Paul Newman

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Philanthropy of Paul Newman

inPaul Newman

Also known as: Paul Leonard Newman

Written by Michael Barson

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 20, 2024 • Article History

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In full:: Paul Leonard Newman

Born:: January 26, 1925, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Died:: September 26, 2008, Westport, Connecticut (aged 83)

Awards And Honors:: Kennedy Center Honors (1992); Academy Award (1987); Academy Award (1986); Academy Award (1987): Actor in a Leading Role; Honorary Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1986); Cecil B. DeMille Award (1984); Emmy Award (2005): Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie; Golden Globe Award (2006): Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television; Golden Globe Award (2006): Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television; Golden Globe Award (1969): Best Director - Motion Picture; Golden Globe Award (1968): World Film Favorites; Golden Globe Award (1966): World Film Favorites; Golden Globe Award (1964): World Film Favorites; Golden Globe Award (1957): New Star of the Year - Actor; Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1994)

Notable Works:: “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds”

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "The Meerkats" (2008); "Cars" (2006); "Empire Falls" (2005); "Freedom: A History of US" (2003); "Road to Perdition" (2002); "The Simpsons" (2001); "Where the Money Is" (2000); "Message in a Bottle" (1999); "Twilight" (1998); "Nobody's Fool" (1994); "The Hudsucker Proxy" (1994); "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge" (1990); "Blaze" (1989); "Fat Man and Little Boy" (1989); "The Color of Money" (1986); "Harry & Son" (1984); "The Verdict" (1982); "American Playhouse" (1982); "Absence of Malice" (1981); "Fort Apache the Bronx" (1981); "When Time Ran Out..." (1980); "Quintet" (1979); "Slap Shot" (1977); "Great Performances: Dance in America" (1976); "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson" (1976); "Silent Movie" (1976); "The Drowning Pool" (1975); "The Towering Inferno" (1974); "The Sting" (1973); "The MacKintosh Man" (1973); "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" (1972); "Pocket Money" (1972); "Sometimes a Great Notion" (1971); "WUSA" (1970); "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969); "Winning" (1969); "The Secret War of Harry Frigg" (1968); "Cool Hand Luke" (1967); "Hombre" (1967); "Torn Curtain" (1966); "Harper" (1966); "Lady L" (1965); "The Outrage" (1964); "What a Way to Go!" (1964); "The Prize" (1963); "A New Kind of Love" (1963); "Hud" (1963); "Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man" (1962); "Sweet Bird of Youth" (1962); "Paris Blues" (1961); "The Hustler" (1961); "Exodus" (1960); "From the Terrace" (1960); "The Young Philadelphians" (1959); "Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!" (1958); "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958); "The Left Handed Gun" (1958); "The Long, Hot Summer" (1958); "Playhouse 90" (1958); "Until They Sail" (1957); "The Helen Morgan Story" (1957); "The Kaiser Aluminum Hour" (1956); "The Rack" (1956); "The United States Steel Hour" (1954–1956); "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (1956); "Playwrights '56" (1955); "Producers' Showcase" (1955); "The Philco Television Playhouse" (1955); "Appointment with Adventure" (1955); "The Silver Chalice" (1954); "Danger" (1954); "Armstrong Circle Theatre" (1954); "Goodyear Television Playhouse" (1954); "The Mask" (1954); "The Man Behind the Badge" (1953–1954); "The Web" (1952–1953); "You Are There" (1953); "Suspense" (1952); "Tales of Tomorrow" (1952); "The Aldrich Family" (1949)

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A noted political liberal, Newman was outspoken in support of causes such as same-sex marriage and global disarmament, and he occasionally wrote articles for The Nation. He was also a businessman and a philanthropist. He launched the successful Newman’s Own line of food products in 1982, with its profits going to a number of charitable causes. Some 25 years after its founding, the food line comprised about 80 products and was sold worldwide, generating a reported $250 million of profits donated to charity. Newman joked, “The embarrassing thing is that the salad dressing is outgrossing my films.” In 2008 he turned over his ownership of the firm to the Newman’s Own Foundation. In Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good (2003), Newman and his business partner A.E. Hotchner discussed the founding of Newman’s Own.

Newman’s other philanthropic works included the Scott Newman Foundation (later Scott Newman Center), an organization he established in 1980 to educate the public about substance abuse; it was created in honour of his son (from his first marriage), who had died of an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol in 1978. In 1988 he founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with serious medical conditions. At the beginning of the 21st century, Hole in the Wall had expanded to 14 camps located around the world. Newman later helped establish (2006) a gourmet restaurant to support the Westport Country Playhouse, a theatre group in which he and Woodward were long active.

A passionate race-car driver since the early 1970s, Newman became co-owner of Newman/Haas Racing in 1982. He was the recipient of numerous honours, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award (1984) from the Golden Globes and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1993) from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2022 Newman and Woodward were the subject of the six-part docuseries The Last Movie Stars, which was directed by Ethan Hawke. Later that year the memoir The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man was published. The extremely candid work was based on interviews with the actor and those close to him. Newman reportedly had required that all those involved be “painfully honest,” and he openly discussed his personal struggles, including lifelong insecurity, a difficult childhood, and the death of his only son.

Michael Barson The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica