Deauville Festival 2025 will honour the late Paul Newman’s centenary with a ceremony and film screenings, attended by his daughter Clea Newman.
The 51th Deauville American Film Festival will dedicate a special ceremony to Paul Newman on Wednesday 10 September 2025, marking the centenary of his birth. This tribute will be attended by his daughter, Clea Newman, who has long been an ambassador for her father’s artistic and humanitarian legacy. Several of the actor’s landmark films will also be screened during the festival.
Actor of legend, respected director, racing driver and philanthropist, Paul Newman (1925–2008) embodied the rare ability to combine celebrity with social engagement. On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of his birth, Deauville has chosen to celebrate this figure of Hollywood.
Born on January 26, 1925, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Newman began his career on stage, touring with theatre companies before moving to New York, where he appeared on Broadway and studied at Lee Strasberg’s Actors' Studio. His breakthrough came in 1958 with Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Richard Brooks, opposite Elizabeth Taylor. The role earned him his first Academy Award nomination. In 1961, he portrayed pool hustler “Fast Eddie” Felson in The Hustler by Robert Rossen, a role he would reprise twenty-five years later in Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money, which brought him the Oscar for Best Actor. Throughout his career, Newman worked with leading filmmakers including Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet, Sydney Pollack, James Ivory, Joel Coen and Sam Mendes. Among his most celebrated roles are Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Cool Hand Luke (1967), which cemented his reputation as one of the defining screen icons of his generation.
Directing
Newman also directed several films. His debut, Rachel, Rachel (1968), starred his wife Joanne Woodward, received Academy Award nominations and won him a Golden Globe for Best Director. He went on to direct Sometimes a Great Notion (1971), The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), Harry & Son (1984) and, returning to Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie (1987). This work confirmed his position as a versatile figure in American cinema.
On the Track
Away from the screen, Newman cultivated a passion for auto racing. He competed professionally from the early 1970s, participating in major endurance races such as Le Mans and Daytona, and co-owned the successful Newman/Haas Racing team in the CART series. This lifelong enthusiasm earned him respect as both a driver and a team owner in the motorsport community.
Giving Back
Beyond film and racing, Newman became known for his commitment to humanitarian causes. In 1982, he created Newman’s Own, a food company donating all profits to charity. Over the years, the foundation has distributed more than 600 million dollars to organisations worldwide. He also founded the SeriousFun Children’s Network, which offers free medically supervised camps for children with serious illnesses. In France, the organisation L’ENVOL, a member of this network, has since 1997 provided holidays and respite breaks to more than 40,000 children and their families. Newman was equally outspoken about social and political issues, supporting civil rights, environmental causes and progressive candidates. He also advocated for the rehabilitation of people struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction, underlining his belief in second chances and human dignity.
The presence of Clea Newman will give the ceremony personal resonance. As custodian of her father’s legacy, she continues to promote the charitable projects he initiated, ensuring their relevance for new generations.
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