Paul Newman: a centenary marked by cinema and commitment
A legendary actor, respected director, passionate racing driver, and tireless philanthropist, Paul Newman (1925–2008) embodied the rare elegance of those who have successfully combined celebrity with activism.
On the centenary of his birth, the Deauville Festival pays tribute to this legendary Hollywood figure, whose magnetic aura and profound humanity continue to inspire generations.
An Ohio native, Paul Newman began his career on stage, touring with several theater companies before moving to New York, where he performed on Broadway and joined Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio.
He rose to fame in 1958 with the feature film Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Richard Brooks, in which he starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor and earned his first Oscar nomination. In 1961, he played the legendary pool player Fast Eddie Felson in Robert Rossen’s The Hustler, a role he reprised 25 years later in Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money, for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor.
He worked with some of the greatest filmmakers: Michael Curtiz, Otto Preminger, Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet, Sydney Pollack, Mel Brooks, James Ivory, Joel Coen, and Sam Mendes.
Paul Newman also stepped behind the camera. He directed his wife, Joanne Woodward, in his first film, Rachel, Rachel (1968), which was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for Best Director. This was followed by Sometimes a Great Notion (1971), The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), Harry & Son (1984), and The Glass Menagerie (1986).
Beyond the screen, the Deauville Festival has chosen to highlight a man of action and compassion. In 1982, he created Newman’s Own, a food company that donates all of its profits to charity. He is also the founder of the SeriousFun Children’s Network, a global network that provides children with serious illnesses access to free vacation stays at medical centers.
A recognised public utility association, L’ENVOL is a member of this network and continues the actor’s mission in France. Since 1997, it has offered free medical holiday camps and respite stays to more than 40,000 sick children and their families.
To celebrate the memory of an exceptional man, whose influence continues to be felt both in the history of cinema and in the charitable causes he inspired, the Deauville Festival will hold a ceremony in his honor on Wednesday, September 10, attended by his daughter, Clea Newman, ambassador of his philanthropic legacy.
Several of the films that marked his career will also be screened during the Festival.
