Whether you’ve seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, recognize his face from a bottle of salad dressing, or, like me, grew up looking at his photo on the wall of your grandmother’s basement, you’ve likely encountered Paul Newman’s legacy. His talent, charisma and reputation for generosity outlive him. Now, almost 15 years after his death, his real story is finally being told.
Newman and screenwriter Stewart Stern began a project together in 1986 that was meant to be an oral history of Paul Newman’s life — from his perspective as well as his family’s — which became The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man (Knopf). The project reads like a conversation with an old friend. This memoir is told in Newman’s voice, compiled by his family from hours of audio and numerous transcriptions.
Various sections feature contributions from childhood friends and family members, as well as from his fellow actors, including Tom Cruise, George Roy Hill and Joanne Woodward, who describe what it was like to work on-set with one of the greatest actors from the past 75 years.
PORTRAIT OF A BELOVED ACTOR AND PHILANTHROPIST
Fans of Paul Newman who are searching for celebrity gossip or an exposé will not find that satisfaction. Instead, they will be faced with the raw, candid portrait of a man who fought to prevent fame from affecting his children and infringing on his privacy. From stories of race car driving, to old Hollywood rivalries, to details of his charitable organizations, the life of a beloved icon is drawn out in vivid and touching detail.
But there is a life beyond the classic stories and the stardom. We see a man overcome by guilt after his son, Scott, died of an overdose. We see a young man, insecure, feeling like an imposter as he tries his hand at acting. We are granted an intimate glimpse into his difficult childhood, his struggles with alcoholism and what would ultimately lead up to his stardom.
UNDERSTAND THE MAN BEHIND THE FAME
Newman’s humor, his love and his compassion shine through every section of the story, even when told from someone else’s perspective. This collection of accounts and retold experiences creates a unique mosaic of a man that many held on a pedestal throughout his life as a performer.
While discovering more about the man behind one of their favorite films or sauces, readers and fans alike will agree on one thing — for an ordinary man, Paul Newman is particularly extraordinary.
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Photo Credit: David Sutton
About Paul Newman:
Paul Newman was an American actor, film director, race car driver, and entrepreneur. Newman was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. deMille Award, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. His major film roles include The Hustler, Hud, Harper, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Verdict, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Nobody’s Fool, Road to Perdition, and the voice role of Doc Hudson in Disney-Pixar’s Cars. Ten-time Oscar nominee, Newman won an Academy Award for Best Actor for The Color of Money. Newman won several national championships as a race car driver. A political activist and humanitarian, he raised and donated nearly $1 billion to many charities. Newman had six children and was married to Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward for fifty years. He died in 2008 at the age of 83.
