Paul Newman had it all. His talent, displayed across the entire range of roles from dramatic to comedic, earned him the love of moviegoers and the respect of his colleagues, but fewer Oscars than he deserved (only one, for The Color of Money, out of 10 nominations). He took the rejections with grit and grace.
He showed true grit and a zest for life in his parallel career as a racecar driver. His looks and penetrating blue eyes made men jealous and women swoon, and yet he remained untainted by scandal and married to the same woman for more than 50 years. As Time magazine wrote today in its obituary: "He deprived the tabloids of the scandal headlines they love: no rap sheet, no rehab stints, no notorious affairs..."
Newman was above all a charitable man. The kids who benefited from his Hole in the Wall Gang camps knew him not as a big Hollywood star but as a father and grandfather figure. As an entrepreneur, his line of food products raised tens of millions of dollars for charities. Not a comedian by any means, he showed an occasional sense of humor that was never better displayed than when he ate some of his company's dog food on late night TV to show how good it was.
Paul Newman left nothing on the table.