What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Paul NewmanTake a deeper look at Newman's journey from aspiring football player to actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
ByJulia Wilkinson•Originally published
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Hollywood is full of great actors. Not many of them are likePaul Newman.
Newman was born on January 25, 1925, in Clevland, Ohio. Growing up, Newman dabbled with acting in school plays but deemed football his main passion and aspired to go pro. After a brief stint in the Navy during World War II, Newman ended up at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio on a football scholarship. But the football dream soon died — "I got thrown in jail and kicked off the football team. Since I was determined not to study very much, I majored in theater the last two years," he toldInterviewmagazinein 1998.
This was the beginning of a prolific acting career that included a degree from the Yale School of Drama, appearances in more than 60 movies, roles in six Broadway plays, three Golden Globes, one Oscar and one Emmy. ButNewman's lifeextended outside the world of Hollywood. He was an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a race-car driver, a father and a husband. In 1982, he foundedNewman's Own, which is now a half-a-billion-dollar enterprise. Itbegan when Newman started making bottles of salad dressingto give out Christmas gifts. He ended up with some leftover bottles and decided to try to sell them to stores, which wound up being extremely successful. The company was founded on philanthropic roots, and its motto, "Let's give it all away," reflects the fact that 100% of profits are distributed to the Newman's Own Foundation to be used for charitable purposes.
Related:Paul Newman Leaves Entrepreneurial Legacy
Read more below about Newman's career, business, love life and more, below.
Who was Paul Newman?
Paul Newman was best known as an actor. His mostpopular moviesincludedCat on a Hot Tin Roof,The Sting,Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidandThe Long Hot Summer. Movie critic Pauline Kael saidaudiences were so attracted to Newmanbecause he was one of those actors who had "such a traditional heroic frankness and sweetness that the audience dotes on them."
Beyond acting, Newman had one other main passion. "I have two interests: my family and my acting career,"Newman said. He was a father of three and married to his first wife, aspiring actress Jackie Witte, when he met Joanne Woodward, according toUSA Today. After a messy divorce that devastated Witte, Newman married Woodward, who would go on to become an Academy Award-winning actress in what was known as the Golden Age of Hollywood.
In 2007, Newman announced his retirement from acting. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said during an appearance onGood Morning America. A year later,Newman passed awayfrom cancer in his Connecticut home.
What is Newman's Own?
Newman's Own, a food company founded in 1982, is a reflection of Newman's entrepreneurial mind and philanthropic spirit. What started with Newman and his partner A.E. Hotchner making salad dressing in a garagehas expandedto sell beverages, snacks, pet food and more. It donates 100% of its after-tax profits to theNewman's Own Foundation, whichsupports various educational and charitable organizations. It has donated more than $570 million to charitable causes since 1982.
Newman founded the Scott Newman Center in 1978 after his only son died of an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs. He also establishedHole in the Wall Gang Campto give children with life-threatening illnesses a free-of-cost holiday.
Newman is the father of five daughters, two of whom recently filed a lawsuit against the foundation, according to an August 23 report from theWall Street Journal. Elinor "Nell" Newman and Susan Newman claimed the foundation is inappropriately using funds meant to aid charities and are seeking $1.6 million in damages to be allocated to philanthropy.
"The years since Mr. Newman's death consist of a long and consistent pattern of disregard, by those in control, of Mr. Newman's specific intentions and direction, coupled with mismanagement, scandal, and questionable practices," the suit read, perPeople.
The daughters also claim that their personal annual allowance for donations has decreased from $400,000 to $200,000. "This lawsuit does not seek personal compensation for Mr. Newman's daughters, but simply seeks to hold NOF accountable to the charities they have shortchanged in recent years and would ensure they receive an increased level of support in the future, in line with Mr. Newman's wishes," the daughters' attorney, Andy Lee toldPeople.
The foundation responded to the lawsuit in a statement toPeople: "Best practices surrounding philanthropic organizations do not allow for the establishment of perpetual funding allotments for anyone, including Nell and Susan Newman." Calling the lawsuit "meritless" and based on a "faulty wish," it added that honoring the lawsuit "would only divert money away from those who benefit from Paul Newman's generosity."
Related:What You Can Learn From Brand Heroes Like Newman's Own, Burt's Bees and Ben & Jerry's
