NEWMAN'S OWN: HIS GREATEST PERFORMANCES

Effortlessly magnetic, equally adept at comedy and drama, Paul Newman was an unpretentious actor who took his work seriously but never himself. His career spanned 50 years and 10 Oscar nominations; he won best actor for his role in "The Color of Money" in 1986. Other must-see performances include:

COLIN COVERT

THE HUDSUCKER PROXY

Cast against type in this 1994 Coen brothers film, he proved his skill at stylized rapid-fire dialogue and smart, cynical character comedy. In the role of a scheming boardroom backstabber, he's all oily amiability, cigar-chomping greed and hand-rubbing hypocrisy. Sleek and mean as the archetypal fat cat, he provides a great foil for Tim Robbins' idealistic hero.

COOL HAND LUKE

In this 1967 antiauthoritarian chain gang picture, he plays a charismatic rebel without a cause who's jailed for vandalizing parking meters (a crime most viewers would applaud). His nonconformist refusal to apologize for his crime, or to treat his jailers with anything but amused contempt, brings Luke to a sad but noble end. Newman's strong, wry, self-contained performance justifies the Christ-like poses and cross motif.

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

This good-humored 1969 Western marked the birth of the buddy picture, with Newman and Robert Redford quipping their way through robberies, shootouts and death-defying leaps. He plays the legendary outlaw just right: cool without letting on that he's aware how cool he is.

SLAP SHOT

The 1970s brought sexual frankness to Hollywood, and Newman took full advantage of it in this blisteringly vulgar 1977 hockey comedy. His zany performance as a profane minor-league player-coach took him far outside his usual comfort zone, with hilarious results.

THE VERDICT

In this early David Mamet screenplay (1982), he plays an ambulance-chasing Boston attorney who rediscovers his convictions in a David and Goliath battle with the Boston Archdiocese. He conveys touching fear and vulnerability as a man who has almost given up on himself.