Newman set good example
Published 10:36 am Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Movie fans across the globe were saddened by the passing of actor Paul Newman, who died Friday at age 83 at his home in Westport, Conn., after a battle with cancer.
You cannot talk about Newman without talking about his easy-going charm and good looks without talking about his famous blue eyes.
His roles are memorable ones, including those in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “Hud,” “The Color of Money” and countless others.
Newman appeared in nearly 70 movies in a career that spanned more than five decades. He will most certainly be remembered as one of Hollywood’s legends.
That’s where the story ends for many celebrities. But not Newman.
His charitable work had an impact throughout the world and he leaves a good example of how a person should handle fame and the good fortune that can come with it.
His “Hole in the Wall Gang Camps,” a name that came from the outlaw group in “Butch Cassidy,” provided summer camps for children with cancer and other various illnesses. But it is not just a charity with his name attached to it. Newman played a vital role in the program, which often received money from his line of foods, Newman’s Own.
For an actor who sometimes played flawed characters, his private life included a 50-year marriage to his second wife, Joanne Woodward, though he often admitted it was sometimes rocky.
Newman leaves behind a legacy of talent, charity, style, humility and grace. All celebrities should be so lucky.