Paul Newman (1925-2008)

A stretch is not required to imagine that the same unseen rumblings of the universe that caused the loss of one great Northeast Ohio native would also cause of the loss of another within a few days. Remember that founding fathers John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the very same day.

With that said, we'd be remiss if we didn't recognize the passing of Cleveland native Paul Newman last week at the age of 83.

We're not prone to the over-estimation of Hollywood and Hollywood-types here at Cleveland Frowns. To us, what makes Newman great is also what sets him apart from those types. To provide some examples, here are some items taken from a pair of nice write-ups by Rich Heldenfels of the Beacon Journal and John Christofferson of the Associated Press:

Newman was born in Cleveland, and raised in Shaker Heights. He was schooled in the ways of civil disobedience by his father, who hid liquor in the attic of Newman's childhood home during Prohibition. Demonstrating an admirable respect for his parents, young Paul would hide cigarette butts in the rain gutters lining the house's roof, so his mother would not find them.

Newman was not only an actor, but an entrepreneur and humanitarian. While an undergraduate at Kenyon College, "he ran a laundry service out of his dorm room. He also ran a flower and corsage business, taking orders before dance weekends and making sure of a profit by buying the flowers from a wholesale shop in Cleveland." He endowed Kenyon with a $10 million scholarship for minority and first-generation college students. His food company, Newman's Own, reportedly was "started as a joke" between Newman and his neighbor, and has grown "into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million."

Newman was a family man, who shared "one of Hollywood's rare long term marriages" with fellow Oscar winner Joanne Woodward, of which he once commented to Playboy Magazine that, ''I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?''

Newman was also a sportsman who followed his dreams and did what he enjoyed. "In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1969 film, Winning. After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979. 'Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood,' he told People magazine in 1979."

Finally, Newman's seemingly admirable perspective as he entered old age offers us food for thought. "In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age. 'I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious,' he said. 'Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore,' he said."

Maybe we're old fashioned, or maybe we haven't been reading the gossip pages closely enough, but we aren't aware of anyone in Hollywood today who has as much about her or him to admire as Newman does. We wonder if Hollywood will ever see another like Newman again. We're proud that he's from Cleveland, and we expect that he is resting firmly in peace.