Paul Newman

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Paul Newman Called Elizabeth Taylor 'a Helluva Actress'

Originally posted 03/23/2011 01:10PM

Superstar to superstar. To Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor was "a functioning voluptuary … a courageous survivor, a helluva actress and someone I am extremely proud to know."

Even in the sanitized 1958 MGM version of Tennessee Williams's potent drama in which they costarred, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – with the sultry Newman as the drunkard ex-athlete Brick and an indelible Taylor as his neglected wife, Maggie the Cat – the two sent audiences' pulses racing. But they were more than simply sex symbols. Both proved themselves Academy Award-level actors and world-class humanitarians.

Now, sadly, they are both gone. Newman died at age 83, in 2008, and Taylor, at 79, early Wednesday morning.

Fortunately, their performances remain – as does a tribute Newman paid Taylor on behalf of Turner Classic Movies. (See the video below.)

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Good Deeds

Julia Roberts Among the Stars for Paul Newman's Charity Fundraiser

Originally posted 06/09/2009 02:50PM

Julia Roberts, Jerry Seinfeld, Robert Redford, Bill Clinton, Harry Connick Jr. and Kristin Chenoweth helped deliver some serious star power to Monday's Lincoln Center gala in New York on behalf of Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Camps and honor the beloved, late founder of the charity benefiting children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Among what they had to say about Newman, who died last year, was:

• "We've done a lot of these galas," Julia Roberts said, after doing a dancing kick line with kids who have attended the camps. "And I've never stood up without my buddy Paul Newman. It seems so much easier to sing and dance and make a fool of yourself when he's right next to you. He encourages fun, more than any person I've ever met. "

• "I went up to the camp and Paul had me eat my first oyster," Jerry Seinfeld said during a sidesplitting stand-up routine. "I had never had an oyster in my life. And he convinced me to eat one. And it was horrible and it was exciting. And I thought, this will be gross and I'll have a story: I had my first oyster with Paul Newman."

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Tributes

Tom Hanks Pays Tribute to Paul Newman

Originally posted 09/30/2008 05:15PM

Tom Hanks released a statement Tuesday remembering his Road to Perdition costar Paul Newman, who died at age 83:

"Paul Newman told me his hotel in Chicago was a room at the YMCA, which was not hard to imagine. He considered himself just another member of the acting company, who would call his wife during breaks and confess to feeling self-conscious on the first day of shooting. But he was Paul Newman, and could not mask the fact he was simply – yet elegantly – an extraordinary artist and man. How lucky we all have been."

Credit: LISA ROSE/GLOBE

Stars Honor Paul Newman's Memory

Originally posted 09/29/2008 11:35AM

To honor Paul Newman's charitable spirit, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are lending their talent in support of one of his favorite projects.

Many of the late actor's famous friends – including Julia Roberts, Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, Warren Beatty and others – will stage a special benefit reading of The World of Nick Adams Monday, Oct. 27 at the Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco.

The event was planned before Newman’s death, and will continue as planned, with proceeds benefiting The Painted Turtle, Newman's California camp for seriously ill children. The camp is part of Newman's many Hole in the Wall Camps. The participating stars will dedicate their performances to his memory.

Credit: HO/AFP/Getty

In Hometown, Newman Remembered As 'Regular Guy'

Originally posted 09/28/2008 11:00AM

In Hollywood, Paul Newman was royalty. But in Westport, Conn., where he lived with his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, he was just "a regular guy," says AJ Izzo, part owner of Crossroads Hardware on Main Street, where Newman had been a customer for more than 20 years.

"He'd walk in and say, 'How are you, AJ?' And I'd say, 'Hey, Paul.' He probably gave more than he took in life, and you don't find many people like that."

Newman, who will be remembered in town as upbeat, generous, and down-to-earth, often popped into the store to buy supplies to fix common household problems.

"He was a gadget guy in many ways,"" says Izzo. "He'd buy light bulbs or a new screw for a hinge just like an average guy would do."

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