By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Forget those blue eyes if you can! Forget Butch Cassidy and The Sting, forget his 10 Oscar nominated performances and scores of others as the ever likeable, ever forgiven, never forgotten big screen's heel. Forget all those complex drifters, and incorrigible gamblers whom he portrayed so masterfully over and over. Paul Newman, who passed away, last week, would prefer to be remembered as the sincere humanitarian, who loved his home, his wife, and his children, as well as his fellow man. What Paul Newman accomplished on the screen was outdone by all he accomplished off- screen. Off the screen he was the genuine philanthropist, who quietly gave away a quarter of a billion dollars to those who needed it more than he did. Not only did Paul Newman give his money away, he gave his love, his time and his dedication to underprivileged and sick children. He would spend hours with those tiny cancer patients, working hard to see them smile. He would tell them funny stories, take them fishing, hiking or picnicking. He laughed heartily when one child asked him if he was really Paul Human! Newman developed a center for seriously ill children, a camp in Connecticut, near his home in Westchester. He called it "The Hole in the Wall" from the name in Butch. It was the finest title in which he headlined. The camp provided summer comfort for the little sick ones, and that was his proudest starring role. Children with leukemia, HIV, or sickle cell anemia, never really knew any happiness until he came into their lives. When asked why he established "The Hole in the Wall" camp, he replied: "I wanted to acknowledge the luck I had in my life." So grateful was he for his good fortune, he wanted to spread as much of it as he could. He wanted to erase some of misfortune's savage brutality in the lives of others. The first camp opened in 1988, now there are 11 camps spread around the US, Europe, and soon the Middle East. "The Connecticut camp is a lesson on how one man can change the world!" During a Christmas holiday in 1979, Paul and best friend playwright A.E. Hotchner bottled dozens of Paul's favourite oil and vinegar salad dressing to friends and neighbours. When they were done, they had some bottles left over, so Paul suggested they leave them at the neighbourhood supermarket. The manager was more than delighted, but insisted on having Newman's picture on the bottle. He called it "Newman's Own," and it flew off the shelves in a blink. Everyone wanted the salad dressing that Paul Newman used. There was no stopping. A new multi-million dollar business was born. Newman's original oil and vinegar dressing, which began as a joke multiplied, breeding products such as spaghetti sauce and popcorn, among others. All the company's profits were donated to charity, reaching over $250 million to date. Somebody Up There must have really liked him -- he turned anything he touched into gold. The secret ingredient was his fervent passion and total dedication. Another of his successful enterprises was car-racing. He became somewhat restless despite a string of screen hits. The Hollywood scene bored him, and though he and his family lived thousands of miles away in the state of Connecticut, his busy schedule often found him back again in tinsel town. He yearned for new ventures and challenging adventures. He had been fascinated with auto-racing while working on his film Winning. He knew where he would pour his passion next. By 1977 he had turned professional, and his own driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977, and second place in Le Mans in 1974 -- not bad for an amateur car-driver and a Hollywood superstar. "To me, racing is the best thing I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood." He formed a racing partnership with renowned auto-racer Carl Haas and the team became an instant hit, and part of the Indy car series. They have won 107 races and 8 Series Championships. Newman won four Guinness Book World Records as the oldest driver (70) to win a professional race. Newman continued to make great movies, but despite his regular Oscar nominations, he was never impressed with his stardom. A simple country life with Joanne Woodward and their three daughters was his dream come true. When asked why he never fooled around, he smiled: "If you have steak at home, why go out for hamburgers." Yet his life was not without its tragedies. He lost his only son Scott, from his first marriage, to a drug overdose, and the pain of his loss never left him. Always athletic, he took pleasure in participating in the annual softball game between local celebrities and the police department. He played on the police department team, and they cherished him for it. He hated to sign autographs though - he thought it was too condescending, since he was merely one of them. A product of "The Method" of the renowned Actor's Studio under Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan, Paul was often billed as the new James Dean or Marlon Brando. He proved to be more durable and more prolific. His big break came in 1954 with Somebody Up There Likes Me. He played Rocky Graziano opposite his Silver Chalice co-star Pier Angeli. Newman brought great depth to the character of Rocky. He was on his way. The legend that became Paul Newman was born in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Paul Leonard Newman, a Jew, Theresa Fetzer, a Catholic. He wanted to become a pilot, but those pretty blue eyes could not distinguish colour. He was colour blind -- so he became an actor! Not just any actor, but one of the highest calibre actors known to man. He left to screen posterity the indelible characters he created, like fast Eddie Felson the cocky pool shark of The Hustler, the bastard son in Hud, the rebel prisoner Lucas in Cool Hand Luke, the unforgettable Butch in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and the sly Henry Gondorff in The Sting, both opposite good friend Robert Redford. By all accounts this was an exceptional human being. A symbol of humility, he never forgot that he was "just a regular guy who had been blessed." And how can we forget him? How can we forget his 50 movies as actor/director/producer, his quiet acts of inordinate generosity, and the daredevil champion behind the race car wheel, who never shied from a challenge? To reach the top is an achievement; to remain on top for 50 years is reserved for the likes of this legendary actor who finally succumbed to cancer last week at the age 0f 83. He spent a lifetime on the screen playing rebels, tough guys, and losers; yet off screen he was a sure winner and every man's ideal. On learning of his death Sally Field, his co-star in Absence of Malice said: "Sometimes God makes perfect people -- Paul Newman was one of them!" Write me as one who loved his fellow man And lo, Ben Adham's name led all the rest Leigh Hunt (1784 -- 1859)
