Paul Newman (1925-2008)

Paul Newman, one of my favorite actors and my ultimate celebrity crush, passed away on Friday night. He was an amazing actor, a true humanitarian and a man married for fifty years (!!!) to Joanne Woodward. To celebrate his life and work, here is a top ten list of his best performances (my favorites... what have you).

10. The Towering Inferno (1974) - Newman plays architect Doug Roberts who returns home to celebrate the opening of the tallest building ever in California which, of course, he designed. Newman rival Steve McQueen may take center stage, but Newman is fantastic as well. The cast is all-star, the dialogue is cheesy but it sure is fun.

09. The Color of Money (1986) - The film that finally won Newman an Oscar! He plays Eddie Felson, no longer the cocky young man he was in The Hustler. Though not as strong as The Hustler, obviously, it's still a pretty solid film anyway, directed by Martin Scorsese and co-starring Tom Cruise - back when he wasn't crazy. Newman may have been in his sixties when he made this movie, but he was still in his prime and he was still a brilliant actor, perfectly capturing the old restlessness and competitiveness that creeps back into a hustler who never really retires.

08. Road to Perdition (2002) - Another Oscar nomination for his work as an elderly Irish mob leader who is a surrogate father figure to a hit man (played by Tom Cruise), Newman proved that he is a better actor than most thirty somethings. Newman proved that Marlon Brando wasn't the only one who could play a powerful Godfather type.

07. The Young Philadelphians (1959) - Here, Newman plays a young lawyer who abandons his values and morals in order to gain success. Newman is wonderful - at first wide-eyed and innocent becoming more intense and conniving as the film progresses. His entire life is more or less a source of scandal and he's not above using the bedroom to get what he wants.

06. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) - Holding your own with the force of nature that is Elizabeth Taylor is probably difficult - but Newman does it. His performance is less flashy and more subtle. It's not until a choice scene in a basement that we really see what he can do. Newman is hard and tough, immovable but he still has a little dignity and love. Newman's portrayal is deeply internalized and he conveys volumes with those gorgeous blue eyes.

05. The Hustler (1961) - Newman's first time playing Fast Eddie Felson. He's self-destructive but probably the best pool player in the country. Newman's character is a born loser and, again, Newman says it all with those beautiful eyes. He doesn't have to say a word. You can just see the trouble his character is going through. He loves the girl but he is unable to express himself. He knows nothing other than playing pool and hustling people.

04. Hud (1963) - The tagline was "No one gets out of life alive." Ain't that the truth. Hud is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches. Newman plays Hud as the perfect embodiment of alienated youth, out for fun with no regard for the consequences of his actions. He's a hell raiser and a rebel. Newman is perfect with the cynical, cold manner and the sly, insinuating smile. Perfection.

03. The Long, Hot Summer (1958) - While the supporting cast (Joanne Woodward, Orson Welles, Lee Remick, Angela Landsbury) is quite superb, the film belongs to Newman. He's macho, sexy adn handsome. His Ben Quick is angry, determined, manipulative and disturbing... with a hidden vulnerability. His scenes with Woodward sizzle and it's easy to see the chemistry they had in their first of many films together.

02. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) - I can't think of any two actors who had chemistry as great as Newman's and Robert Redford's. The film has the right mix of comedy and adventure and the script is perfect for arguably the greatest team in Hollywood history. Newman is spontaneous in this film and his hopelessly ridiculous optimism is uplifting. His delivery is perfect. Just trying getting the image of Newman riding a bicycle to the song "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" out of your head.

01. Cool Hand Luke (1967) - No one has ever been or will ever be sexier than Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke. End of discussion. Newman stars as Luke, a war hero who gets himself in trouble with the law. He is repeatedly beaten both physically and mentally but refuses to conform to the rules of the prison where he's being held. Luke is a typical rebel and he has a certain aura that everyone loves. It's not just a prison movie. It's a near perfect film about not conforming in a world that requires and demands it. This is arguably his most memorable performance - and the best - in a long distinguished career. It must not be easy to play someone who goes from being a sincere individualist to a man who is so beaten and defeated, yet in the the end still not willing to accept it. Newman is perfect.

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