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Tribute to Paul Newman (I) REST IN PEACE

As you all know, Paul Newman died Sept. 26 due to lung cancer. His death was a great loss to all lovers of cinema. "Funny movie but has devised his own tribute to this great actor. Starting today and in three installments, you can read this blog a biographical report focused on the actor's career in Ohio.

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INDOMABLE THE FAREWELL OF

Gone. Paul Newman, the last myth of Hollywood, died due to lung cancer last weekend. Gone are dozens of memorable performances and countless awards and praise. A legend made up with talent and personality into a career unparalleled in the history of cinema

Paul Newman had entered the building. All activity stopped. All eyes pointed to the star, supported by his fellow actors. The frenetic pace of building the Chicago Mercantile Exchange fell to an absolute stillness. No one hired, no one answered the phones. Time seemed to stop in its path. Paul Newman, the best paid actor of the moment, had set foot on the floor. It was April 1973, Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw and the director George Roy Hill had been invited by a broker to visit the Chicago Stock Exchange during the filming of Blow . However, Newman's legend had begun long before.

The first steps
Paul Leonard Newman was born on January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, Cleveland, Ohio. The most famous blue eyes movie cast their first look at the cold winter of Cleveland, in the heart of a wealthy family. Paul, never lacked for nothing, though her father raised her to know the value of things. During his childhood, showed no inclination important for the interpretation but two small plays while still went to primary school. During his teens, had different jobs, while born in him the first outbreaks of rebellion: sandwiches sold at the Palace Meat and shortly thereafter, even began to sell encyclopedias door to door. Won, with these works insubstantial, which invested $ 500 in mounting a play (for fun, almost without vocation) where he spent 495, the earned him another five to take their first drink.

In 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, Newman, like many young men of the time, temporarily left his studies in Economics and Management Business and joined the Navy. As a volunteer for the pilot, was sent to Yale to receive a specialized course. That was the place that Paul needed. Yale Newman found a new air, a much larger universe than anything he had known. But it did not last. At four months, a routine check revealed a flaw in your eyes (in your eyes!) Was colorblind. This issue will sleep away the air and was assigned to the Pacific as a radio operator. The war came to Newman, as quickly as it arrived. After the war, in 1946, and by a grant from the government military, prepared to resume their studies, but this time, at Kenyon College.

Pointing
ways Fortunately for the film, the war had made him mature and clarify their ideas. I knew that was the way the theater. The University was hosting a play called Primera Plana and Paul threw the rest. Was presented to test for the lead role and got it; role Newman remembers very well: "We had a great reception . I bent several times and, for the first time, I was aware of be acting. " Paul turned into acting and appeared in several productions at the university, and, although the performance was only in principle, an escape, Newman found his way on stage.
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with the title already in his hands (it mattered little role), in 1949 he went to Williams Bay, Wisconsin, with a contract for a summer theater tour. After the tour, Newman joined another troupe, The Woodstock Players, where he participated in plays such as Cyrano de Bergerac , Suspect , The Glass Menagerie (which, 40 years later, he lead to the movies) and John and Mary where, giving the reply and actress, met a brown-eyed blonde named Jackie White. It was a crush. After a whirlwind romance, in the spring of 1950, the couple ran away to marry and at the end of the summer, returned to join the company. Newman acted in 16 plays after their wedding and, after that, decided to take a break from the theater to work on a farm near Woodstock, while Jackie was waiting for the birth of his eldest son, the ill-fated Scott.
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That same year, Paul's father fell seriously ill. Newman returned to Shaker Heights and took the reins of family business, forgetting for a time acting. Business was good and gave the store prospered. A few months later, Arthur died. Paul decided to sell the business and, while completing the transaction, worked in various locations, including picking up golf balls at a club, to clean them and return them to a bag. The kind of routine that drew from their boxes.
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In 1951, Newman decided to change his life and with Jackie and Scott to the small side, left Shaker Heights for ever. With their modest savings, he returned to Yale and enrolled in the School of Dramatic Art. There, he participated in several works (not important), but his talent was obvious to others. Present in one of the works (a feature on the life of Beethoven), were theatrical agents Liebling and Wood, who praised, forgetting others, Newman's work as nephew the musician. Perhaps it all began with this meeting. Paul knew he was on the right track, even if it meant leaving his studies, he set the goal that changed his life: Broadway.

The Legend Begins
Paul and Jackie took to the adventure of the Big Apple and got a year later to see if he had something to do in the cutthroat world of Broadway. Paul was leaving New York every morning in his best suit (the only decent thing I had) to make finding a job. Newman was a lucky man. With amazement to Paul himself, found his first job in television: a brief appearance in the telefilm The March of Time, where he played an old man and charged $ 65 which (who was going to tell him then that would become the highest paid actor of the year several times). After small roles in other television productions such as Tales of Tomorrow or Thriller, did not take long to get his first regular role in a series, The Aldrich Family . Gradually established working regularly on television and his face was familiar to the public. By then, Jackie had already lighting the couple's second daughter, Susan, and almost at par, Newman got a role in the musical Our Town .

Hand of some old acquaintances (Liebling and Wood) who contacted the playwright William Inge, Newman agreed to an audition and landed a role in Picnic, a play that marked the beginning of the legend. Their role was not the protagonist, but an inexperienced college loses girlfriend (and pride) to a lower classmate, but the reviews were excellent. The New York Daily News declared: " The rich kid was very well played by Paul Newman ," the New York Post said: "Young Paul Newman has done a great job "and R. Coleman, the New York Daily Mirror, Newman succumbed to a simple and resounding "excellent ." Picnic

was staged at the theater for fourteen months, with the economic security that it gave him, could consider the idea of \u200b\u200bentering the Actors Studio , the dream of any actor. As luck would follow him here too. The admission depended on two tests: one before the public and the other against such notable critics as Elia Kazan. A girl who also performed the tests to enter the prestigious academy needed a guy to a supporting role, and I asked Newman. Paul agreed and helped it work. The world turned suddenly and a few days after the test of the actress, Paul received the news of his admission to the Actors. Technically, he had not taken the test, but his supporting role he had secured a place at the Academy of the method. Pure talent.

The Actors, Newman learn everything you can learn and befriended with students and Geraldine Page, Rod Steiger and Eli Wallack. But the most important friendship of his life was established with Joanne Woodward, a beautiful and talented actress. The step came shortly before tables Picnic , and neither was a good impression of the other. However, the destination will gather again in this play (it replaced two of the actresses) and both recalled their first meeting, met a lot better and flourished among them a great personal and professional friendship.

Meanwhile, Newman began to attract the attention of Hollywood figures, always looking for new faces. Newman was already well known in New York and Hollywood seemed like the next step. But Paul was reluctant to film mecca. Many of his fellow Hollywood Actor's talked about with disdain, although deep envy of the elect. It was time. Newman was then 30 years, a whole career ahead of him and a contract with Warner Brothers for 7 years. Shortly after the close Picnic, Paul decided to move to California. Jackie and the children stayed in Long Island, and Paul, not without misgivings, he went to stardom.

An actor in the film mecca
Paul's fears about Hollywood are confirmed as set foot in the study of Warner. The executives were more concerned about the color of your hair and the money they could raise that level of performance. The talent of the players and that is adapted to the roles given to them was secondary, Hollywood was in the business of profit. Newman was not comfortable, he felt that star actor. In addition, all there were governed by the "star system", and alcoholism, drug addiction and loss of dignity was the order of the day. Of course, there were players who rebelled against it: Humphrey Bogart, Kirk Douglas, Jack Lemmon, John Houston ... Newman was not going to let yourself be seduced by Hollywood and joined the rebels, would be a new indomitable.
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As if this were not enough, the first thing he had prepared Warner could have ended his career before you start: The Silver Chalice ( The Silver Chalice, 1955 ), Where Newman played the supporting role of a Greek slave named Basil. He was without doubt one of the worst movies of the 50 and one of the greatest failures of the Warner. Years later, when television gave this film, Newman published a newspaper ad apologizing to viewers for the horrible movie.
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Paul got this role after an audition with the ill-fated James Dean. James was left with East of Eden and Newman took the cup. Paul was sorry increasingly having gone to Hollywood. Things did not work on the big screen, but, fortunately, rescued him from the theater. During the last week of shooting, Paul landed the lead role in the work Desperate Hours, and his work away did Greek nightmare, the criticism of his performance were superb.
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The Silver Chalice was a resounding failure for the box office and critics (Paul had to get drunk to go and see a movie), and, while Warner is thinking what to do with their new signing, Newman went to the theater and going to the Actors twice a week. In the 50's, the film was of high quality television, and Newman found them a good place to showcase their talent, so he recorded several films for the small screen.
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That same year Newman gave Warner the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and they claimed him for a new project called traitor to his country ( The Rack , 1956 ), where an officer would interpret Newman American accused of collaborating with the communists in Korea. This move went well. The film had an acceptable critical and commercial success and Paul was reconciled with the film.
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An unfortunate accident occurred on September 30, 1955 changed the employment prospects of Newman. James Dean, actor Hollywood fashion, was killed driving his Porsche Spyder, leaving a large hole in the film mecca. Paul and James were going to work together in a TV movie called The Battler , in which Paul seconded the boxer who would play Dean. The death of the "rebel without a cause" was a blow to Paul, had been friends since arriving in Hollywood, and his first impression was that The Battler could not continue without James. However, the producers offered the role of Dean in the film, and Newman, after some hesitation, accepted it as a tribute to his late friend. His whole world was about to change.