7 Reasons Paul Newman Was The Ultimate All-American Dreamboat

Paul Newman will go down as Hollywood’s great good man.

As American as apple pie and wholesome as kale, Newman maintains just about as stellar a reputation — for his philanthropy, kindness, and acting career — as any A-lister has managed to maintain since Hollywood began.

Now, what do I mean when I say Paul Newman was as American as a cookout on the 4th of July? I mean that when I started thinking about the subject of the American Dream, I decided to play some free word association, and it went a little something like this:

America. Freedom. Independence. Guns. Wild West. War. Movies. Hollywood. Fifties. Diners. Cars. Industry. Business. Family. (And so on.) Then I stopped and tried to think of a movie-related person or thing that summed up all these terms, and one name immediately popped into my head. Considering the title of this article, you can probably guess what that name was.

Unlike a lot of American acting legends who became famous playing heroes embodying American values but by most accounts were far less wholesome off screen (see: Henry Fonda), Newman made his name playing anti-heroes — scoundrels, womanizers, and outlaws — yet off screen, the most scandalous thing about him was usually the relative lack of scandal in his life. Instead, he continued making headlines with his philanthropic work, activism, entrepreneurship, and mid-life adoption of a second career as an IndyCar driver.

But maybe you’re not convinced. Or maybe you are and you love Paul Newman and want to read more. Either way, here are seven specific reasons why Newman embodied American-ness (as for the dreamboat part, just watch any of his films from the ’50s and ’60s)..

Hollywood Icon

Newman might have emerged more near the tail end of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but he was part of it nonetheless.

Just look at this joint audition he did with James Dean:

Not only did Newman star in several highly influential and acclaimed films through his career, which spanned half a century, but on an “American-ness” scale from 1 to 10, his most iconic and enduring roles rank about an 11: Butch Cassidy, Wild West outlaw.

Luke Jackson, a petty criminal (and decorated war veteran!) repeatedly sent to a Florida chain gang prison; Henry “Shaw” Gondorff, an aging con-man who helps construct a plan to cheat a mob boss in Depression-era Chicago.

Navy Veteran

In 1943, Newman enlisted in the US Navy V-12 program, fresh outta high school. His hopes of becoming a pilot were quickly dashed when it was discovered he was color blind, and he was sent to basic training instead, Qualifying as a rear-seat radioman and gunner for torpedo bombers.

He was discharged in 1946 and took home a Good Conduct medal, exactly the way just about every character he ever played wouldn’t.

Need For Speed

Newman began a racing career at the age of 47.

He ended it at the age of 83, just a month before his death, with a few laps around a local racetrack in a red, white, and blue Corvette.

In between, he was ranked among the top 25% of racers, and at 70 became the record-holder for oldest driver to place in a professional event after his team took third at a 24-hour race in Daytona, Florida. In the words of Doug Stokes, a racing industry friend of Newman’s, “He was not only a good driver, he was a great driver.

Had it gone the other way, he could have been a top pro driver who acted on the side.”