This is very sad news for me. Paul Newman was my favorite actor, but beyond that, he was a true gentleman and an upstanding guy.

One of my first memories of remembering an actor was that of Newman in "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (the story of boxer, Rocky Graziano). I saw it when I was about 8 or 9 years old and I was hooked on Newman. As I got a little older and was exposed to more of his movies, I got to appreciate how truly great he was. His role of Brick in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is one of my favorites, and his portrayal always moves me.

He had so many great roles in great movies - "The Hustler", "Hud", "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Verdict" come immediately to mind, but one of his last movies - "Nobody's Fool" has taken a special place in my heart.

I've shared this story on the boards before, but I'll repeat it now. Newman and wife, Joanne Woodward, were regular diners at my old bar hangout, Molyvos (a Greek restaurant in midtown Manhattan). They'd come in once a month on Thursday nights. On one of their visits, I had the "opportunity" to meet him - I was walking towards the men's room, as was he, and we literally bumped into each other. I said, "Excuse me, I'm sorry". He replied, "Oh no, it was my fault". I then said to him, "OK, in that case, don't do it again", to which he laughed and said "OK". Real down-to-earth and unpretentious!

He was a superstar in every sense of the word.

A very sad day, indeed.

R.I.P., Paul and thanks for the memories and hours of enjoyment on the screen.