In 1986, Paul Newman decides to tell his life in an original and ambitious way.
With the help of his closest friend, screenwriter Stewart Stern, he collects the testimonies of family members, acquaintances and those who had worked closely with him, and then compares those memories with his own version of events.
The only condition placed on all is absolute sincerity.
The result of this work is a formidable portrait, an intimate book full of surprises, the distillation of thousands of pages of transcripts only recently rediscovered.
'Extraordinary life of an ordinary man' is the title of the memoir, which is released simultaneously worldwide on October 18 - in Italy for Garzanti - while The Last Movie Stars is presented at the Rome Festival,
In the actor's autobiography - edited by David Rosenthal, with a preface by his daughter, Melissa Newman - the contributions of his youth and navy friends, relatives and colleagues - from Tom Cruise to George Roy Hill, by Martin Ritt to John Huston - they add richness, color and atmosphere.
They relive in detail the often traumatic childhood, adolescent insecurities and failures with girls, the conquest of success, the rivalries with Marlon Brando and James Dean, the first marriage, the problems with alcohol, the philanthropic commitment, the tragic death of his son Scott.
But the most touching pages concern the relationship with Joanne Woodward: the deep love for each other, the way in which Joanne shaped him from an intellectual and emotional point of view, as well as the
unwavering support she represented for him.
Loving and clear, complex and profound, Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man presents us from an unprecedented perspective what was perhaps the greatest star of our time: a man whom many admired, but few really knew.
Paul Newman was an actor, director, racing driver and entrepreneur.
Ten-time nominated for an Academy Award, he won the Best Actor statuette for The Color of Money.
He has also received numerous other honors, including a Bafta, three Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Golden Globe for Lifetime Achievement and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
His films include The Swagger, Hud the Wild, Detective's Story, Nick Cold Hand, Butch Cassidy, The Sting, The Verdict, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, Life My Way, Was My Father and Disney Pixar's Cars, where he lent his voice to the character of Doc Hudson.
Driver holding numerous national titles, he entered the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest winner, at seventy, of a professional race, finishing first in his category at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
As a political and humanitarian activist, he has raised and donated nearly a billion dollars to various charities.
He had six children and was married for fifty years to Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward.
He died in 2008 at the age of 83.