Paul Newman

I have been trying to come up with something deep and poignant to say about Paul Newman. What he means to me as a film guy, as a guy, as a little boy, as a man, as a human being. I didn't know him, just his work and how that work communicated with me.
My friends and I saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid conservatively 30 times in the theater, no tape no disk, just film. We imitated action and dialogue ad nauseum. Cool Hand Luke was a revelation, probably to this day colors my aversion to authority. "What we have here is a failure to communicate..." Man, I keep running a film obituary in my head over and over. I have a stack of Paul Newman moves I can't seem to bring myself to watch quite yet, Hud, The Hustler, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof The Color of Money,has any actor had the balls to recreate a character like Fast Eddie and improve on it?. I have watched these films countless times and yet I still revel in the freshness and authenticity of Newman's performances. If you haven't seen Nobody's Fool, do so, that is how a true artist grows.
Like I said, I didn't know him, but the work will be with me always. I am happy for that.