I had a poster of him on my wall all during high school.

And back when I was a diehard movie fan, I loved him in this period:

Honesty compels me to say that he was not a great actor. But he strived (and strived and strived) to be one, as documented in 1955 by Eve Arnold:

And he was uncommonly generous with the wealth he acquired through movie stardom, setting a great example for future generations of Hollywood stars with a conscience.

Apart from the mischievous look in his eye, what I liked most about him was his plain talk:

Paul Newman on acting:
“Study your craft and know who you are and what’s special about you. Find out what everyone does on a film set, ask questions and listen. Make sure you live life, which means don’t do things where you court celebrity, and give something positive back to our society.”

Paul Newman on marriage:
“I’ve repeatedly said that for people who have as little in common as Joanne and myself, we have an uncommonly good marriage. We are actors. We make pictures and that’s about all we have in common. Maybe that’s enough. Wives shouldn’t feel obligated to accompany their husbands to a ball game, husbands do look a bit silly attending morning coffee breaks with the neighborhood wives when most men are out at work. Husbands and wives should have separate interests, cultivate different sets of friends and not impose on the other. You can’t spend a lifetime breathing down each other’s necks.”

Amen, brother. Thanks for the memories, and rest in peace.