In Memoriam

On Thursday, the world lost a film legend. Paul Newman succomb to cancer at home, a peaceful end to a long and decorated film career.

When I think of Newman, I immediately remember his sly and clever character in the film Cool Hand Luke, but Paul Newman was much more than the character Luke Jackson that he portrayed in that film.

He gave us some of cinema's most enduring characters and worked with some of the most talented actors and directors in show business. His portrayal of Butch Cassidy alongside Robert Redford's Sundance Kid birthed one of the most talented partnerships ever seen on the silver screen. Their lesser-known but just as fantastic pairing in The Sting further cemented their on-screen chemistry.

Newman also starred as Professor Michael Armstrong alongside Julie Andrews in the provocative Alfred Hitchcock cold war thriller Torn Curtain. Throughout the 70s and into the 80s, Newman continued to star in a variety of films and won Emmy, Academy and Golden Globe awards.

He was an avid auto racer from the time began training for the racing movie Winning, and continued to race in SCCA while owning part of both an Indy Racing car team and a NASCAR team. He continued to compete sporadically in racing well into his 70s, driving in the 24 hours of Le Mans in 2005.

Though his talent will alway be with us in his films, his presence, both in Hollywood and among the many charities he served and funded, will be greatly missed. Paul Newman, January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008.