Paul Newman may not have been a Jesuit, but he acted like one.
The Academy Award-winning actor, who passed away on Sept. 26 after a long battle with cancer, is now known more for his philanthropy than his movies.
Newman, a resident of Westport along with his wife and fellow actress Joanne Woodward, also had a relationship with Fairfield University.
In 1996, as part of a Business Decision Making course, students worked on a marketing strategy for sell Newman’s Own to their peers. The company established a renewable $10,000 scholarship that was to be continued through profits made by Newman’s Own.
Newman founded Newman’s Own in 1982 along with A.E. Hotchner, a writer. The brand, which started as a gag among friends, began with salad dressing but soon expanded to over 150 foods and beverages. Despite being a for-profit company, Newman donated 100 percent of the profits to charity.
Newman often referred to the company as a ‘joke that got out of control’ and the company motto, ‘Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good’ reflected Newman’s dry humility.
The company has generated over $250 million in proceeds that have been donated to thousands of charities worldwide.
‘When I realized I was going to have to be a whore, to put my face on the label, I decided that the only way I could do it was to give away all the money we make,’ said Newman in The Guardian. ‘Over the years, that ethical stance has given us a 30 percent boost. One in three customers buys my products because all the profits go to good causes and the rest buy the stuff because it is good.’
A charity close to Newman’s heart was his Hole in the Wall Gang Camps. In 1988, Newman and Hotchner founded the camps, named after Newman’s gang in ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.’ The camps are for children whose lives have been interrupted by a serious medical condition. In 20 years, the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps have given over 119,000 children a chance to enjoy their youth again.
Newman was also one of the founders of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, in order to raise the level and quality of global corporate philanthropy.
But before he became the face of salad dressings, Newman was a movie star.
He was nominated eight times for the Academy Award for Best Actor, winning in 1986 for his role in ‘The Color of Money.’ Some of his more famous films include: ‘Cool Hand Luke,’ ‘The Verdict,” ‘Hud,’ ‘Slap Shot,” ‘The Hustler,’ and ‘Road to Perdition.’ He also starred twice with Robert Redford in ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ and ‘The Sting.’
He was also politically active, ardently supporting Eugene McCarthy in 1968. His support placed Newman 19th on Richard Nixon’s enemies list. He said that his inclusion on the list was one of his greatest achievements.
Newman also became a racing enthusiast after filming ‘Winning’ in 1969. He soon after started racing professionally. In 1979, Newman drove a Porsche 935 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished the race second. In the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona, he won his class, becoming the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a sanctioned race.
Newman may have been a movie star, but he was much more as well. He embraced the Jesuit ideal of giving back to the community.
‘I don’t think there’s anything exceptional or noble in being philanthropic,’ said Newman in Film Monthly. ‘It’s the other attitude that confuses me.’
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