I once had the privilege of meeting the great, the iconic, the fabulous Mr Newman . . . in London in his suite at the Connaught Hotel. This would have been about 1982 and he had just directed and starred in a rather mawkish little movie called Harry and Son. Anyway, I had really come to see his wife, Joanne Woodward, who was to give an on-stage interview the next day at the National Film Theatre, where I worked. Miss Woodward was out shopping so Mr Newman had to entertain me. He pressed for a waiter. "I'll have a glass of Mersault," he told the waiter, "and my guest will have a case of Jack Daniel's." Wit was to be his forte that afternoon.
Everyone talks of the piercing blue eyes and they certainly stabbed me. He said he could not attend Joanne's NFT session because he had an appointment, though I guessed he reasoned, in a wholly selfless and generous way, that he might upstage her. I asked him about a few of his pictures, told him that my favourite of his was Hud, and then I asked him what his new film was about. "Well, it's about this rich old movie star who wakes up one morning with a terrific hard-on. His butler comes into the room and says, 'I see you have an erection, sir. What are you going to do with it?' The movie star says, 'I'm going to put some trousers over it and take it to London.'"
His passing is noted on ESPN's site with some good columns about him. He acted in some of the best sports movies of all-time plus his contribution to the sport of racing.
Paul Newman just seemed to be a regular guy and it came thru in his acting. If you haven't seen it, I recommend Nobody's Fool Nobody's Fool (1994) Filmed here in the Hudson Valley, I think it's some of his best work.
I loved The Sting, the Color of Money, and even his voice work in Pixar's Cars. I have seen very few of his films, but look forward watching many more.
The Sting is one of my favorite movies, it is a sad day. I've never seen Butch Cassaidy and the Sundance Kid nor Cool hand Luke. I'll have to check those out.
I noticed that his final performance was "Cars", what a great way to end a 50+ career
He was one of my favorites. A true icon of the cinema. Unlike some of the more recent passings, Newman was able to live a long and full life, and the world's better for it. You felt a sense of right that an icon like him was still around. In the past few months, we could see the end was coming, and it only made his death more unbearable. He was a great actor, an amazing screen presence and just an all-around great man. He'll definitely be missed. :frowning:
One of my favorite actors. I like "The Sting" the best, but since seeing "The Hustler" for the first time recently it is a strong contender for my top spot. RIP Paul. :frowning:
There are two films of his that I think are overshadowed due to his later performances in films like Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. IMO, his roles as Hud Bannion in Hud and John Russell in Hombre were his best acting performances. I highly recommend to those interested in this great actor's career that have never seen these two films to check them out in the near future.
Mr Newman was 83 and had been ill with cancer for some time. Without in any way rejoicing at the news of his death, I accordingly feel glad that his suffering is over. He left behind a great legacy, not only in his film work but also in his work for charity and in the example of his private life, showing that you can be successful and not succumb to affairs, booze or drugs.
This is very sad news even though I had been expecting it for several months now. It's strange because last night at work I was telling my new co-workers about my movie obsession and I said that Newman was one of my main loves of the cinema and someone whose films like HUD and COOL HAND LUKE really shaped me as a teen. I got off at 10:30 and heard the news on radio.
He was certainly one of the all time greats on and off the screen.