Actor: Paul Newman

Paul Newman played charming men who are failing at something they cannot admit. Hud, Cool Hand Luke, The Hustler and Butch Cassidy all give him a surface of ease over a considerable amount of damage.

He was nominated eight times before winning Best Actor for The Color of Money, reprising the character from The Hustler twenty-five years later, which is an unusual route to an award.

His late work is exceptional. The Verdict, as an alcoholic lawyer with one case left, and Nobody’s Fool are both performances by someone with nothing left to prove and no interest in charm.

He founded Newman’s Own and directed all profits to charity, which has now passed six hundred million dollars. He was also a serious racing driver into his seventies.