This Day in Indie History: Paul Newman

by MovieMaker Staff | Published January 25, 2007

One of Hollywoodâ€™s blue-eyed legends, Paul Newman was born on this day in Shaker Heights, Ohio in 1925. His iconic turns as Lucas â€˜Lukeâ€™ Jackson in 1967â€™s Cool Hand Luke, and Butch Cassidy to Redfordâ€™s Sundance Kid, led to a reputation as the most charming of tough guys. Over the years, Newman has become one of the most iconic faces in Hollywood, recognized for his work as an actor, producer and humanitarian. His turns as know-it-all, crotchety older men in Nobodyâ€™s Fool and the star-studded television movie Empire Falls have earned him his latest accolades. But his proficiency extends far beyond his well-known performances in The Color of Money, The Sting or Fort Apache the Bronx, now finding audiences among toddlers as the voice of the classic and experienced Doc Hudson in Cars.

Film Star Factoid: Newman has been nominated for a total of nine Academy Awards in the acting category over five decades: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), The Hustler (1961), Hud (1963), Cool Hand Luke (1967), Absence of Malice (1981), The Verdict (1982), The Color of Money (1986), Nobodyâ€™s Fool (1994) and Road to Perdition (2002). His only win was for his second turn as Fast Eddie Felson, in Martin Scorseseâ€™s The Color of Money.