Newman's Own Legacy

Tripp Laino
Movie Editor

Paul Newman was a Hollywood legend.

More than that, he was a great philanthropist, donating hundreds of millions of dollars to charity with his Newman’s Own line of sauces, dressings and other foods.

As an actor, Newman could shift to portray almost any sort of character. As Butch Cassidy in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, he was the ultimate cool, always calm and collected, even when jumping off a cliff or avoiding gunfire.



Robert Redford is the Sundance Kid to Newman’s Cassidy, and the two have an unbelievable chemistry on screen. This isn’t surprising, as the two were great friends off-screen, but their portrayals in this film make it one of the best “buddy” movies ever made.

He could also be uproariously funny, as evidenced by his turn as player-coach Reggie Dunlop in Slapshot. The film paired Newman with a host of hockey misfits, portraying the life of a small-town, minor-league team.

It’s one of the best sports movies of all-time, always placing well in polls conducted on the subject. Newman’s character is incredibly foul-mouthed, spewing a constant stream of trash talk on the ice. It portrays hockey more as a sport dominated by excessive violence than skill, but that doesn’t make it any less hysterical.

His portrayal of convict Lucas Jackson in the prison film Cool Hand Luke is an absolute treasure. Newman carries the picture from start to finish, bolstered by some great supporting work by a host of actors, like George Kennedy.

Far and away, the most memorable scene in Cool Hand Luke is the one in which Luke eats 50 eggs on a bet. The scene is incredible to watch – Newman’s belly distends to an unbelievable degree as it’s filled by the ridiculous number of eggs. The best part? As a method actor, Newman actually ate 50 eggs for the filming of the scene.



Newman could play anything - and did all of it well. If you've never had the pleasure of seeing one of his many, many great features, go pick one up. The three above are all excellent choices, but are by no means an all-encompassing look at one of the best actors of all time. He will be missed.