Breaking news at CNN: Paul Newman has passed away at age 83. "He died of cancer Friday at his home in Westport, Connecticut, said spokeswoman Marni Tomljanovic."
The Long, Hot Summer. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Exodus. The Hustler. Hud. Hombre. Cool Hand Luke. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The Sting. The Towering Inferno. The Drowning Pool. Slap Shot. Fort Apache: The Bronx. The Color of Money. Fat Man and Little Boy. The Hudsucker Proxy. The Road to Perdition. Cars.
Quite a list. Quite a star. We'll miss him. :frowning:
For some odd reason, I had a feeling about this for the last week or so. Maybe it was just coincidence due to the re-release of "Cool Hand Luke".
Newman was an iconic actor, an actor whose death I think will affect many people in a deeply personal way. At the time of his greatest period, I was too young to be among the millions who loved him. But watching his films in retrospect, I can easily see his charisma and power. "The Hustler", in particular, is in the top echelon of my favorite films.
As a person, from what I've read, one can hardly imagine what a wonderful man he was. In his charitable causes, fealty to his wife and family and basic humility. He seems to be one of those few stars who one really would have liked to know in everyday life.
My deepest sorrows and sympathies to his family, his friends, his fans and, really, to all of us.
His death has been expected, with recent news that he wanted to be transfered from the hospital to his home where he wanted to die, but it's still shocking to hear.
When I think of Newman, I remember seeing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the scene on the bike. For some reason, its one of those iconic images of my youth that always makes me happy. Loved the movie. The Sting too, although admittedly, he had many others.
I also liked his food products. I remember buying the salad dressing when it first hit and really liking it, eventually moving on to others. What a great idea too...proceeds to charities.
I received my very first Blu-ray disc yesterday, the new DE of Cool Hand Luke.
I was saving the film for tonight, and in view of the very sad news today, it will be a viewing with added poignancy. I did watch the featurette through yesterday evening, which featured interviews with most everyone associated save the star, for obvious reasons. They all had nothing but very warm words for Paul Newman, how professional he was, how down to earth, how very kind and generous he could be, how he asked the screenwriter not to write the part 'for Paul Newman'. After it finished, I kind of fretted a little, wondered how he was, was he still smiling that Luke smile...
I'll raise a glass later to a great, great movie star - very sadly missed.
One of the last of the truly great Hollywood stars. He had that aura of being beyond reproach, similiar to stars from the 30s and 40s. He felt much more real than those earlier stars. He had a charisma that would carry even the most trite material. A sad day, and a great loss for Hollywood and for the movies.