Even with all of his amazing success and accomplishments, Paul Newman nevertheless harboured two regrets that were much more personal than professional.
Paul Newman accomplished several amazing things in his lifetime. He had a successful acting career that lasted from 1953 to 2007 and was marked by many honours, including an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work in “The Colour of Money” (1986).
Over the years, he was nominated for several Oscars, which cemented his position as one of Hollywood’s most renowned actors.
Newman was married twice. From 1949 to 1958, he was married to Jacqueline Witte; at that time, they had three children, including Newman’s sole son. Later, in 1958, he wed Joanne Woodward, and they remained together until his death in 2008. Together, the couple had three daughters, making Newman the father of a total of six kids.
In 1982, Newman established the Newman’s Own Foundation in addition to his acting profession. This nonprofit company sells food items and gives all of its proceeds to charitable causes. The foundation has made a stunning $570 million in donations to good causes throughout the years.
Despite all of his success, Newman had two major regrets about his family that he carried with him throughout his life.
His first regret concerned how he interacted with his father. Before becoming a Hollywood celebrity, Newman felt that his father held a negative opinion of him and that their relationship was strained. Newman commented, “I think he thought I didn’t show much promise in those days, and I tend to agree with him,” when thinking back on his early years.
He regrets that his father went to his grave believing he was a failure because he died tragically before seeing his son’s enormous achievement.
His connection with Scott, his only son, was the subject of his second regret. Jacqueline Witte, Newman’s first wife, had custody of Scott for the most of his life. He had a terrible childhood, struggled in school, and ultimately left college.
Scott tried his hand at stunt work and acting, but he struggled because of his well-known father. When Scott was being open and honest, he said, “They expect you to be like him, or they attempt to get to him via me… nonetheless, I lack his blue eyes. He has talent, something I lack. I have nothing that is uniquely myself.
Tragically, Scott’s life was characterised by drinking, the abuse of prescription drugs as a result of a motorbike accident, and other drug problems. These elements ultimately played a role in his untimely overdose death in 1978 at the age of 28 and accidental overdose. Newman grieved greatly not being closer to his kid.
“I knew he drank too much and [self-medicated], but I didn’t know how to open a door into him,” he later admitted. I don’t believe I ever gave Scott a bear hug or patted him on the arm, back, or rump, like fathers do.
After his son passed away, Newman did something to keep Scott’s memories alive. He founded the Scott Newman Foundation in 1980 with the goal of averting similar terrible outcomes for others by promoting substance misuse education.
An actor known for his professional achievements and charitable work brought a very personal and heartbreaking layer to his life with these two regrets concerning his father and kid.