The death of Paul Newman is incredibly political. With his passing, the liberal John Wayne has died. Prepare yourself for a secular canonization.

I will pass on the politics, however, and offer an appraisal of Newman the movie star.

I was never a great fan of Newman as an actor. The NYT et al will inevitably describe him repeatedly as the greatest student of Lee Strasberg and the pride of the Actor's Studio. But Newman was not in the same class as Brando or De Niro or Duvall or Hoffman or even Jack Nicholson. Newman was a beautiful man and the camera adored him. No one ever looked better on a towering movie screen than Paul Newman. No one ever proved so charming and handsome over a longer period.

But Newman was much more than a pretty face. While he was not the greatest actor of his generation, he was an immensely talented movie star.

Why?

Two Reasons:

1. Newman understood his limits. He never tried to play a bald-headed paraplegic. He never donned a funny mustache and tried to lose himself in a quirky character. Newman understood who he was and why people liked him. He played Paul Newman every time out--but he played him better than anybody else in Hollywood.

2. As an actor, Newman understood the necessity of quality material. Once an actor achieves mega-star status, he enjoys the opportunity to pick his roles (virtually any role). The nature of Hollywood means that almost every notable part and/or script, at some point, comes within the grasp of the town's top two or three male stars. Although he had the power to play almost any lead role in Hollywood for at least two decades, he chose his projects with great skill and discipline, understanding, perhaps sensing, what a high quality script and a Newman-vehicle felt like.

Newman will be remembered fondly forever for his penetrating blue eyes and his incredibly handsome face. He will also be remembered for great movies:

Cool Hand Luke

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The Sting

Absence of Malice

The Verdict


Paul Newman, rest in peace.