Paul Newman, the iconic blue-eyed film star of big-screen classics like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “The Sting” and “Cool Hand Luke,” died on Friday at his Connecticut home after a long battle with cancer. Newman, who also made a name for himself as a philanthropist with his Newman’s Own food product line and Hole in the Wall Gang camps, was 83.
Los Angeles Times:
Nominated eight times for Academy Awards in the best-actor category, Newman won only once, for “The Color of Money” (1986), in which he reprised the role of “Fast” Eddie Felson that he originated in 1961’s “The Hustler.” He also took home honorary Oscars in 1985 for career achievement and in 1993 for his humanitarian efforts. In later years, however, he boycotted awards shows despite continuing Oscar, Emmy and Tony nominations. He claimed he no longer owned a tuxedo.
In real life, Newman was “the quintessence of class, courtly without being old-fashioned,” said Victor Navasky, former editor of the Nation, a liberal magazine in which Newman invested and wrote occasional columns. Private and complex, Newman was also a beer-loving, mischievous prankster and an idealist who took to the streets to protest the war in Vietnam.
He was thrilled, friends said, when he heard that he had made President Nixon’s enemies list.
