It was a shock to hear today about Paul Newman's death. When I was a teenager I had a mad crush on him. When I grew up, I could see what a fine actor he was, besides being a humanitarian. He leaves a hole in Hollywood, yet another one of the fine actors to leave us.
Roger Ebert's tribute article about him ends with this quote:
In a book about the actor, the writer Lawrence J. Quirk quotes Newman: "I'd like to be remembered as a guy who tried - tried to be part of his times, tried to help people communicate with one another, tried to find some decency in his own life, tried to extend himself as a human being. Someone who isn't complacent, who doesn't cop out."
Read the entire tribute here in the Suntimes.
12 comments:
He was a fine actor and I like the photo of him when he was young. It would make a really good oil painting.
Hi Pris, he also founded The Over The Wall Gang. This charity is entirely run by volunteers and it gives children who have a terminal illness one last chance to have a holiday of a lifetime. I believe he set it up after he lost his son to cancer.
This charity also gives a reprieve holiday to lifetime carers.
He was a great guy.
Yes, he would make a great painting at any age. The man was poetry in motion.
MD, I've heard about his many charitable works, but missed hearing about that one. Yes, he was so special.
A talented, beautiful, generous man. He will be missed.
The past couple of days I've been thinking about the movies I especially remember him in. "The Sting" (probably my favorite of his), "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "Cool Hand Luke," "Hud," "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (the one where he played the boxer Rocky Graziano), "The Verdict." These off the top of my head.
And "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge," in which he and Joanne Woodward played husband and wife. The movie (essentially a low-key drama with many moments of low-key humor) takes place in a small town in Kansas in the late 1930's and early 1940's, with Newman playing a small town lawyer. His character has a daughter (played by Kyra Sedgwick), on the verge of young adulthood, who has dreams of becoming an actress.
In an early scene in the movie, the daughter wants to rehearse the balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet," while she stands on the upstairs porch of their house. Newman's character dutifully agrees to read Romeo's lines to help her rehearse. Newman gives a beautifully tempered, heartfelt, but utterly wooden reading of the lines, in keeping with his character, a conservative small town lawyer. The scene is brief but memorable.
In the credits at the end of the movie (I'm not making this up), the "Shakespeare Coach to Mr. Newman" is listed as Senator Robert Dole of Kansas.
One of the last remnants of a different era in film-making. One of the last real "moviestars" that remained. He will be missed.
Collin, I saw that movie but missed that credit. An interesting bit of information. He was in a number of good movies.
Nick, so true.
I dreamed about him last night. I was at his house and he was mourning his death yet he was still alive. It was so strange.
How nice to have found your blog...I check your website often to read your poetry.
My hubby is now out of the hospital but we are waiting for the results of the various tests. Our trip to Italy on Sunday hovers in uncertainty.
Beryl. Thanks for your comment and I'm wishing the best for your hubby.
I'd found your blog once before and was sure I'd added you to my links, but see that I didn't. I'm going to do that right now while online.
Beryl. Thanks for your comment and I'm wishing the best for your hubby.
I'd found your blog once before and was sure I'd added you to my links, but see that I didn't. I'm going to do that right now while online.
I seen very few of his films...he is great and excellent.....very sad
An amazing actor. Thanks for the post, Pris.
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