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Paul Newman as Ari Ben Canaan in 'Exodus.' (MGM)
Last update - 01:43 28/09/2008
Legendary actor Paul Newman dies after struggle with cancer
By Uri Klein, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies
Tags: Israel News, Paul Newman 

Paul Newman, the Oscar-winning superstar who personified "cool" as the anti-hero of such films as Hud, Cool Hand Luke and The Color of Money - followed by a second act as an activist, racecar driver and popcorn impresario - has died, aged 83.

Newman died Friday at his farmhouse near Westport following a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said.

He was surrounded by his family and close friends.
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In Israel and among Jews worldwide, he will always be remembered as Ari Ben Canaan, the Zionist rebel of Exodus who seizes a cargo ship and smuggles 600 Holocaust survivors to Palestine despite British opposition.

Otto Preminger, who directed the 1960 epic on location in Cyprus and Israel, said he chose Newman because he wanted an actor of Jewish origin who didn't look Jewish.

The actor was born in Cleveland, Ohio on January 26, 1925, to an affluent family. His Jewish father Arthur owned the city's largest sporting goods store, which his Catholic mother Theresa, born in Slovakia, helped run.

In a 1980 interview with TIME magazine, Newman said he identified himself as Jewish, stating, "it's more of a challenge."

As an actor, Newman got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Academy Awards 10 times, winning one Oscar and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including Exodus, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Verdict, The Sting and Absence of Malice.

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.

Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers.

As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO cable television drama Empire Falls, and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, Cars.

But in May 2007, he told ABC television's Good Morning America he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."

In May this year, Newman dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men" at Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse, citing unspecified health issues. The following month, a friend disclosed that he was being treated for cancer and Martha Stewart, also a friend, posted photos on her website of Newman looking gaunt at a charity luncheon.

But true to his fiercely private nature, Newman remained cagey about his condition, reacting to reports that he had lung cancer with a statement saying only that he was doing nicely.

Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the act offensive, according to one friend. He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.

"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said
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  1.   sad :( 17:24  |  Daniel 27/09/08
  2.   A Wonderful Man That Set High Standards For All To Live By 18:19  |  Kipperraes 27/09/08
  3.   Rest in peace! 18:20  |  Tulip 27/09/08
  4.   Paul Newman 18:27  |  Michael T 27/09/08
  5.   Terrible shame. Rest in peace Paul 19:05  |  JR 27/09/08
  6.   Al lav hashalom 19:06  |  ray 27/09/08
  7.   PAUL NEWMAN 19:37  |  DAVID 27/09/08
  8.   Paul Newman: An American Icon and a National Treasure 19:52  |  Leeza Cohen Coleman 27/09/08
  9.   Mr. Newman One of the greatest men on screen ever 21:24  |  Johnny 27/09/08
  10.   Its a sad day 21:25  |  K 27/09/08
  11.   A Good man,a fine actor.A legacy of charity for the poor 23:39  |  PETER SM 27/09/08
  12.   Paul Newman....he did good on this earth 00:27  |  allang 28/09/08
  13.   I REALLY LIKED PAUL NEWMAN;ONE OF MY FAVORITE ACTORS;COOL HAND 03:36  |  glenna 28/09/08
  14.   Good Man (Ish Tov) Paul Newman 04:05  |  Michael J 28/09/08
  15.   Paul Newman 05:36  |  Morey danesh 28/09/08
  16.   It`s nice to read for once,I have only read nice things about som 08:12  |  Susanna/Shoshana 28/09/08
  17.   Get This Movie 08:27  |  Yosemite 28/09/08
  18.   Paul Newman - a legend in our Jewish Hall of Fame 08:32  |  Strangelove 28/09/08
  19.   Buy Newman`s Own 16:30  |  S Cassady 28/09/08
  20.   Newman was ALWAYS a class act 17:42  |  albert amato 28/09/08
  21.   Paul New - Dashing Gentleman 21:07  |  Jennifer 28/09/08
  22.   Shoshana from NY 20:25  |  Tulip 29/09/08
  23.   A special guy 12:38  |  K 30/09/08
  24.   Mischling 16:48  |  Saul 01/10/08
  25.   One of the greats 22:56  |  Michael Bate 01/10/08
  26.   Recall in Exodous How Haganah Collaborated With the Arabist Brits 23:28  |  Baruch Gold 01/10/08
  27.   Haganah Were Defeatist Pro-British Cowards 23:31  |  Baruch Gold 01/10/08
  28.   #27 10:49  |  Rab Burns 02/10/08
  29.   "popcorn impresario" 21:18  |  herb glatter 02/10/08
  30.   Vulgar good looks 21:49  |  Dude Stein 03/10/08
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