A legend passes

Paul Newman was one of Hollywood’s most unique exceptions. Despite being a marquee star for most of his life, he never threw a tantrum. Though he was one of the best looking men anywhere, he wasn’t a playboy, staying true to his first wife Joanne Woodward. And at a time when few actors spoke of their political beliefs—way before the Brad and Angelina show—Newman was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam war and champion of gay rights.

An exemplary liberal, his food company, Newman’s Own, had, by February 2008, donated some $250 million to various educational and charitable organisations —making him one of the biggest individual donors in America. And it also sponsors The First Amendment Award, for any US resident who fights to safeguard the right to freedom of expression.

So, it’s little surprise that his movies are exceptional, too. He avoided the blockbuster parts in favour of interesting characters in ensemble casts where he was an actor first and a star second. And he has left a rich and varied body of work—roles as diverse as a loner, a hustler, an outlaw, a mob boss as well as an animated car. A great man, a great actor, and one hell of a race car driver. Here’s a brief retrospective.

The Hustler (1961)
In his first big hit, the film that catapulted him to stardom, he plays the jive talking pool shark “Fast” Eddie Felson. On the surface, it is a movie about young punk Eddie’s battle of wits and skill for a high stakes snooker game with the reigning champion. Go deeper and it’s an intense character study about a man who has none. Newman’s “Fast” Eddie became a cultural touchstone.

Hud (1963)
Another counter-culture hero from Newman. He plays Hud, a bitter young man estranged from his rancher father, who plays everyone for his own gain. An amoral outsider and inveterate hustler, Hud is funny yet coldly manipulative. Newman manages to reveal the great hurt at the core of his character, making him resonate with thousands of young people unhappy with the status quo.

Rachel, Rachel (1969)
Newman turned director with this film featuring his second wife Joanne Woodward. A moving film about a young woman’s loneliness and her determination to come through despite the odds, it was the first of six movies Newman would direct over the years. Other notables are Sometimes a Great Notion (1971) and The Glass Menagerie (1987).

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Newman’s biggest hit, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid tells the tale of two charming, wisecracking train robbers who are hunted ruthlessly all over the Americas. The two rogues try to keep one step ahead of their many pursuers, and when finally cornered, they salute each other and go out in a blaze of glory. It made a star of Robert Redford and reiterated Newman’s iconic stature.

The Towering Inferno (1974)
The most successful disaster movie of all time, The Towering Inferno put Newman bang in the middle of star-studded cast, including Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. A massive office building catches fire on its opening night and traps everyone inside. The special effects and ensemble acting made it one of the biggest films of the Seventies.

The Colour of Money (1986)
Newman ushered in the ‘80s with a string of acclaimed performances in films like The Sting, Absence of Malice and The Verdict. Then Martin Scorsese got Newman to play an aging, cynical “Fast” Eddie Felson who notices a young pool genius (Tom Cruise) and decides to train him for the same high stakes world of big money pool. It wasn’t nearly as good as many of his other performances, but it finally won him the Best Actor Oscar.

The Road To Perdition (2002)
In Newman’s final performance in a feature film, he plays a chilling Chicago mob boss John Rooney, a trim, elegant old man of few words, who does not like violence, but dishes it out ruthlessly when necessary. Mirroring his obsession with racing and cars, he went on to be the voice of Doc Hudson, an old time racing car in the animated movie Cars.