Inside Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward's Wonderful Love Story

The 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' actor Paul Newman and the 'The Three Faces of Eve' actress Joanne Woodward were married from 1958 until Newman's death in 2008.

Let's take a look back at their adorable marriage!

The actor, also known for Martin Scorsese's 1986 film 'The Color of Money', met Joanne on the stage of Broadway's 'Picnic', back in 1953.

The play marked one of Newman's first acting roles, while Woodward was an understudy.

At the time, Newman was married to Jackie Witte, whom with he had welcomed son Scott and daughters Susan and Stephanie.

In 1958 Paul ended up divorcing Witte to marry Woodward. Their wedding took place that same year.

The following year, the 'Rachel, Rachel' actress and the 'Hud' star welcomed their first child together, daughter Elinor. Their family expanded in 1961 with daughter Melissa's birth, which was followed by the youngest child of the family, Claire, born in 1965.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woordward, born in Ohio and Georgia respectively, moved to New York City's Manhattan district, where they lived with their children.

They then purchased a property in Connecticut, being a notable couple in the industry for keeping their children away from the spotlight and outside California.

Newman and Woodward's marriage was a true Hollywood dream. The actor gathered countless experiences in his book 'The Extraordinary Life Of An Ordinary Man: A Memoir', revealing spicy details about their relationship. 

As analyzed by 'People', Newman didn't feel attractive until he met Joanne, despite being considered one of the most handsome male stars for many years. He wrote in his book: "Joanne gave birth to a sexual creature. We left a trail of lust all over the place. Hotels and public parks and Hertz Rent-A-Cars."

However, as happens in most relationship, not everything was peaches and cream, as he also admitted that "Joanne and I still drive each other crazy in different ways. But all the misdemeanors, the betrayals, the difficulties have kind of evened themselves out over the years."

Paul and Joanne's daughter Melissa also released a book on their relationship, titled 'Head Over Heels: Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman: A Love Affair in Words and Pictures'.

Melissa Newman highlighted how the way she perceived their parents' relationship affected her positively, as they indirectly taught her how to raise children in a different way. She wrote: "The best compliment I ever received from him [Paul Newman] is that my husband and I 'broke the cycle of bad parenting.' Which is another way of saying he and my mother were human, and no one is born with instructions printed on their bum."

Sadly, on September 26, 2008, Paul Newman passed away at age 83. A couple months before, in May, he stepped down from his stage directing debut in 'Of Mice and Men', due to health issues.

In June it was informed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, which was what caused his death. 

After mourning the loss of her beloved husband, Joanne Woodword lived in their Connecticut home for many years, but she then moved to Santa Monica, California, to be near her daughters.

In 2007, Woodward retreated from the spotlight after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

However, the following years she made some film and TV appearances. In 2010, 2012 and 2013 she voiced characters "Margaret", "Jenn's Mother" and "Doris" in the films 'Change the Wind', 'Gayby' and 'Lucky Them', respectively.

Most recently, she appeared as herself in the 2022 TV documentary 'The Last Movie Stars'.

Joanne Woodward turns 94 on February 27, 2024.