Totty of the Day

We have another centenary to celebrate today, dear reader - the man with the most piercingly blue eyes in Hollywood history, the utterly gorgeous Mr Paul Newman!

Facts:

• Early in their respective careers, he was regularly approached by people who thought he was Marlon Brando. Rather than correct them, he would oblige their request for an autograph by signing, “Best Wishes, Marlon Brando.”
• It was after starring in the 1969 racing film Winning that he took to motor racing in real life - he was competing as an amateur for a decade, he won his first professional race in 1982 and, at the age of 70 he was in the winning team in the 1995 Daytona 24-Hours sports car endurance race. He only retired when he was 80, three years before he died.
• His was one of the few non-political names on President Nixon's “enemies list” in 1971, largely for his vocal opposition to the Vietnam War.
• Despite being nominated six times previously for a Best Actor Oscar, he only finally won (for The Color of Money) in 1987 - and didn't turn up to the ceremony! He said: “I’ve been there six times and lost. Maybe if I stay away, I’ll win.”
• In his words: “I'm a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being... by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant.”
• Newman’s Own, his eponymously-branded range of salad dressings and sauces, is entirely not-for-profit and has raised more than $600 million for charitable causes.
• When he found out that he and Gene Hackman were being paid more than their co-star Susan Sarandon on Twilight (1998), he offered to give up a portion of his salary to her to make things equitable.

What a man!

Paul Leonard Newman (26th January 1925 – 26th September 2008)