Paul Newman made audiences and his Hollywood peers swoon. His charms and good looks are a common theme, which The Independent noted may have limited him. However, as an acclaimed actor, director, and philanthropist, it's tough to limit Newman to his baby blue eyes. He was charitable, generous, and dedicated to his craft.
Newman's most famous films are the epitome of classic Hollywood. From his joint projects with Robert Redford to his theater work, he performed earnestly with a dose of mystery. His films were often a combination of thriller and drama, a tough combo to break into during the 1950s and 1960s. This suited him, and Rotten Tomatoes seems to agree.
10 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (1969)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
Before they'd made The Sting, Paul Newman and Robert Redford starred in the legendary Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. George Roy Hill, the director of The Sting, put the two actors together, realizing their potential as an action thriller tandem. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a story about two outlaws leading a gang of robbers.
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9 'The Left Handed Gun' (1958)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
Before he was Butch Cassidy, Newman played Billy the Kid in The Left Handed Gun. William Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was another famous American outlaw. In The Left Handed Gun, Billy embarks on a journey to take revenge on his boss's killers. While this movie didn't bring Newman's career up (or down), it's essential viewing for the actor's fans.
According to some trivia about The Left Handed Gun, Newman was considered too old to play Billy the Kid. In the movie, he was meant to be 18 years old, while Newman was 33 during filming. However, because he was good at playing ambiguous, anti-hero roles, it doesn't seem like the producers were too bothered by Newman's age.
8 'The Sting' (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
Possibly the greatest caper movie of all time, The Sting puts Newman opposite Robert Redford again. They play outlaws who are, this time, a bit more distinguished and subtle. The Sting is about the most elaborate con these two men ever pulled, motivated by avenging a friend's death. It's divided into chapters, with each explaining the con's different stages.
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Prepare to be fooled.Paul Newman plays Henry, an experienced con man. His poker face is perfect, and he's an expert gambler; Redford is Johnny, a street hustler who can charm and lie his way out of trouble, and they put together a team of people ready to trick a feared mobster. The Sting is likely the biggest inspiration for modern heist and caper movies.
7 'Hombre' (1967)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
Hombre is the fifth collaboration of Martin Ritt and Paul Newman. In Hombre, Newman plays John, a man who was raised by the Apaches, and who, in his adulthood learns he inherited land from his biological father. To be able to claim the land, John must integrate with the predominantly white society that observes him with disdain.
Newman's role in Hombre is often cited as one of his best; his dialogue is limited, but he manages to portray a quiet and contemplative man with heaviness and poise. Roger Ebert wrote that Hombre was the best movie of 1967, praising its acting performances and directing style.
6 'The Hustler' (1961)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
The Hustleris very likely Newman's most famous film. Arguably, next to titles like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Sting, emphasizing The Hustler seems silly. However, this exciting drama is arguably his most impressive because Newman carries the film entirely.
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"Yo, Adrian!"Although it's a sports drama set in the world of competitive pool halls, it's really a morally-complex story about redemption and integrity. Newman's Fast Eddie is arrogant and cocky but learns his lessons in the end; he's the perfect anti-hero, Newman's specialty. It's one of the best movies about losing ever made.
5 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (1958)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was based on a Tennessee Williams play and sees Elizabeth Taylor's Maggie and Paul Newman's Brick coming to terms with their own relationship and Brick's relationship with his family. The story is set in Brick's family home, where he's forced to face his alcoholism, estranged family, and wife.
Considering the story's both obvious and hidden themes, Newman and Taylor play heavily flawed characters. It shows how quickly Brick was able to fall under the influence of alcohol, and the lengths Maggie will do to make Brick snap out of his drunken state. This heavy, emotional story of facing one's demons also brought Newman the Best Actor Oscar nomination in 1959.
4 'Sometimes a Great Notion' (1971)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
Sometimes a Great Notion sees Paul Newman in the director's chair and as the lead. He plays Hank, an heir to a large logging farm in Oregon. Henry Fonda plays his father, Henry, and the patriarch of what seems to be a wealthy and powerful family in the area where they live and work.
Hank is passionate about the family business even during hard times, whether out of ambition to become greater than his father or fear of being reprimanded if he doesn't do his best. Regarding Newman's directorial skills, Roger Ebert wrote: "...along the way, he proves himself (as he did with "Rachel, Rachel") as a director of sympathy and a sort of lyrical restraint."
3 'Our Town' (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
Our Town was a Broadway play set for the stage in 2002. It became a made-for-television adaptation in 2003, gaining praise and accolades for its fantastic casting. Our Town is a Thornton Wilder play about the small town called Grover's Corners; the story takes place from 1901 to 1913, depicting the numerous lives of Grover's Corners' residents.
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There's no way you won't be singing along with these movie musicals.Newman plays the Stage Manager, serving as the story's narrator. He was nominated for an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Best Leading Man award for this role. It was one of his biggest final performances, just before Empire Falls and voicing Doc Hudson in Pixar's Cars.
2 'Harper' (1966)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
Harper is a seductive, sweet-talking, cunning, intelligent, and quick-witted private investigator. If anyone were to base their opinion on Harper the movie based on the trailer alone, they'd take him for a James Bond type. Newman remains in his typical role - reserved in words yet loud in actions.
Still, there's another side to his otherwise typical character portrayal. Harper is funny without trying, a role that suits Newman really well. Harper is a private detective investigating a man's disappearance, which leads him into more trouble than he usually gets into. Newman's accompanied by a star-studded cast, including Lauren Bacall, Shelley Winters, and Janet Leigh.
1 'Cool Hand Luke' (1967)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
Cool Hand Luke and Hombre were released in the same year; both movies are widely considered Newman's greatest roles. Cool Hand Luke earned him a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for the leading man, including global recognition as one of the best actors of Classic Hollywood. The story's about Luke, a man who gets imprisoned and sent to a Southern chain gang, only to attempt to escape numerous times.
Luke is defiant, sticking to his convictions and notions of what life should be like. This isn't a simple prison escape story - it's about freedom. Luke has a monologue where he speaks to God, saying: "It's beginning to look like You got things fixed so I can't never win out. Inside, outside, all of them... rules and regulations and bosses. You made me like I am. Now just where am I supposed to fit in?"
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