Scorsese On Newman: ‘Where Would We Be Without Him?’

Paul Newman was a giant in the world of film – so much so that his one-time director Martin Scorsese called “the history of movies without Paul… unthinkable.”

“It’s a great loss, in so many ways,” Scorsese said in a statement.

The actor passed away on Friday at the age of 83 after a long battle with cancer. A 10-time Oscar nominee, he won his only Academy Award, for Best Actor, in the Scorsese-helmed “The Color of Money.”

“My own experience working with him on ‘The Color of Money’ was a joy, and my memories of our time together are precious,” the director said.

“His presence, his beauty, his physical eloquence, the emotional complexity he could conjure up and transmit through his acting in so many movies – where would we be without him?” he continued. “In ‘From the Terrace’ or ‘The Hustler’ or ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ or ‘The Verdict’ or ‘Nobody’s Fool,’ to name just a few pictures that come to mind, he’s more than just iconic. In those movies and in many, many others, he created characters that are lasting and durable. His powerful eloquence, his consummate sense of craft, so consummate that you didn’t see any sense of effort up there on the screen, set a new standard.”

But Newman, noted for his philanthropy, his passion for auto racing and his lifelong love affair with wife Joanne Woodward, wasn’t just what Scorsese calls “one the greatest” actors.

“He was also such a fine, caring man,” he said. “I will miss him greatly.”