Paul Newman - A Life Spent Giving

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Actor and philanthropist Paul Newman leaves behind a legacy modern celebrities will find hard to match.

83-year-old Newman – who passed away after a short illness on Friday – made his movie debut in 1954, and went on to become one of the most well known faces to grace the silver screen, appearing in over 50 films. Born in Ohio, Newman made his acting debut at the age of seven, but didn’t start acting professionally until after serving as a gunner in the Pacific in World War II. When the acting bug did bite, it went on to net Newman 10 Oscar nominations in his five-decade-long career – winning the best actor accolade for his role opposite Tom Cruise in The Color Of Money in 1986 – two Golden Globe awards, a Screen Actors Guild award, a Cannes Film Festival award and an Emmy award.

But it is Newman’s humanitarian and philanthropic efforts that gained him true popularity in the American heart. Much has been written about his Newman’s Own Food Company, the initiative he established in 1982 to manufacture his special salad dressings. Over $200 million were generated by the company for charity over the years, and earlier in 2008 the actor announced he had signed ownership of the company to charity. He wrote a book – titled Shameless Exploitation in the Pursuit of the Common Good – about his work with the company, explaining that the inspiration behind his humanitarian outlook was the death of his son from a drug overdose in 1978, which led him to set up the Scott Newman Center for Drug Abuse Prevention. Much of the money Newman raised went to the Hole in the Wall Gang summer camps he established in 1988. The camps allow ill children to participate in activities such as boating, fishing, swimming, archery, arts and crafts, woodworking, performing arts, horseback riding, overnight camping and group adventures, all while receiving superior 24-hour medical care free of charge. More than 100,000 children from 31 countries have attended the Hole in the Wall camps.

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Paul Newman - A Life Spent Giving