The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man

A Memoir

De: Paul Newman, David Rosenthal - editor, Melissa Newman - foreword, Clea Newman Soderlund

Narrado por: Jeff Daniels, Melissa Newman, Clea Newman Soderlund, Ari Fliakos, January LaVoy, John Rubinstein, Emily Wachtel

The raw, candid, unvarnished memoir of an American icon. The greatest movie star of the past 75 years covers everything: his traumatic childhood, his career, his drinking, his thoughts on Marlon Brando, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, John Huston, his greatest roles, acting, his intimate life with Joanne Woodward, his innermost fears and passions and joys. With thoughts/comments throughout from Joanne Woodward, George Roy Hill, Tom Cruise, Elia Kazan and many others.

In 1986, Paul Newman and his closest friend, screenwriter Stewart Stern, began an extraordinary project. Stuart was to compile an oral history, to have Newman’s family and friends and those who worked closely with him, talk about the actor’s life. And then Newman would work with Stewart and give his side of the story. The only stipulation was that anyone who spoke on the record had to be completely honest. That same stipulation applied to Newman himself. The project lasted five years.

The result is an extraordinary memoir, culled from thousands of pages of transcripts. The book is insightful, revealing, surprising. Newman’s voice is powerful, sometimes funny, sometimes painful, always meeting that high standard of searing honesty. The additional voices—from childhood friends and Navy buddies, from family members and film and theater collaborators such as Tom Cruise, George Roy Hill, Martin Ritt, and John Huston—that run throughout add richness and color and context to the story Newman is telling.

Newman’s often traumatic childhood is brilliantly detailed. He talks about his teenage insecurities, his early failures with women, his rise to stardom, his early rivals (Marlon Brando and James Dean), his first marriage, his drinking, his philanthropy, the death of his son Scott, his strong desire for his daughters to know and understand the truth about their father. Perhaps the most moving material in the book centers around his relationship with Joanne Woodward—their love for each other, his dependence on her, the way she shaped him intellectually, emotionally and sexually.

The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man is revelatory and introspective, personal and analytical, loving and tender in some places, always complex and profound.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of all the photographs from the printed book

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Paul Newman (P)2022 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Unlike most celebrity self-retrospectives, this is not a “first I did this, then I did that” kind of memoir. It is, rather, a sharp, acerbic, often somber “what was I thinking?” analysis that reveals a level of vulnerability and insecurity surprising for a man who was seen as the epitome of cool…Fans looking for Hollywood gossip will not find it, while those who really want to know the man behind the image and the legend will be compelled by Newman's raw, open, and principled self-portrait…Newman's timeless allure will work its magic on readers.”—Booklist, Starred review

"Actor, race car driver, and philanthropist Newman (1925-2008) was a deeply private man living an intensely public life; this posthumous memoir features the Hollywood legend’s own voice as he “sets things straight” and “pokes holes in the mythology” that accompanied his celebrity…Newman’s story unfolds in a humble, sometimes humorous narrative voice—“I’m aware that in some ways it’s my nature to deprecate everything I do”—punctuated with earnest awe of the turns his life has taken, astonishment at the intensity of his passion for wife Joanne Woodward, affection for his children and anguish that he could not shelter them from the vagaries of fame. Newman’s voice is interwoven with transcripts from friends, relatives, and colleagues (including Eva Marie Saint, Tom Cruise, Elia Kazan, and more) whose memories shed light on what transformed the summer stock actor into an international sex symbol and what curbed his struggles with alcoholism and grief from veering into tragedy. …[T]hese collective perspectives do more than offer a prismatic view of film industry glamour and dirty laundry: they elevate the book from a humble autobiography to a more nuanced, human portrait—with the “semblance of truth” that Newman craved when he went on the record. With equal parts grounded authenticity and inviting charm, this candid memoir captures the life of a legend."—Publishers Weekly

"Raw reflections from a movie icon…a revealing memoir of a life marked by pain, grief, and regret…Intimate reflections on an extraordinary life steeped in sadness."—Kirkus Reviews

A lot of navel gazing, and yet….

I am shallow enough to admit that I was hoping for more movie info and less navel gazing. To be fair, most of that gazing is beautifully written. I don’t know how much of it is Newman and how much is his interviewer. Jeff Daniel’s narration is wonderful.
Readers can be excused for eye rolling at Newman’s often resentful bitterness. No reader could ever have had Paul Newman’s Shaker Heights childhood, beauty, talent and enormous success. Still he is refreshingly forthcoming on his first marriage, his drinking and the death of his son snd his philanthropy.
In the epilogue, his daughter explains that the reader should take the book as a “snap shot in time”. It is based on interviews done when Newman was in his early 60’s. She states that he evolved, softened and was happier in the two decades that followed.

The charitable Paul Newman

He had a great recovery from such a chaotic beginning. A beginning that was not helped by an almost unbelievable abuse of alcohol. His charitable giving should set an example for others in Hollywood. Too many Hollywood people start a sideline business and just acquire more mansions. these people in Hollywood need to listen to this book the eight year old child at one of Mr. Newman’s camps has a great definition of when God is present

Fascinating. Just fascinating.

Fascinating man. Fascinating book.
To watch Paul Newman’s character’s on screen, one would think he had the cat by the tail, and yet there was so much he doubted. Jeff Daniels did a marvelous job of voicing Mr. Newman. I didn’t want the book to end.

Paul held nothing back-very touching presentation

I had a shallow understanding about Paul Newman. He was gracious and honest enough to give us who he really was. The man that doubted his abilities nearly all his life.
As the story has many quotes from friends and family we get to understand Paul.
Great man, great experience.

HIStory well told.

A must listen if you’re interested in Paul Newman, the craft of acting and all the complexities of both. Candid and very thought provoking. Love it.

Captivating Story

Probably my favorite male actor. All his parts were so realistic. It seemed he wasn't acting. Just being who he was. He & Robert Redford are the epitome of true human beings.

The real man appears

As a fan, I greatly enjoyed it. The real Paul has many dimensions we mostly didn’t know or fully appreciate. I would have liked a bit more clarity on his major life events. How did his son die? Did Paul really quit drinking at any point? Did he have anything positive with his mother? Etc.

Definite Yes

Even if you are so young that your only recollection of Paul Newman is the voice of Doc Hudson in Cars, this is OG. Pure Gold! A life well lived, an actor and director teaching those two master classes, and a philanthropist who left it better than he found it.

PS… the attached pdf family photos - pure intimacy. Wow and Thank you!

Wow

I have always been a Newman fan I am still a Newman fan. This is good stuff.

A vulnerable and fascinating account of a Hollywood legend

And all the many audible books, I’ve listened to, this is the first I’ve written a review.
First, Jeff Daniels does an incredible job in the narration. His voice combined with the Newman’s cadence brings him to life.
The memoir is raw and poetic all at once. At times, I had to remind myself this was a movie star.
It is a compelling story of a man’s life with so many relatable and teachable moments. It shows that a flawed man can continue to make an impact as long as he’s willing to learn and grow.
Deeply appreciative of his family for sharing this.