September 26 - Paul Leonard Newman

On this day, in 2008, Paul Leonard Newman passed away from lung cancer in Westport, Connecticut. Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio 83 years earlier as the younger son of store owners, Paul picked up on the theater vibe pretty early. His first role came at the age of seven, the court jester in his school's production of Robin Hood. Just three years later, Paul would be gracing the stage at the Cleveland Play House in Saint George and the Dragon.

After high school, Paul would spend a hot second at Ohio University before joining the United States Navy and shipping out to the Pacific Theater of World War II. He wanted to be a V-12 pilot, but his colorblindness kept that from happening; he became a gunner instead. As luck would have it, Paul's pilot got an ear infection just before the Battle of Okinawa and he didn't fly out to his assigned aircraft carrier, the USS Bunker Hill. A kamikaze attack just days later killed the other members of his unit.

Paul returned home from the war and completed a BA at Kenyon College. He began touring with summer stock companies before moving on to Yale School of Drama for a year. Paul then moved to New York City and studied under Lee Strasberg. He had his Broadway debut in the original cast of Picnic in 1953. He also appeared in the original productions of The Desperate Hours and Sweet Bird of Youth. During this time, Paul also started getting roles on television, mostly in episodes of anthology series like Tales of Tomorrow. He was supposedly reluctant to make the move to Hollywood, but it clearly worked out for him.

Paul had a screen test in 1954 with James Dean for East of Eden. He didn't get that part, but would, after Dean's death, get parts that were meant for the late actor. One of those, Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me, proved to be the beginning of Paul's long career in the movies. The list of films that Paul made shine is extensive and impressive. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Hudsucker Proxy, Road to Perdition. And that's probably not even half of the good ones.

Paul's life wasn't just about acting. While learning to dive race cars for the 1969 film Winning, he was bitten by the speed bug. Paul would enter his first professional race in 1972. Over the years, as a member of the Sports Car Club of America, he would win four national SCCA championships. In 1979, he finished in second place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans competition. At the age of 70, he became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team, bringing home first place in his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The combination of acting and race car driving led to one of Paul's two roles with Disney. In 2006's Cars, he plays the crusty former racer Doc Hudson who teaches the young punk Lightning McQueen a thing or two. It would be the last major role Paul would have in a movie. Twenty years earlier, he made his other mark on Disney history in The Color of Money. That was a reprisal of his role from The Hustler, Fast Eddie Felson, who teaches a young punk named Tom Cruise a thing or two. Money would also finally get Paul an Oscar after he'd been nominated seven previous times.

As if actor and race car driver weren't enough to occupy his time, Paul also became a big time philanthropist. In 1982, Newman's Own salad dressing hit the supermarket shelves. Paul's credo was that all after taxes profits from the company would be donated to charity. After expanding into pasta sauce, popcorn, wine and a whole range of other products, Newman's Own has donated over 500 million dollars to various charities. One of those charities is the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which Newman founded in 1988. Seriously ill children get to come to the camp and just be kids for a week, free of charge. Several additional camps have opened around the world and they collectively host over 20,000 kids every year. In 1999, Paul co-founded the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, which has grown to include 175 members all striving to better their communities through giving. After his death, the unofficial newspaper of the Pope said "Newman was a generous heart, an actor of dignity and style rare in Hollywood quarters." I couldn't agree more.