Oscar-winning actor and longtime Connecticut resident Paul Newman has joined fellow actor Katharine Hepburn, humorist Mark Twain and baseball great Jackie Robinson in the Connecticut Hall of Fame.
Newman was inducted posthumously Thursday at the state Capitol, where the longtime Westport resident was remembered for his award-winning acting career and wide array of philanthropic works.
Newman, who died in September at age 83, set up camps for severely ill children and launched his Newman's Own foods line in 1983 on a lark — a joking venture that, to date, has raised $265 million for charities worldwide.
"The moment it made a profit, Paul said, 'Give it away, this wasn't supposed to happen,'" said Newman's Own Foundation President and CEO Robert Forrester, who accepted the award. "Connecticut was the soil in which he really planted his philanthropic enterprises."
Newman's wife, fellow Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward, did not attend the event.
Newman won one Oscar and took home two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Sting," "Slapshot" and "Absence of Malice."
Newman becomes the eighth member of the Connecticut Hall of Fame, established to honor current and former state residents who distinguish themselves in their profession and perform outstanding civic service.
In addition to Twain, Hepburn and Robinson, the other members include celebrated contralto singer Marian Anderson; aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky; longtime business leader and United Technologies Corp. CEO Harry Gray; and the late Ralph Sturges, who was chief of the Mohegan Tribe when it secured federal recognition and opened its Mohegan Sun casino.
(China Daily/Agencies, April 17, 2009)
