Paul Newman would have been 100: the doubter with the bright blue eyes

When the enthusiasm about his steel-blue eyes threatened to take over again and overshadow his acting, Hollywood star Paul Newman (1925-2008) liked to paint the memorial plaque on his tombstone throughout his life: “Paul Newman rests here, who was Loser died because his eyes turned brown.”

A failure, Newman died on September 26, 2008 after years of cancer and at the age of 83. Let alone as an iris brunette. But as a doubter. In Hollywood, decades earlier, he had actually already achieved the legendary status that he always appreciated in others at the beginning of his career – but felt was unattainable for himself. Newman says he never saw himself as anything special. The autobiography, which was published in 2022 and released by his family under the name “The extraordinary life of a completely normal man”, proves that he also lived this out in his private life. On January 26th, the average Newman would have been 100 years old – high time to look back on his extraordinary life.

Evidence that Newman suffered from self-doubt not despite but because of his looks – touted in the dream factory – can be found in his early childhood. So he questioned his mother’s affection and was worried that she only loved him because he was a pretty – that is, presentable – child.

A little later, the fact that Newman was refused pilot training in the US military caused further uncertainty. He volunteered in 1943 but was found unfit to fly an airplane. The reason: He was diagnosed with color blindness. “I was nothing by nature. I was not a lover. I was not an athlete. I was not a student. I was not a leader,” Newman. As a result, he assumed that his father thought he was a loser from the start.

Of course, his impressive acting career does not support this theory. Newman, who initially attracted attention in the theater and achieved cult status with films such as “Two Bandits” and “Flaming Inferno”, was nominated for an Oscar a total of ten times, most recently in 2003 for “Road to Perdition”. He won his first Academy Award in 1959 for his leading role in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, but David Niven (1910-1983) snatched the award from under his nose. Even in the six other nominations between 1962 and 1983 (including for “The Indomitable”, “The Verdict” and “The Wildest Among a Thousand”) he always saw another actor triumph – which ultimately led to him winning his own Oscar. Profits not experienced on site.

In 1986 he received the honorary Oscar for his life’s work, but after the eulogy from Sally Field (78) he was only present via live broadcast. Even when he received his first “real” Oscar a year later as the leading actor in “The Color of Money,” he was missing. At that point he was simply no longer interested: “It’s like chasing a beautiful woman for 80 years. Finally she gives in and you say: ‘I’m terribly sorry. I’m tired.'” Possibly had When you’re over 60, the conviction that you’ve always been seen as a pretty eye-catcher in Hollywood rather than as a talented actor becomes too apparent. “I would like people to think that there is a drive, a heart and a talent that has nothing to do with my blue eyes.”

Privately, Newman did not cover himself with fame when he began his Hollywood career. During his first marriage to actress Jacqueline Witte (1929-1994), he had a not-so-subtle affair with Joanne Woodward (94), whom he had met during his time on Broadway. In Woodward he saw his soul mate, for whom he ultimately left his wife and mother of three children. Newman felt “guilty as hell” because of this – “and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life.”

What must be noted, however, is that he actually found the love of his life in Oscar winner Joanne Woodward (“Eve with the Three Faces”), with whom he also had three children. The two were married from 1958 until his death exactly 50 years later. In contrast to his first marriage, his second marriage could actually only be divorced after death.

Meanwhile, Newman’s greatest bereavement is with his first wife. In 1978, at the age of just 28, their son Scott died. Paul Newman’s eldest child and only son died of an accidental drug overdose. A previous serious motorcycle accident had meant that he had to take painkillers. Although Newman had hired his son as a stuntman in various productions, they never had a particularly good relationship. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be one of my children,” Newman grumbled about his performance as a father after Scott’s death. “Many times I got down on my knees and asked Scott for forgiveness.” In his son’s name, Newman opened the Scott Newman Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

This was not Newman’s only philanthropic project. In 1982 he founded his own food company called Newman’s Own. What started with homemade salad dressing quickly became a lucrative brand that sold, among other things, frozen pizza, pasta sauces, sodas and popcorn. The company’s highlight: After taxes are deducted, all sales are donated to charities. Also in the 1980s, he co-founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a holiday camp for seriously ill children.

When Newman wasn’t in front of the camera (or making salad dressing), he could mostly be found on the racetrack. The actor was considered a big fan of motorsport and first competed in his first official race in 1972 under the name PL Newman. During his life he took part in various competitions and won several national prizes.

He won his last race less than two years before his death. His age was written on the hood as the participant number – 81. This meant that Newman sat behind the wheel longer than he was in front of the camera. His last role as an actor was in the top-cast two-part miniseries “Empire Falls – Fate of a City” in 2005. By the way, at the side of his wife Joanne.

As much as Paul Newman liked to understate his life, he couldn’t help but respond with pride at having made a powerful enemy. The actor was also politically active. He was an active member of the civil rights movement, criticized US participation in the Vietnam War and advocated for disarmament during the Cold War. This put the actor on Richard Nixon’s (1913-1994) infamous “enemies list”. He was happy to describe the fact that he made it into the top 20 (he ranked 19th) of the then US President’s greatest political opponents as his greatest achievement. He even framed a copy of the list on his wall, like his daughter Nell Newman did a year later. True to his motto: “Only a man without character has no enemies.” In this respect, Paul Newman was not naïve.