RIP Paul Newman

Damn. Another one of my faves gone.

RIP

 

Clooney's not in that same class.
Newman was far more versatile.
Down to earth. Human.

Clooney's some of that. But not near the level of Newman.

 

We'll have to see if Clooney makes a dozen more legitimately great movies in the next 25-30 years, then he would rank up with Newman. Ditto for Hanks.

 

Hard to think of an actor who has touched more lives than Newman.
Loved him in Hudsucker Proxy, and on the Coors brewery tour Newman is credited with helping create the Coors "mystique" by often being seen in photographs with a Coors in his hand. He also popularized the Datsun/Nissan brand in the 70s through his racing carrer. He also had a fairly successful career as an owner.
Hard to think of someone who had a better grasp of who he was. RIP to a hell of a guy.

 

Are we talking American actors only?

I'd say Bale is the best actor anywhere.

 

Clooney is still a little too self-aware of his status in films.

Too "mug-y" in films.

 

Especially in Michael Clayton. The ending scene in the taxi? Do we really need 4 straight minutes of a close-up of Clooney?

 

Hanks has that ability, but he's a rather dumpy-looking fella.

Newman had it all.

 

Made some great salad dressing and pasta sauce too.

The Sundance Kid rides alone today.

 

This is a sad day in my family. My mother loves Newman, and she passed that onto me through numerous viewings of his movies when I was a child. Newman was one of the few actors she and I could agree on.

 

The greatest American actor of my lifetime.
A great humanitarian.
And from two brief meetings with him in auto racing pits, an amazingly down-to-earth, friendly guy.


RIP to a true superstar and super person.

 

Yeah, Hanks is already getting a little pudgy-dumpy barely into his 50s. He'll play middle-aged businessman-politicians, etc etc., but he won't be playing distinguished senior-leading-man roles into his 70s the way Newman did. I could see Clooney doing that sort of thing, maybe Clive Owen, too.

Few others have, or will.