In 1958, Joanne Woodward married Paul Newman after initially finding him 'disgusting'; here's how the Hollywood couple built a 50-year marriage that lasted until he passed away in 2008
Joanne Woodward once said Paul Newman looked like an advertisement for an ice cream soda when they first crossed paths. Her reaction clearly stated that she was not impressed. On a sticky New York afternoon, she stepped into her agent’s air-conditioned office and found the young actor in a crisp seersucker suit, blue eyes bright, hair perfect, not a drop of sweat on him. “Ugh, that’s disgusting,” she later recalled with a laugh while speaking to Today Show in 2022. What began as mild dislike slowly turned into one of Hollywood’s longest and steadiest marriages. They stayed together for fifty years until Newman passed away in 2008, building a life that mixed quiet domestic days with the glare of fame. Their story still feels rare because it grew from ordinary awkwardness into something lasting.
An unlikely meeting of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman on BroadwayThe two actors first met in the early 1950s while working in New York on the Broadway production of Picnic. Newman had a supporting role and often filled in for the star, while Woodward served as understudy to the female leads. Both were members of Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio, sharing the space with talents like Marlon Brando, James Dean and Rod Steiger. After the play’s success, they moved to Hollywood. Newman signed with Warner Brothers, and Woodward began working with 20th Century Fox. Newman’s first film, 'The Silver Chalice' (1954), was a critical flop, but he rebounded with an acclaimed performance as boxer Rocky Graziano in 'Somebody Up There Likes Me' (1956). Woodward enjoyed even quicker success, winning the Oscar for Best Actress for her powerful role in The Three Faces of Eve (1957).
Work brought Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman closerBy 1957, the pair were cast opposite each other in the film The Long, Hot Summer. The on-screen chemistry spilled into real life almost immediately. Newman and Woodward eventually moved out of their home. Newman’s divorce was finalised early in 1958 after a difficult period for everyone involved. On January 29 of that year, the two married in a quiet ceremony in Las Vegas and spent their honeymoon in London. What started as a complicated attraction had become a clear choice, one they both stepped into with eyes open. They began building a shared life that mixed work, travel, and the simple routines of two people who genuinely liked being together.
Building a life beyond the spotlightThey settled mainly in Connecticut rather than living full-time in Hollywood and raised three daughters. Newman and Woodward’s first daughter, Elinor “Nell” Teresa, was born in April 1959. That same year Newman took the lead role in The Young Philadelphians. The children spent most of their childhood in Westport, Connecticut. Nell later worked as a child actress under the name Nell Potts and went on to found the Newman’s Own Organics brand in 1993. Their second daughter, Melissa Stewart, arrived in 1961 on the same day their film Paris Blues premiered. As a child she appeared with her mother in See How She Runs and with her father in Sometimes a Great Notion. In 2022, Melissa told People that her dad “was such a humble guy.” Their youngest, Claire “Clea” Olivia, was born in 1965. Clea later said of her father, “He really cared… That’s just who he was.”
Fifty years of choosing each otherTheir marriage lasted half a century, a rare stretch in the film world where many unions fade under pressure. They faced the usual challenges of fame, family responsibilities, and public scrutiny, yet they kept returning to the same quiet foundation of humour, patience, and real affection. Newman often credited Woodward with giving him confidence both as an actor and as a man; she in turn valued the steady partnership they built day after day. In January 2008, they marked their fiftieth anniversary with the same low-key style that had marked most of their life together. Later that year, Newman died at age 83. What began with a cool first impression in an agent’s office, became a long, ordinary, and deeply human story of two people who decided, again and again, to stay. According to The New York Times, the couple were political liberals and philanthropists who, according to a statement from their family, “dedicated their lives to pursuing the things that inspired them, whether personally, professionally, or as collectors.” Their example still feels worth remembering because it shows how something lasting can grow from the most unpromising start.
An unlikely meeting of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman on BroadwayThe two actors first met in the early 1950s while working in New York on the Broadway production of Picnic. Newman had a supporting role and often filled in for the star, while Woodward served as understudy to the female leads. Both were members of Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio, sharing the space with talents like Marlon Brando, James Dean and Rod Steiger. After the play’s success, they moved to Hollywood. Newman signed with Warner Brothers, and Woodward began working with 20th Century Fox. Newman’s first film, 'The Silver Chalice' (1954), was a critical flop, but he rebounded with an acclaimed performance as boxer Rocky Graziano in 'Somebody Up There Likes Me' (1956). Woodward enjoyed even quicker success, winning the Oscar for Best Actress for her powerful role in The Three Faces of Eve (1957).
Work brought Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman closerBy 1957, the pair were cast opposite each other in the film The Long, Hot Summer. The on-screen chemistry spilled into real life almost immediately. Newman and Woodward eventually moved out of their home. Newman’s divorce was finalised early in 1958 after a difficult period for everyone involved. On January 29 of that year, the two married in a quiet ceremony in Las Vegas and spent their honeymoon in London. What started as a complicated attraction had become a clear choice, one they both stepped into with eyes open. They began building a shared life that mixed work, travel, and the simple routines of two people who genuinely liked being together.
Building a life beyond the spotlightThey settled mainly in Connecticut rather than living full-time in Hollywood and raised three daughters. Newman and Woodward’s first daughter, Elinor “Nell” Teresa, was born in April 1959. That same year Newman took the lead role in The Young Philadelphians. The children spent most of their childhood in Westport, Connecticut. Nell later worked as a child actress under the name Nell Potts and went on to found the Newman’s Own Organics brand in 1993. Their second daughter, Melissa Stewart, arrived in 1961 on the same day their film Paris Blues premiered. As a child she appeared with her mother in See How She Runs and with her father in Sometimes a Great Notion. In 2022, Melissa told People that her dad “was such a humble guy.” Their youngest, Claire “Clea” Olivia, was born in 1965. Clea later said of her father, “He really cared… That’s just who he was.”
Fifty years of choosing each otherTheir marriage lasted half a century, a rare stretch in the film world where many unions fade under pressure. They faced the usual challenges of fame, family responsibilities, and public scrutiny, yet they kept returning to the same quiet foundation of humour, patience, and real affection. Newman often credited Woodward with giving him confidence both as an actor and as a man; she in turn valued the steady partnership they built day after day. In January 2008, they marked their fiftieth anniversary with the same low-key style that had marked most of their life together. Later that year, Newman died at age 83. What began with a cool first impression in an agent’s office, became a long, ordinary, and deeply human story of two people who decided, again and again, to stay. According to The New York Times, the couple were political liberals and philanthropists who, according to a statement from their family, “dedicated their lives to pursuing the things that inspired them, whether personally, professionally, or as collectors.” Their example still feels worth remembering because it shows how something lasting can grow from the most unpromising start.
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