Paul Newman’s Verdict

A handful of natural gifts elevated Paul Newman’s career above the ranks of the mere movie star. What first won him notice were his eyes. They brought the young actor his smoldering fame: cerulean, intense and steady, they dared you to look away while he filled the screen. In films like “The Long, Hot Summer” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” both from 1958, Newman’s baby blues launched him into the zeitgeist alongside Marlon Brando and James Dean as a matinee idol full of rebellion and edge.