One hundred years of Paul Newman, a great talent in a common man

There are images that do not belong only to the history of cinema, but to the collective imagination. The exchange of looks with Robert Redford before the Final scene of ‘Butch Cassidy‘, the one with Elizabeth Taylor on the unpaid bed of ‘The cat on the roof that burns’the one at the bottom of the glass of whiskey ne ‘The verdict’. Looks, always looks and moreover it could not be otherwise if the eyes are those of Paul Newman, intense and calm, magnetic and seductive.

The same gaze in which on August 6, 1945, 300 km from Hiroshima, the glow of the first atomic bomb is impressed, one thing that the actor, at the time machine guns on a bomber, never spoke willingly.

A look that dazzled the world and behind which there were not only a great talent but a common mantormented by the death of the child, in love with the second wife So much to have one of the longest -lived weddings in Hollywood, discreet and dedicated to humanitarian causes almost as regards car races. Tomorrow he would have done One hundred years: he was born on January 26, 1925 In a suburb of Cleveland, in Ohio, as a Jewish father and Slovak mother.

In his long filmography they appear essential titles in the history of cinema, as the aforementioned ‘The cat on the roof that burns’ (1958), ‘Lo Spaccone’ (1961) and “La Stangata” (1973), But Paul Newman was a bit of everything: passionate sportsman, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Although his career was brilliant, he had His first Oscar (Honorary) only in 1986exactly one year before conquering the one like best actor For one of its less brilliant interpretations: “The color of money” with Tom Cruise, Direct from Martin Scorsese.

The career between disasters and successes

“It was like chasing a beautiful woman for 80 years,” he said after receiving the statuette (two more nominations followed in 1994 and 2022) and before farewell to the cinema with ‘He was my father’ Alongside a Star of the Tom Hanks level and directed by Sam Mendes. After leaving the dramatic art school of Yale University, he enrolled in theActors Studio di New York ed esordì nel 1953 in teatro a Broadway con ‘Picnic’. It was a success as big as the debut in cinema was disastrous: his interpretation in ‘The silver chalice’ was so disappointing that the New Yorker compared it to a bus driver who announces the stops and the same Newman bought a page in a national newspaper to apologize.

The turning point, however, was just two years later when, in the role ofRocky Graziano in ‘Kuncut someone loves me’ (role that should have been by James Dean) He affected the criticism that he saw in him the next Marlon Brando.

A career dotted not only of successes, but also of anecdotes that reveal their human thickness, as when it offered part of its compensation why Susan Sarandon, co-protagonist in ‘Twilight’ had the same economic treatment. As director It was behind the camera for “The first time of Jennifer” of 1968, nominee for the Oscar for best film, and “The effects of the gamma rays on the 1972 Matilda flowers”.

Newman the philanthropist

His latest cinematographic work was in Pixar “Cars” animated film (2006), in which he lent the voice to the character of Doc Hudson. Together with the writer Aaron Edward Hotchner, In 1982 he founded Newman’s Own, A food company specialized in biological productions whose revenues are intended for humanitarian and educational purposes.

Family life was marked by death of the only male child, Scott, Strong at 28 by an overdose and to whom he dedicated it Scott Newman Center, A drug prevention center. From the two wives – the actresses Jackie Witte and Joanne Woodward – had five daughters, But in addition to the cinema and family his passion was the car runs, Discovered after acting in the 1969 “Indianapolis infernal” film.

After a period dedicated to learning the driving techniques in which he was instructed by Bob Bondurant, in the early seventies he began Gentleman-Driver’s career, Non -professional pilot, taking long periods of break from cinematographic filming to participate in the races in the US circuits, where he went into a camper carrying family and friends behind him. There too he ended up establishing himself, arriving second to the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1979 and accumulating considerable collection of competition cars.