Farewell to a legend.

Paul Newman, actor and philanthropist passed from this world Friday. He was 83.

Paul Newman was known for his roles in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Exodus," "The Hustler," "Cool Hand Luke," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Sting" and "The Verdict", yet never lost his appeal as he grew older.

Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

He was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio. His father was Jewish and his mother was born to a Slovak Catholic family. Newman had described himself as Jewish, stating that, "it's more of a challenge".

He graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1943, he briefly attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

Paul Newman served in the Navy in World War II in the Pacific theater. Newman was sent to the Navy V-12 program at Ohio University, with hope of being accepted for pilot training, but this plan was foiled when a flight physical revealed him to be colorblind. He was sent instead to boot camp and then on to further training as a radioman and gunner. As a radioman/gunner, he served aboard the USS Bunker Hill during the battle for Okinawa in the spring of 1945. He was ordered to the ship as radioman/gunner in an Avenger with a draft of replacements shortly before the attack, but by a fluke of war was held back because his pilot had an ear infection. The rest of his detail died.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford as Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid.

He made his Broadway debut in William Inge's 1953 play "Picnic," opposite Kim Stanley, one of the most successful stage actresses of her time. The next year he made his first Hollywood film, "The Silver Chalice," a bomb that he mocked for the rest of his life. He even took out a newspaper ad apologizing for his performance.

Newman was married twice. His first marriage was to Jackie Witte and lasted from 1949 to 1958. Together they had a son, Scott, and two daughters, Susan Kendall and Stephanie. Newman married actress Joanne Woodward on January 29, 1958. They had three daughters: Elinor "Nell" Teresa, Melissa "Lissy" Stewart, and Claire "Clea" Olivia. He observed that just because he was a sex symbol there was no reason to commit adultery. "Why would I go out for a hamburger when [I] have steak at home?" he asked.

Paul Newman as Ari Ben-Canaan in Exodus.

Consistent with his work for liberal causes, Newman publicly supported Ned Lamont's candidacy in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic Primary against Senator Joe Lieberman, and was even rumored as a candidate himself until Lamont emerged as a credible alternative. He has donated to Chris Dodd's presidential campaign.

was an avid auto racing enthusiast, and first became interested in motorsports ("the first thing that I ever found I had any grace in") while training for and filming Winning, a 1969 film. Newman's first professional event was in 1972, in Thompson, Connecticut, and he was a common competitor in Sports Car Club of America events for the rest of the decade, eventually winning several championships.

Newman founded Newman's Own, a line of food products, in 1982. The brand started with salad dressing, and has expanded to include pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, and salsa, and wine among other things. Newman established a policy that all proceeds from the sale of Newman's Own products, after taxes, would be donated to charity.

One beneficiary of his philanthropy is the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a residential summer camp for seriously ill children, which is located in Ashford, Connecticut. Newman cofounded the camp in 1988; it was named after the gang in his film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Paul Newman finally won an Oscar in 1986 for The Color of Money. Yet he will best be remembered for his generous heart.