresa and father-Jew Arthur Samuel owned a small business for the sale of sporting goods.

From a young age the boy was thorough and purposeful. During the Second World War he served in the Navy, and at its end, alive and unharmed, returned home. After the death of his father, Paul Newman inherited the store and began to engage in 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 a portion of the property and entered the School of Acting at Yale University.

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

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

Success came to the young actor completely unexpectedly. In 1956, he managed to pass a casting for the main role in the film "Someone up there loves me." Initially, it was planned to give to James Dean, but in connection with the untimely death of a talented actor, the place remained vacant.

This is a partial biographical picture telling the story of the success of boxer Rocky Graziano, whose role also went to Paul Newman. He perfectly played a teenager from a dysfunctional family who went through prison, deserted 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 major role in the film "Long Hot Summer".
Here he brilliantly played Ben Quick - a simple guy expelled from his own house. By the way, his partner was Joan Woodward. After this picture in the whole country already knew who Paul Newman is. Films with his participation enjoyed immense popularity among the audience.

In the same year, 1958, there was another famous painting called "Cat on a red-hot roof", where Paul Newman played along with Elizabeth Taylor. Here the actor got the role of Brick Pollitt.

In 1963, the film "Hud" was released, where the actor successfully played Had Bannon - a cynical reveler and a burnt kutila, who is waiting for his father's death in order to get a ranch in the inheritance. This film received the best reviews of critics. And in 1966, Paul showed himself perfectly in the film "Torn Curtain" by Alfred Hitchcock. In 1967, the tape "The Cold-blooded Luke", 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 picture "Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid" was based on real events, and the actors Newman and Redford became the most memorable couple in the history of cinematography. This story about the famous bandits of the Wild West became a real legend.

By the way, in 1973, on the screen, there was another picture called "The Scam", which starred Redford and Paul Newman. The music from this film is familiar, probably to every person, and the film itself is considered one of the most successful in the career of a popular actor.

Naturally, there is much more work with Paul. This is the Quintet (1979), When Time Leaves (1980), Without Wicked Intention (1981), Harry and Son (1984), Mister and Mrs. Bridge (1990), Without Fools ( 1994), "The Message in the Bottle" (1999), "The Damned Way" (2002).

Director's work

After the success in the movie, actor Paul Newman began to think about the director's career. Many people in those days joked that Paul decided to create his first film only in order to give work to his wife Joan, who rarely came across really bright works.

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

In 1972, Paul's new film, "The Influence of Gamma Rays on Daisy Behavior," was played on the screens, where not only his wife Joan, but also daughter Nell Potts played. This film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, and Woodward won the award for Best Actress.

In 1984, there is another picture called "Harry and Son," which tells the story of the difficult and complex relationship between a simple worker Harry and his son Howard. "Glass Menagerie" in 1987 also received a lot of awards and positive reviews, including "Golden Globe" and "Golden Palm Branch" at the Cannes Film Festival.

Personal life of the actor

It's no secret that Paul Newman enjoyed great popularity with women. His "blueest eyes in the history of cinema", as well as neat features and sculptured muscles, drove the fair sex on both sides of the ocean.

The actor started a family at a young age - in 1949 he married Jackie Newman, who gave birth to his three children. Perhaps they could stay together until the end of life, but the actor constantly traveled and became acquainted with new people.

During the filming of the movie "Long Hot Summer", the young actor met with talented actress Joan Woodward, who abruptly changed his life. It was true love. And although the betrayals were not considered rare events in the actor's circle, Paul's decision to break up with his wife caused a negative reaction among the public and fans. Nevertheless, in 1958 the actor managed to divorce his first wife.

Since then, Paul Newman and Joan Woodward have become a real legend. The unrelated lovers stayed together for fifty years, until the death of the famous actor. Their tender and quivering relationship caused admiration from the public. And to his especially persistent fans Paul reported that he was "hopelessly and hopelessly married." By the way, the star of the pair had three daughters.

Unfortunately, the parents' divorce became 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.

Charitable and political activities

Throughout his career, Paul Newman (photo actor presented in the article) was 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. He founded a whole business network, whose work to this day provides the existence of a number of centers of assistance and rehabilitation.

In many interviews, the actor mentioned that his brilliant career is the result of constant hard work, since from childhood he suffered from dyslexia. Several times he enjoyed his popularity for good purposes. For example, in the 1960s, he organized and conducted agitation in support of the Democratic Party's 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 managed to once again use his acting credentials and spectator appreciation. This time, he advocated the reduction of nuclear weapons and selflessly persuaded the governments of different countries to establish close control over the production of weapons of mass destruction.

Participation in motor racing

It's no secret that the famous Paul Newman (Paul Newman) was interested in motorsports and even took part in the races. This became his hobby and an opportunity to relax from heavy shooting everyday life. He first became interested in this sport in 1969, while working on the film "Winners".

And for the first time he took part in professional races in 1972. Many people also know that in 1979 the actor took part in the famous 24-hour race in Le Mans, where he came to finish second.

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

The death of the famous actor

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

Paul Newman became a human legend. During his career, he received a lot of prestigious awards - three times became a laureate of the Golden Globe, and in 1987 he received the cherished statuette Oscar (by the way, he was nominated for this award ten times, and in eight cases he was nominated for the best male role) . And, of course, Newman was awarded dozens of times with various prizes.