Superstar actor, director, and philanthropist Paul Leonard Newman (1925-) was born on this day in Cleveland, Ohio and served as a Navy radioman in World War II before turning to film.

He made his acting debut in 1953 and rose to fame with skill, good looks, and extraordinary blue eyes. "Acting is a question of absorbing other people’s personalities and adding some of your own experiences," he explained. "I think make-believe rubs off. I think bravery can rub off. I think humor can rub off."

The rugged actor has given brilliant performances in The Hustler (w/Jackie Gleason, 1961), Hud (1963), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (w/Elizabeth Taylor, 1959), Cool Hand Luke (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (w/Robert Redford, 1969), and so much more...

Newman finally won an Oscar in 1986 for Color of Money (w/Tom Cruise) as pool hustler Eddie Felson who would "never kid about money."

"Show me a good loser and I will show you a loser," said Newman, whose passion for years has been race car driving.

In 1982, with a $40,000 budget, the star launched the Newman's Own line of salad dressings, then added salsa, pasta sauce, and popcorn. In 15 years the company grossed $710 million, with all profits going to charity.

"I am not a professional philanthropist," Newman revealed modestly. "I am not running for sainthood. I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer who puts back into the soil what he takes out."

More Film-Making Quotations

Do good in stealth.