Legendary Actor Paul Newman Dies

Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning actor who personified cool as an activist, race car driver, popcorn impresario and the anti-hero of such films as "Hud" "The Color of Money," has died at the age odf 83. Newman passed away on Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, Connecticut. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.

This past May, Newman cancelled his plans to direct a new pproduction of "Of Mice and Men" due to health concerns.

Newman got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s. He went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars. He was nominated 10 times for Oscars, winning one well deserved award for "The Color of Money" and two honorary ones. He played major roles in over 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," ''The Verdict," ''The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."

He teamed in some films with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. They got married in 1958.

With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. He once said "I was always a character actor. I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."

Newman always had a soft spot for the underdogs, he donated tens of millions to charities through his food company and set up camps for severely ill children. He passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and was in favor of civil rights. Newman was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.

In the 1970s, Newman was bored with acting, so he became fascinated with auto racing. He turned profession in 1977 when Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.

In 1982, Newman and writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own. It all began as a joke, but grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits were donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.

In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.
He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea. Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte.

In May 2007, Newman told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, however he intended to remain active in charity projects.

Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.