Our Favorite Paul Newman Movies

Here We Take a Look at the Paul Newman Movies That Won over the Hearts of Millions of Viewers and Still Continue to Establish Him as One of the Best Actors of All Time.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Though Newman’s Big-Screen Debut in 1954’S the Silver Chalice Was, Even According to the 28-Year-Old Star, Nothing to Write Home About, It Wouldn’t Be Too Long Before He Starred in a String of Memorable, Well-Received Films. He Earned His First Oscar Nomination for 1958’S Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Which Was Well Deserved. “I Was Cast as Brick, Elizabeth Taylor’s Hard-Drinking Husband, and It Was My Job to Make My Character’s Refusal to Have Sex with Elizabeth Seem Believable, ” He Once Wrote, as Documented in the Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, a Posthumous Memoir Released in 2022.

Newman Then Scored Big with 1961’S the Hustler, in Which He Originated the Felson Role That He’d Return to in the Color of Money. “Among the Male Faces in the Movie, Most of Them Old, Weathered, Cold or Cruel, Paul Newman’s Open and Handsome Looks Are a Contrast. but the Casting Is Correct, ” Roger Ebert Noted About the Hustler, Adding, “He Doesn’t Look Like a Hustler, but Then the Best Ones Never Do. ”

Newman Then Played the Tortured Titled Role of Alcoholic Hud Bannon, Who Accidentally Kills His Brother in a Car Wreck, in 1963’S Hud.

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

As Lucas “Luke” Jackson in 1967’S Cool Hand Luke, He Played a Bullied Prisoner Who Defiantly Tries to Stand up to the System (And Some Insanely Cruel Guards). of Its Infamous Egg-Eating Scene (50 of Them!), He Quipped to Gene Shalit in 1982, “I Don’t Think I Ever Swallowed One of Them. That’s the Joy of Editing. ”

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

In One of the Most Iconic Paul Newman Movies, He’d Close out the Decade and Form a Lifelong Bond with Co-Star (And Ping-Pong Partner) Robert Redford in 1969’S Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, One of His Most Iconic Roles and Films. in His Memoir, Newman Actually Confesses to Having Wanted to Play Sundance Rather Than Cassidy. “I Feel a Little More Comfortable with That Cooled-out Kind of Quality, ” He Noted.

For the 1973 Caper the Sting, He Re-Teamed with Robert Redford and Played Henry Gondorff, One Half of a Lovable Couple of Grifters.

Newman Scored Again in 1977’S Cult Hockey Classic Slap Shot Playing Reggie Dunlop, a Minor League Team’s Exasperated and Aging Player-Coach.

Absence of Malice (1981)

Sally Field Starred as the Newspaper Reporter Tricked into Running a Piece on Suspected Racketeer Michael Newman, Played by Newman in 1981’S Absence of Malice. “No Acting Involved There, ” the Oscar-Winner Told Jane Pauley in 2017 About Her First Scene with the Leading Man, in Which Her Character Nervously Spills Coffee All over Her Desk.

Newman’s Star Turn in the Film Earned Him Another Oscar Nod, as Did 1982’S the Verdict, Another Legal-Themed Film in Which He Plays Frank Galvin, an Alcoholic Lawyer Trying to Salvage His Career by Facing off Against a Powerful Attorney in a Big Medical Malpractice Case.

Nobody’s Fool (1994)

At Nearly 70, Paul Newman Was Still Making Movies and Enjoying Success in Films Like 1994’S Nobody’s Fool, in Which He Plays Aloof Donald “Sully” Sullivan, Who Surprises Himself by Stepping up to the Plate to Help His Son and Grandson Just When They Need Him Most. the New York Times Called Newman’s Performance “The Single Best of [That] Year and Among the Finest He Has Ever Given. ”

Road to Perdition (2002)

At 77, He’d Prove He Still Had the Magic as He Earned Yet Another Oscar Nomination for 2002’S Road to Perdition, Playing the Depression-Era Irish Mob Boss John Rooney, Opposite Tom Hanks.

Newman Even Won an Emmy for His Supporting Part in Hbo’s 2005 Miniseries Empire Falls, Which Was His Last on Screen Role.

He Thankfully Could Still Be Heard in Theaters, However, Voicing the Animated Doc Hudson for 2006’S Pixar Hit, Cars. “The [Doc] Character…Came Very Quickly. He Was Southern, He Was Old, He Was Tired, and He Was Smart, ” Newman Noted in a Tv Interview at the Time.

Off-Screen, Newman’s Life Had Its Own Share of Plot Twists and Turns. He Had Three Kids from His First Marriage to Actor Jacqueline Witte, During Which Newman Met and Had an Affair with Screen Vixen Joanne Woodward.

Life in the Fast Lane

Even If Those Baby Blues Magically Disappeared, He Certainly Had Other Passions to Pursue. Inspired by His Role in 1969’S Winning, a Film in Which He Plays a Race Car Driver with Sights on Winning the Indianapolis 500, the Actor Discovered Another True Love.

Paul Newman Giving Back

When Paul Newman Wasn’t Making Movies or Driving Cars, He Also Put the Pedal to the Metal in Terms of Giving Back to Charitable Causes. in 1980, the Actor, Who Loved Food and Was Quite Skilled in the Kitchen, Whipped up a Batch of Salad Dressing in a Bathtub with Pal A. E. Hotchner, and They Gave the Zesty Concoction to Their Friends as Gifts.

Paul Newman Movies: Photos from His Iconic Career

By Chloe Bennett

• Oct 8, 2026 • 10 min read

Paul Newman Movies: Photos from His Iconic Career

Direct Answer • Key Takeaway

The Career! Those Eyes! That Salad Dressing! Paul Newman and His Movies Are as Iconic as They Come. Though He Only Won One of the Eight Oscars for Which He Was Nominated, the Handsome Star More Than Proved He Was One of the Big Screen’s Brightest Talents, Enjoying a Career That Spanned Five Decades. and Despite All the Accolades and Respect He Earned Through the Year's, the Actor, Who Grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Always Stayed Humble About His Career and His Talents.

Chloe Bennett

Culture, Media & Entertainment Columnist

Chloe Bennett explores the intersection of pop culture, streaming entertainment, digital trends, and contemporary lifestyle. Her weekly commentary reaches thousands of culture enthusiasts.

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