Paul Newman relationship: Married star was ‘forbidden fruit’ before he left wife | Films | Entertainment

Paul Newman was one of the golden actors of his generation, starring in some of Hollywood’s best films. His baby blue eyes and slender figure melted the hearts of moviegoers in classics like ‘Cool Hand Luke’. Newman’s performances bagged him a string of Oscar nominations before he finally won Best Actor for ‘The Color of Money’ in 1986. Away from the screen, Newman was a family man, fathering three children with his first wife Jackie Witte.

However, their marriage was upended in 1953 when Newman fell for the stunning actress Joanne Woodward on the set of his Broadway debut in the play ‘Picnic’.

Their budding romance, which would last more than 50 years until his death in 2008, blossomed as Newman danced with Joanne, the understudy for the leading lady.

Due to him being married, the radiant actor was “forbidden fruit”, according to his biographer Shawn Levy.

In his 2009 book ‘Paul Newman: A Life’, the writer provided an in-depth look at Newman’s love affair with Woodward.

He wrote: “Those god-like looks made only a limited impression on Joanne.

JUST IN: Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie refuses to ‘nanny’ husband Kit Harington amid past struggles

“He was, she thought, ‘just a pretty face’, reminiscent of a Botticelli angel.

“Crucially, she didn’t think much of his acting.

“There was also the impediment that he was married, with two kids. He was forbidden fruit – at least in theory.”

Woodward, 22 at the time, was already making a name for herself on the stage after leaving her native Georgia.

Today, the actress lives in Connecticut and is the earliest surviving Academy Award winner in a leading category.

Newman and Woodward remained friends as the star was worried about the effects of any new relationship on his family.

However, during the filming of ‘The Long, Hot Summer’ in 1957, the pair conceived a child together.

Eventually, Newman’s first wife agreed to divorce him before he and Woodward married in Las Vegas in 1958, a union that would become one of Hollywood’s greatest.

Despite Newman’s eventual happiness, Mr Levy claimed that the actor remained elusive about his first marriage for most of his life.

He wrote: “He danced gingerly around questions about his time with Jackie: ‘I was probably too immature to make a success of my first marriage,’ was all he would say.

“When pressed, he replied: ‘What happened to us during that period is nobody’s business.’

“He did, however, confess to one emotion. ‘Guilty as hell’ was how he described himself about his first marriage, adding: ‘And I’ll carry it with me for the rest of my life’.”

‘Paul Newman: A Life’ was written by Shawn Levy and published by Aurum Press in 2009. It is available here.