Philanthropist Paul Newman Passes Away at 83 of Cancer

There is no doubt that Paul Newman was one of the all-time giants of Hollywood. He was a true superstar, starring in such films as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, The Sting, and The Color of Money just to name a few.

Just last night in the wee hours when I was watching TV as is my practise to do so to help me fall asleep, I came across The Sting, a movie I had seen when it was in theatres back in 1973. It is a delightful film that succeeds in getting the audience on the side of the bad guys. I imagine it's quite a treat for the ladies, containing two heart throbs, the other being Robert Redford.

Newman was nominated for an Oscar ten times winning three of them. So, why does the title of this article refer to him as "philanthropist"? Paul Newman never felt comfortable being showereed with every accolade from "brilliant" to "icon". Forgive my presumption, Mr. Newman, that "philanthropist" is a label you might be more at ease with.

In the early 1980s, Newman started up the "Newman's Own" brand as a way to sell his homemade salad dressing. The company, which also made popcorn, spaghetti sauce and other products, has turned into a multi-million dollar business and has donated $175 million to charities.

Paul Newman was married to Joanne Woodward for 50 years, rare by Hollywood or any standard.

When asked by Playboy if he was ever tempted to cheat on his wife, Newman replied, "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?"

We lost a good one

I have just learned of the passing of Bernie Mac. What a shock. The man was only 50 years old--younger than I, when he succumbed to pneumonia in hospital this past Saturday. Many people are funny, as Bernie most definitely was, but Bernie was a genuinely nice guy, born into poverty in Chicago, did well for himself, chose not to go to Hollywood and was married for 30 years. RIP, Bernie