Paul Newman Our Greatest Actor!

[Fandango]

This may turn into a debate but really its just an appreciation thread of a great actor, I consider Newman as the greatest actor of all-time he's one of my all-time favorites as well. He's starred in 50 movies which dates back to 1956. He's done great work for the community donating $200+Million to charity thru his Newman's Own company, his daughter Nell also has Newman's Organics and he has a great group for children with cancers thru his Hole in the Wall Gang, he has given so much both with his movies and with his everyday life, he is a great actor rolemodel.

 

He and wife Joanne Woodward have been married since the mid 1950's they have starred together in 11 movies the first being The Long Hot Summer and the last being last years Empire Falls. From the late 1950's into the early 1970's nobody touched Paul Newman he was making tons of films, pulling off great performances and has made some of the most famous movies of all-time. He's worked with the best actors and the best directors, he could be the most handsome man in film history, as well the coolest, if you were to compare him to Steve McQueen to me there's no comparison, I love McQueen but he is no Newman, both in the work and the being. I am such an admire of Newman are there any other's that are fans here?

 

I've seen all of his movies and I love each and everyone of them but here are a select few:

 

The Fifties brought us great movies like Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Long Hot Summer & Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He played Billy the Kid in The Left Handed Gun and if you've watched him in Somebody Up There Likes Me its very close to Stallone's Rocky and I mean close! Newman may not have starred in a lot of 1950 movies but the ones he did were excellent!

 

The Sixties were his greatest era between the people he worked with, to the great movies he did and was apart of, he made a lot of movies during the sixties and here are some favorites, From the Terrace, Paris Blues, A New Kind of Love & Winning - but really you give me any movie that has both Newman and Woodward how can you complain? Joanne Woodward is a great actress, very beautiful and talented it would be nice to see her get more recognition these days! My all-time favorite movie of his is Cool Hand Luke, I love Newman in Westerns, I wish he did more but I will take what I can get with movies like, The Outrage, Hombre & Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. TCM just had The Outrage on recently, that is a very overlooked film my favorite out of the bunch is Hombre! The next two movies that are in my top five favorites of Newman are The Hustler and Hud - how can those not be classics? Really though I love all of his movies and especially the ones from the sixties!

 

The Seventies and beyond brought us a couple more westerns and a re-teaming with Robert Redford in The Sting. We got The Towering Inferno, Fort Apache in the Bronx, The Color of Money all the way to Road to Perdition. There's not too many actors with this great quality of work that paces out over 50 years, he's a legend and our greatest actor!

 

I'm hopeful he will make that one last movie he wants to make with Robert Redford, as well he still plays Badminton he's 81 years old and let me tell you he doesn't look it or act it, he's a professional car racer and has been racing since him and Joanne did the greatest racing movie of all-time 1969's Winning!

 

Anyway be sure to watch him on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday, April 6th.

[katyscar11ett]

Well................you did say that this may turn into a debate. Actually, Im kidding. I have grown to like Paul Newman, although it did take me awhile, I reallly enjoy him now. My only debate is with the sentence "if you were to compare him to Steve McQueen to me there's no comparison" To me either - no comparison - McQueen all the way. ;-)

[CharlieT]

Would you say that McQueen is number 1 with a "Bullitt?"

[gmabfd]

I'd make "The Great Escape" with Steve McQueen, anyday. LOL.

 

"Love and The Proper Stanger", the list goes on.

[deeanddaisy666]

Hmmmm, now what kind of testosterone addict would I be if I didn't weigh in here?

 

Interesting comparison, McQueen vs Newman. At least Redford, the little girl, wasn't brought into the equation.

 

I don't think a distinction can be made between McQueen and Newman. I only wish McQueen had lived, he was an amazing screen presence. As is Newman, barring The Robe.

 

Okay, short story short, they're both incredibly sexy.

 

Oh, as to their acting ability, no, neither one is great, in the sense that I define. They're both extremely good, and sexy beyond belief. Both of them.

[gmabfd]

They'er both incredibly sexy. YES. I have always enjoyed seeing McQueen.

I agree, I wish he would of been with us longer. Then talent wise, I might of changed my opinion. I don't think so. He probably would of became more famous.

Sad, we'll never know.

 

Redford is Ok. Just don't care either way,if I watch him or not.

[sweetbabykmd]

I've never understood all the hoopla about Steve McQueen, he was mediocre.

[CineSage_jr]

Mediocre? By no means. He's never been one of my favorites, but I can see why he appeals to a lot of people. My problem with him isn't hid ability as an actor, but my basic mistrust and skeptcism of the idea of coolness.

 

Beyond its obviously subjective definition, it kind of wears thin after a while, and is no substitute for dramatic depth. In any case, as far as coolness goes, I'll take McQueen's MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and GREAT ESCAPE co-star, James Coburn, any day.

[deeanddaisy666]

Hmmm. Mediocre. Cool. Subjective values, no?

 

I think Brando is mediocre...ack, stand back for the flames!

 

As to cool, I think Bogey is cool. As someone said in a recent crap movie, Bogey has me at hello.

 

McQueen and Newman are good, but they'll never be great. IMO. Not sure why, but they just don't...have...it. The Bogey 'it'. The Grant 'it'. Although Bogey's 'it' trumps Grant's 'it' any day of the week.

 

Not sure where in the heck I'm going with this, so I'll stop.

 

Heck, I even like Charles Coburn better than Brando....ack, incoming.

[gmabfd]

I love Charles Coburn. He's a great actor. The Lady Eve and In Name Only are two of my favorite films of his.

William Demarest did alot movies,long before My Three Sons. He was never second banana. Even when he was in the same movie with Fred McMurray.

Demarest could hold his own. Good guy,good actor.

 

Bogney is cool. Lauren Bacall,how beautiful was she. She had charm.

They're not many like them, anymore.

[katyscar11ett]

Stoney, you're doing better than me - I don't even give Brando a mediocre. And although I do like Newman and McQueen, (McQueen better than Newman), you are right again that they will/would never have the Bogie, Grant, Gable, Tracy kind of appeal and talent. JMHO.

 

 

Who I really dislike and never did "get" is McQueen's sometimes co-star and second wife, Ali McGraw. I think she was totally talent-less.

[deeanddaisy666]

scarlett, the only performance that rates any mention is The Godfather. All the others, including Stellaaaaaaaaaaa, struck me meh. Rod Steiger shoulda slapped the crap outta him in the back of that car. A car with venetian blinds! I want one.

 

I agree on Tracy, forgot him, but Gable again left me cold. Gable always seemed to be Gable, and no one else.

 

Ali McGraw....what, you don't think love is never having to say you're sorry? Bleeeeech.

[Presteign]

Dear stoneyburke

 

"If ya can't say somethin' nice... don't say nothin' at all"

 

Thumper - From Bambi

 

Regards

[deeanddaisy666]

Presteign, if I did that..............................

[Fandango]

Well since people want to chat about McQueen here I'll put in my two cents!

 

No question he was one of the coolest and he's done some great movies, I loved him in westerns, from Wanted Dead or Alive to The Magnificent Seven to Nevada Smith all the way to Tom Horn. I love movies like Papillon and The Getaway. The sixties were great for him, movies ranging from The Great Escape to The Sand Pebbles all the way to Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair and who could forget his first starring role in The Blob!

 

As for other cool actors, I think Eastwood is ultimate cool! I think guys like Newman and McQueen are cool, even guys like Cooper, Stewart and Grant are pretty cool, Harrison Ford is a cool guy, just like John Travolta is a cool guy. The list goes on but Eastwood is the ultimate!*See my Eastwood Post*

[wwwcinemadigestcom]

Hey Fandango,

 

ever see Newman in THE OUTRAGE?

 

My mom has been wanting to see this movie since 1964.

 

Cheers,

 

Jason, Toronto

 

www.cinemadigest.com

[Fandango]

The Outrage is a great western, shot in black and white, directed by non other then Martin Ritt. That 1964 film was the remake of a Kurosowa film. The Outrage is often overlooked and forgotten today, Newman plays a character he's never played before he's a ruff and tuff Mexican, he was incredible in that film. Newman is great in any westerns, my favorite of his is Hombre but back to The Outrage is re-playing on TCM on April 25th. If you miss it you can usually buy it on eBay or Amazon.