Best of 2008

PAUL NEWMAN

The gentle, blue-eyed Oscar winner had quietly battled cancer before succumbing to the disease Sept. 26 at his Westport, Conn., home. Newman left a legacy of more than 80 films (among them, The Hustler and The Sting) and impressive philanthropy (since '82 his Newman's Own brand has donated more than $250 million). But it was as a family man that he was celebrated most. Married 50 years to Joanne Woodward, he was remembered by his daughters as "a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special."