Screen legend, superstar, and the man with the most famous blue eyes in movie history, Paul Newman was born in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of a successful sporting goods store owner. He acted in grade school and high school plays and after being disharged from the navy in 1946 enrolled at Kenyon College. After graduation he spent a year at the Yale Drama School and then headed to New York, where he attended the famed New York Actors Studio. Classically handsome and with a super abundance of sex appeal, television parts came easily and, after his first Broadway appearance in "Picnic" (1953), he was offered a movie contract by Warner Brothers. His first film, The Silver Chalice was nearly his last. He considered his performance in this costume epic to be so bad that he took out a full-page ad in a trade paper apologizing for it to anyone who might have seen it. He fared much better in his next effort, Somebody Up There Likes Me, in which he portrayed boxer Rocky Graziano and drew raves from the critics for his briliant performance. He went on to become one of the top box office draws of the 1960s, starring in such superior films as The Hustler, The Prize, Hud, Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He also produced and directed many quality films, including Rachel, Rachel in which he directed wife Joanne Woodward and which received an Oscar nomination for best picture. Nominated nine times for a best actor Oscar, he finally took one home for his performance as an aging pool shark in The Color of Money. Though well into his 70s as the century drew to a close, Newman still commanded lead roles in films such as Message in a Bottle. He lives with his wife in Westport, CT. A caring and supremely generous man, he is the founder of "Newman's Own" a successful line of food products that has earned in excess of $100 million, every penny of which the philanthropic movie icon has donated to charity. Renowned for his sense of humor, in 1998 he quipped that he was a little embarrassed to see his salad dressing grossing more than his movies.
The Towering Inferno (1974): $1,000,000 + 10% of gross
The Sting (1973): $500,000 and profit participation
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): $750,000
Winning (1969): $1,100,000
Hombre (1967): $750,000 + 10% of gross
Sweet Bird of Youth (1962): $350,000 + percentage of profits
Exodus (1960): $200,000
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958): $17,000

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#12). [1995] 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. 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. Ranked #19 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Lives in Connecticut; has been known to race at The Lime Rock Road Circuit. Has his own line of food products, "Newman's Own". Owns half of the Champ Car (auto racing) team Newman-Haas. Awarded an honorary Oscar in 1994 in recognition of his charity work. Father, with Joanne Woodward, of actress Melissa Newman, Nell Potts, and Claire (Clea) Newman. A son and two girls with first wife Jackie Witte. His only son, Scott Newman, died of a drug overdose in 1978. Daughter, Susan Kendall Newman, is well known for stage acting and her philanthropic activities. Before he became an actor, Newman ran the family sporting goods store in Cleveland, Ohio. Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. [1990] He was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of superhero Green Lantern/Hal Jordan. Finished 2nd in the 1979 Le Mans 24hr race in a Porsche 935. Returned to live theater for first time in 35 years, in "Our Town" June 2002. Westport Country Playhouse, near Newman's home in Connecticut, staged the classic Thornton Wilder play; theater's artistic director is Newman's wife, Joanne Woodward. After the Watergate precedings wrapped up, was discovered as one of many famous names on Richard Nixon's "Enemies List". Was training to be a pilot while in the navy, but was unable to complete, due to color blindness. Robert Redford on Newman: "He has the attention span of a bolt of lightning." Nominated for a 2003 Tony Award for Best Actor in the Revival of a Play, for "Our Town". Was mentioned in Dolce vita, La, in a discussion about salaries paid to film stars. Within a space of five months in the year 2003, he was nominated for an Oscar (for Road to Perdition), a Tony, and an Emmy (both for "Our Town"). Although he played the lead male roles in the first productions of three Broadway classics near the beginning of his career, Newman did not receive a Tony Award nomination until 2003, when, at the age of 78, he was nominated as Best Actor for his performance in the 2002 revival of the stage classic "Our Town". (The Broadway classics that he starred in previously were "The Desperate Hours", "Picnic" and "Sweet Bird of Youth".) Was so ashamed of his debut in the failed costume drama The Silver Chalice, that he took out an ad in Variety apologizing for his performance. His father was of Hungarian and Polish heritage and his mother was of Hungarian heritage. He was voted the 13th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. The 4th nomination on Empire Magazine's "Gods Among Us" series along with Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, and Jack Nicholson. 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". He and Frank Sinatra are the only actors to win an Actor Academy Award, an Humanitarian Academy Award and a Special Honorary Academy Award. Sinatra won the Best Supporting Actor Award (1953), Humanitarian Award (1970) and a Special Award (1945, Best Short Subject The House I Live In). Newman won the Best Actor Award (1986), the Humanitarian Award (1993) and a Special Award (1985, Lifetime Achievement Award). Lee Strasberg, who trained Newman at the Actor's Studio, said that he would have been as great an actor as Brando if he hadn't been so handsome. According to Strasberg, Newman had the talent, but he too often relied on his good looks to coast through a role. 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. Appeared on Quigley Publications' annual poll of the Top Ten Money Making Stars 14 times from 1963 to 1986, which ranks him #7 for all-time in appearances in the top 10. He trails Bing Crosby, who made the list 15 times, Clark Gable (16 appearances on the list), Gary Cooper and Tom Cruise (18 times each), Clint Eastwood (21 times) and John Wayne (25 times). Was named the #1 Box Office Star by Quigley Publications in its annual Top Ten Money Making Stars poll of movie exhibitors two years in a row, 1969 and 1970. Newman had been #2 in 1968 and #3 in '67 and would rank #3 in both 1971 and '74. Newman, who entered the list for the first time in 1963 at #9 and the last time in 1986 at #10, has made the list 17 times. Is half-Jewish, according to his wife Joanne Woodward in a joint cover-story in the July 21, 1975 issue of People magazine. Was nominated for Broadway's 2003 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for playing the Stage Manager in a revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town." Early in his acting career, he was often mistaken for Marlon Brando. He claims to have signed around 500 autographs reading, "Best wishes, Marlon Brando." Premiere Magazine ranked him as the #6 Greatest Movie Star of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature (2005). He has announced his plans to star in one more major film and to then retire from acting. Otto Preminger, a Jew himself, cast Newman in Exodus because he wanted someone of Jewish heritage that didn't "look Jewish". Brother of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity He was nominated for 9 Acting Academy Awards in 5 different decades, in the 50s (Best Lead Actor for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), in the 60s (Best Lead Actor for The Hustler, Hud, and Cool Hand Luke), in the 80s (Best Lead Actor for Absence of Malice, The Verdict, and The Color of Money winning for this last film), in the 90's (Best Lead Actor for Nobody's Fool) and finally in 2002s Road to Perdition for Best Supporting Actor. He and his daughter Nell Potts were supposed to be in _Paper Moon (1973)_ in the leading roles, but this changed when original director John Huston bowed out and was replaced by Peter Bogdanovich. The role of Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me 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, but that role was also inherited by Newman (I)' after Dean's death. Dean and Newman had shot their last screen-tests for East of Eden together; the six-years-younger Dean got the part and Newman went on to star in The Silver Chalice, a notorious turkey. He is only one of four actors to be nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same role in two separate films. He played as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler and The Color of Money, Peter O'Toole as Henry II in Becket and The Lion in Winter, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone for The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II and Bing Crosby as Father O'Malley in Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's. Worked with two different actors who died on June 6, 2005: Dana Elcar in The Sting and Anne Bancroft in Silent Movie He has one brother, Arthur, who was named after their father, Arthur S. Newman, a successful sporting goods store owner. Had a son and two daughters by his first wife, Jackie Witte, to whom he was married from 1949 to 1958: Scott Newman, who died in 1978, Susan Kendall Newman, who is an actress and philanthropist, and Stephanie Newman. Newman fathered three daughters with his second wife, Joanne Woodward, whom he married on 29 January 1958: Melissa Newman, Nell Potts and Clea Newman. Ethnically, Newman is one-quarter Polish and three-quarters Hungarian. His mother, the former Theresa Fetzko, was born in Hungary. His father, Arthur S. Newman, was the U.S.-born offspring of a Hungarian father, Simon Newman, and a Polish mother, Hannah Cohn. Michelle Pfeiffer wanted Newman to play her father, patriarch Larry Cook, in the 1997 movie A Thousand Acres, which she produced. Newman turned down the part, which went to Jason Robards. When Premiere Magazine does a list of 24 Great Performances from each year, they often ask the actors who their idols are. Newman has been the most frequently cited idol so far. Was nominated 10 times for the Academy Award, including eight times as Best Actor, once as Best Supporting Actor, and once for Best Picture (the latter coming the same year he famously did not receive a Best Director nomination despite having won the then-equally prestigious New York Critics Award as Best Director for Rachel, Rachel.). In the acting field, the only actors with more nominations are Jack Nicholson with 12 nominations (8 Best Actor and 4 Best Supporting Actor nominations) and Laurence Olivier (nine Best Actor nominations and 1 Best Supporting Actor nod). On the distaff side, Bette Davis, who was nominated 10 times for an Academy Award, all of them Best Actress nods. ' Katherine Hepburn' , with 12 nods (all in the Best Actress category) and Meryl Streep, with 13 nods (11 in the Best Actress category) have more acting nominations than Newman. Is one of only four thespians 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), and ,'Jack Nicholson' (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s) are the others who have turned the trick. Has donated between $150-175 million to charity since the 1980s. His performance as Frank Galvin in The Verdict is ranked #19 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). His performance as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler is ranked #64 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). At his appearance on _"Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The" (1992)_ he ate some of his own produced dog food. [8th April 2006] Was director Robert Wise's first pick for the lead in The Sand Pebbles, 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 and Until They Sail. He said that he wants to make one more movie before retiring from acting for good [June 2006] Turned down the role of Quint in Jaws. 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 Luke Jackson in Cool Hand Luke is ranked #30 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes & Villains. 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. 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. For a Mother's Day gift, he gave wife, Joanne Woodward, 2 hours of uninterrupted driving around the roads of Westport, CT that they had never seen before. Has said he did not want his epitaph to say two things: "Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown" and "Here lies the old man who wasn't a part of his time." -1960's.