On This Day

Birthday of Paul Newman

January 26th 1925

09:43 26 January 2024

American actor, film director, race car driver, and entrepreneur Paul Newman was born on this day in 1925. Newman made his film debut in 'The Silver Chalice' (1954). His breakthrough role came when he played Rocky Graziano in 'Somebody Up There Likes Me' (1956) which led to starring roles in 'The Long Hot Summer' (1958) with his future wife Joanne Woodward and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (1958) for which he received his first Academy Award nomination.

He went on to become one of the biggest movie stars in the world throughout the 1960s and 70s, starring in films including 'Exodus' (1960), 'The Hustler' (1961), 'Hud' (1963), 'Harper' (1966), 'Torn Curtain' (1966), 'Cool Hand Luke' (1967), 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (1969), 'The Sting' (1973), 'The Towering Inferno' (1974) and 'Slap Shot' (1977).

Other notable film credits that followed include 'Fort Apache the Bronx' (1981), 'Absence of Malice' (1981), 'The Verdict' (1982), 'The Color of Money' (1986), 'The Hudsucker Proxy' (1994) and 'Road to Perdition' (2002).

Winner of an Academy Award, a BAFTA and three Golden Globes, Paul Newman died aged 83 on the morning of September 26 2008 surrounded by family and friends. A genuine Hollywood superstar and one of American cinema's finest acting talents.