Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Paul Newman
Paul Newman Facts
| Sign | Aquarius |
| Born |
Jan 26, 1925 Shaker Heights, OH |
| Died |
Sep 26, 2008 Westport, CT |
| Age | Died at 83 |
| Total Facts | 110 |
He was voted the 13th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
His father was of German heritage and his mother was of Hungarian heritage.
His father, Arthur, died in 1950 at the age of 55 and his mother, Theresa, died in 1982 at the age of 86.
His first wife, Jacqueline "Jackie" Witte, was born in September 1929.
His performance as Butch Cassidy in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) is ranked #20 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes & Villains. This is a ranking which he shares with Robert Redford, who played the Sundance Kid.
His performance as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler (1961) is ranked #64 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
His performance as Frank Galvin in The Verdict (1982) is ranked #19 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
His performance as Luke Jackson in Cool Hand Luke (1967) is ranked #30 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes & Villains.
His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 7060 Hollywood Blvd.
In 2005 Premiere Magazine ranked him as the #6 Greatest Movie Star of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature.
In 2007, his auto racing team, known as Newman-Haas, became Newman/Haas/Lanigan due to Chicago businessman Michael Lanigan becoming a partner.
In the 1970s, long before Brokeback Mountain (2005), he was thwarted by Hollywood in his desire to star in the movie version of the best-selling novel "The Front Runner", about the love affair between a male coach and a male star runner. The project remains unmade.
Inducted into the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Hall of Fame in 2009.
Is one of only five actors to be nominated for acting honors by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences over five decades (1950s, 1960s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s). Laurence Olivier (1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s), Katharine Hepburn (1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1980s),Jack Nicholson (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s) and Michael Caine (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s) are the others who have turned the trick.
Known as an inveterate prankster, he and Robert Redford in particular played numerous pranks on each other. One time, Redford, who was also into car racing, had a beaten-up Porsche shell delivered to Newman's porch for Newman's 50th birthday. Newman never said anything, but not long after, Redford found a crate of the (now) molten metal delivered to the living room of a house Redford rented, which dented the floor. Not to be outdone, Redford then had the metal turned into an incredibly ugly sculpture and dropped into Newman's garden.
Like his dear friend Robert Redford, both men had firstborn sons named Scott who predeceased their fathers.
Lives in Connecticut; has been known to race at The Lime Rock Road Circuit.
Longtime supporter of gun control, and a member of Handgun Control Inc.
Newman was expelled from Ohio University for denting the college president's car with a beer keg.
Nominated for a 2003 Tony Award for Best Actor in the Revival of a Play, for "Our Town".
Once, when he was handing out punch at a Westport charity event, a dowager asked him to stir her drink with his finger. "I'd be glad to," Newman replied, "but I just took it out of a cyanide bottle.".
One of the most sought after and valuable collectible Rolex watches, the early "Daytona" model, from the 1960's, is known unofficially and passionately world wide, as the Rolex "Paul Newman." "Paul Newmans" in steel fetch as much as $100,000 in auctions. This nickname was adopted as he sported one in film.
Opened a restaurant in 2006 called "Dressing Room" with co-owner and chef Michael Nischan in Westport, Connecticut. It was originally opened to help subsidize the Westport Country Playhouse, which sits next to it.
Owns half of the Champ Car (auto racing) team Newman-Haas.
Owns The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp, a summer camp for children with cancer and other blood-related diesases (and their siblings) in Ashford, Connecticut, and also runs a fall "Discovery" program for inner city kids, also in Ashford.
Prior to filming The Hustler (1961) , Newman lacked talent at playing pool. But after brushing up on it for the role, he felt very confident in his ability. So he bet co-star Jackie Gleason $50 on a game of pool. Being the excellent pool player he was, Gleason beat Newman. Instead of paying him in dollar bills, Newman dumped $50 worth of pennies on the table for Gleason to take.
Profiled in "American Classic Screen Interviews" (Scarecrow Press). [2010]
Ranked #19 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in October of 1997.
Ranked #19 in Empire Magazine's 2007 100 Sexiest Movie Stars of all time.
Ranked the #1 Box Office star of 1969 and 1970 by Quigley Publications' annual poll of the Top Ten Money Making Stars. He was ranked #2 in 1968 and at #3 in 1967, 1971 and 1974. In all, he made the Top Ten list 14 times from 1963, when he entered it at #9, and 1986, when he bowed out of the Top 10 at #10. He was ranked in the Top Ten for 10 straight years from 1966-1975, peaking in the Top Three from 1967 to 1971.
Recorded a television advertisement for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in June 2007.
Returned to live theater for first time in 35 years in June of 2002 in Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" at the Westport Country Playhouse near his home in Westport, CT. He directed and starred as the Stage Manager. Wife Joanne Woodward is the playhouse's Artistic Director.
Said in an interview that a film had never made any special impact on him until he saw On the Waterfront (1954).
Said that he burned his tuxedo on his 75th birthday because he is through with formality.
Says the sound he loves most is that of a V-8 engine.
Students at Princeton University have named 24 April Newman's Day. Students try to drink 24 beers over the 24 hours of the day. The tradition stems from a comment that Newman is alleged to have made; "24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not." The event is not officially sponsored by the university, and Newman has commented that he would "like to bring an end to the tradition".
Stumped the U.S. for Eugene McCarthy during his unsuccessful bid for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1968. Newman made the cover of LIFE Magazine with a McCarthy pin on his jacket on the May 10th, 1968 issue.
Supported Al Franken's campaign for election as US Senator from Minnesota.
Supported anti-war Senator Eugene McCarthy's bid to win the Democratic nomination from incumbent President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, and actively campaigned for George McGovern in the 1972 presidential election.
Supported Sen. Ted Kennedy's campaign to win the Democratic presidential nomination in 1980.
The 4th nomination on Empire Magazine's "Gods Among Us" series along with Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, and Jack Nicholson.
The GI Bill got him through his first 3 months at Yale. To pay tuition for the rest of his time there, he sold Encyclopedia Britannica. He claims he was very good at it.
The role of Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) was originally awarded to James Dean, who died before filming began. Due to Dean's death, Newman was cast in the role. Dean also was signed to play Billy the Kid in The Left Handed Gun (1958), but that role was also inherited by Newman after Dean's death. Dean and Newman had shot their last screen tests for East of Eden (1955) together; the six-years-younger Dean got the part and Newman went on to star in The Silver Chalice (1954), a notorious turkey.
The TV episode "The Simpsons: Lost Verizon (#20.2)" (2008), was dedicated to his memory.
Turned down Donald Sutherland's role in A Time to Kill (1996) because he found the film's justification of murder distasteful.
Turned down the lead role in Sorcerer (1977), a part that eventually went to Roy Scheider.
Turned down the part taken by Robert Duvall in The Paper (1994).
Turned down the role of Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971) because he thought the screenplay was too right-wing, and recommended Clint Eastwood for the part instead.
Turned down the role of Quint in Jaws (1975).
Was director Robert Wise's first pick for the lead in The Sand Pebbles (1966), eventually played by Steve McQueen, who won his only Oscar nomination for the role. Wise had earlier directed Newman in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) and Until They Sail (1957).