Was it “elements of luck” or was James Dean’s death directly responsible for Paul Newman’s career?
James Dean’s death was the catalyst behind countless ‘what if’ situations that completely rewrote the course of Hollywood history, and among the most cynical were the accusations that nobody benefited more from the actor’s untimely passing than Paul Newman.
Dean only played three credited roles before being killed in a car accident at the age of only 24 in 1955, but it was more than enough to make him an icon. He earned Academy Award nominations for two of those performances, became a generation-defining star, and will forever be part of Hollywood folklore.
At the same time, things weren’t going too well for Newman. He was six years older, but he was familiar with Dean through their shared attendance of the Actors Studio, and he realised at the very start of his big-screen career that their trajectories were heading in completely opposite directions.
After several uncredited roles, Dean rocketed to superstardom with Elia Kazan’s East of Eden, instantly establishing him as not only the industry’s newest heartthrob but a genuine dramatic powerhouse who had the filmic world at their feet. Meanwhile, Newman’s first picture was the worst of his entire career.
Coincidentally, both of their debuts were Warner Bros productions, which led to a disheartening exchange on the studio backlot. In his memoir, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, Newman recalled a meeting with Dean, who informed him that he’d read the script for The Silver Chalice, which he described as “endless pages of exposition.”
Whereas Dean landed an Oscar nod and became an immediate A-lister, Newman was ready to turn his back on cinema altogether and make a permanent return to the stage. However, when the former died, two opportunities opened up in rapid succession that helped the latter rehabilitate his reputation.
Having landed a part in an hour-long live production in the Ernest Hemingway adaptation The Battler that aired on TV, Newman was upgraded from supporting player to leading man after Dean, the original top-billed star, was ruled out in the most tragic circumstances: “The decision was made to go ahead, and I took over Jimmy’s part as the fighter.”
His performance caught the eye of director Robert Wise, who promptly cast Newman as Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me, the actor’s first film since The Silver Chalice. “Word was that the film was to be Jimmy Dean’s next project, and his sudden death obviously scrambled things,” he admitted. “Wise and the producers cast me, probably on the strength of my handling the part in The Battler.”
It’s a cruel industry, and after securing two parts earmarked for Dean in quick succession that he used to finally prove his credentials as a performer, Newman was aware of the whispers: “I know there are some people who attribute my career breakthroughs to Jimmy’s death,” he said.
“Yes, there were elements of luck,” he acknowledged with a caveat. “A lot of my success has involved what I call Newman’s luck. If Jimmy hadn’t been killed, half of me says, ‘You could have done it anyway. It would have been a hair slower, but it would have happened.'”
While it’s impossible to deny that Newman did capitalise on Dean’s death, which furthered his aspirations, to say he owed him everything is wildly unfair when he went on to be an all-time great in his own right.
