By Felix Vasquez

It is with a very heavy heart, and deep sadness, that I dedicate this list to the ailing Paul Newman. The legendary actor has been reported as having only weeks to live, due to his losing battle with lung cancer.

Whether he lives for only a few weeks or a few more years, recent events have inspired us to put together a list to commemorates Newman's immesurable talent, from the actor to philanthropist.
 
His commitment to charity work has garnered him a reputation that's overshadowed his own film career. Newman is of course one of the greatest actors in film to have given some of the best performances we've ever seen. Though his work slowed in his later life, he was still very active in film even if we never saw him in front of the camera. So in honor of Mr. Paul Newman, this is a very bittersweet Ten Strikes.

Activist/Philanthropist
Beyond his acting career, Newman was known as an avid philanthropist who created a line of Newman's Own salad dressing, as well as pasta sauces, to which all of the proceeds were given to local charities and were recorded as garnering $200 million in donations. He also created the “Hole in the Wall Gang Camp” in Connecticut, a summer camp for terminally ill children that has become a bonafide legacy spreading along the country, as well as the PEN award, a $25,000 reward that celebrates the first amendment. In 2006, Newman was reported as donating $250,000 to Kosovo refugees and $10 million to Kenyon College to begin a scholarship program. That's almost the tip of the iceberg for the man who seemed to value doing good over making money, in the long run.

Cool Hand Luke (1967)
One of my favorite movies of all time, and without a doubt the greatest movie ever made in my eyes, "Cool Hand Luke" is Newman's show as he plays Luke, a man busted on a federal crime during a drunken rage one night who is sent to a chain gang to live among convicts and serve his time. While there he comes of age and tries to survive during extreme heat, rivalries, and vicious guards very unafraid to make prisoners suffer if they should attempt escape—and Luke tries time and time again. While there, we're given some of the most amazing moments ever filmed on screen from Luke's challenge to eat fifty eggs (which Newman actually did), to his fight with prisoner Dragline (George Kennedy) which he lost, but would not quit. Thus he was given the nickname "Cool Hand." If you want pure Newman, you have to look here first and foremost.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Never has there been a more natural pairing on screen than Robert Redford, the young buck and sex symbol of his generation, with Paul Newman a man once a sex symbol who decidedly pulled back in favor of Redford. Marking the first pairing of the acting duo, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" chronicles the adventures of history's nicest criminals who robbed trains, battled local law enforcement and inevitably met their end during a massive gun fight. George Roy Hill's masterpiece is much less a western and much more a buddy comedy that paired the collective talents of both men to create some of the funniest and most action packed sequences in the Western genre. From Butch’s hilarious fight for control with of the gang in the first half, to his bicycle ride to "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," this film is a pure achievement.

The Sting (1973)
The second pairing this time out is something to really lay your peepers on, as Newman and Redford are even better here as professional con men during the thirties. After Johnny Hooker (Redford) cons a local gangster, he discovers the crook holding a wad of cash was actually working for the vicious Doyle Lonnigan (Robert Shaw) who proceeds to kill his partner in crime and hunt Hooker. He turns to the local con pro Henry Gondorff pooling the collective talents of the city's best con artists to pull the ultimate sting. Newman is fantastic as Gondorff, the out of work drunkard who puts his skills to work to help Hooker get justice. He's reveals himself to be so sly that he even corrupts Lonnigan's sacred poker game and stages a hilarious trick card sequence. And who can forget the fantastic climax where director Roy Hill pulls the big con on literally everyone? It's brilliance. It's a shame we never got to see one last pairing.

Road to Perdition (2002)
Though Newman was basically non-existent in modern film due to rumors that he was having trouble remembering scripts, this is one of his best performances as he plays crime boss John Rooney who struggles to stick by his son (Daniel Craig) and his friendship with his second in command (Tom Hanks), after envy and jealousy sparks a blood feud. One of the best examples of the older generation passing the torch to the younger generation involves an impromptu piano medley with Newman and Hanks in front of a party of on lookers, and there's also the amazing assassination sequence in the climax where Rooney faces his fate in a hail of bullets all deafened by his petrifying realization that his plan to stick by his son was a bad one. Truly, it's a sign off for Newman that we needed.

The Verdict (1982)
Sidney Lumet's courtroom drama is tough to sit through, but it's truly a demonstration of the sheer gravitas Newman was capable of when given the appropriate material. Here he plays Frank Galvin a drunken has-been of a lawyer who is now nothing more than an ambulance chaser that offers lawsuit potentials to local patients and has lost all sense of his dignity in hopes of garnering some work. When a case involving malpractice arises, Galvin finally sees his chance to regain his dignity and respect, and prove to himself once and for all that his life hasn't been a waste of time. Newman's quest to restore purpose to his life is fantastic with one of the key moments of Lumet's drama involving Galvin coming face to face with a grieving couple suffering the brunt of their anger. It's truly a high point for all included.

The Hustler (1961)
"You know, I got a hunch, fat man. I got a hunch it's me from here on in. One ball, corner pocket. I mean, that ever happen to you? You know, all of a sudden you feel like you can't miss? 'Cause I dreamed about this game, fat man. I dreamed about this game every night on the road. Five ball. You know, this is my table, man. I own it." Robert Rossen's noir drama stars a young and charismatic Newman as the one and only Fast Eddie Felson, a local pool hustler who comes face to face with the legend Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason), his one rival he's almost incapable of conquering on the pool table where he and the fat man play for all the chips and title of the greatest. This masterpiece inspired a slew of imitators on film and paired two absolutely brilliant actors in a story that would forever be revered as an electric battle of sportsmen where pride and bragging rights are everything. Gleason is superb, but Newman works well as the young cat who simply did not know when to fold them.

The Towering Inferno (1974)
Did you know that Steve McQueen and Newman were reported as having a rivalry on film? It's said that McQueen ordered the screenwriter for "The Towering Inferno" to rewrite the entire script so he and Newman could have the same amount of lines. Irwin Allen continued his disasterpiece reign on film with this all star thriller where a 140 floor tower is set ablaze making it nearly impossible for anyone to escape with their lives. Newman plays the architect for the tower who has to work with the fire department to figure a way in to help the survivors while the blaze takes the lives of many men and women looking for ways out. It's not one of the best movies Newman's ever starred in, but it's definitely one of my earliest memories of the man on film.

Fort Apache, the Bronx (1980)
There's a great story I've been told for years by my family where Paul Newman came to the run down decaying ruins of the Bronx to film this and was especially kind to everyone who came to beg for autographs and sing his praises. He took pictures with people, and greeted everyone and though my uncle was too late to really meet the man he did call out his name and Newman looked over, gave him a wink and finger gun fire his way, which my uncle still boasts about to this day. "Fort Apache" is probably one of the grittiest crime thrillers we've seen from Newman starring as Murphy, a cynical police officer struggling to keep the streets together and retain some sense of morality in the face of amoral criminals and a city on the brink of no return. Filmed in actual locations in my home The South Bronx, there's even a wonderful scene where Newman engages in a foot race across a trash filled yard with a local thug. "Fort Apache" is one of the Newman's absolute best.

Sometimes a Great Notion (1971)
Though not one of his most notable performances, "Sometimes a Great Notion" pairs Newman with my favorite actor of all time, Henry Fonda as father and son struggling with their local logging business thanks to an economic downturn during a massive union strike which prompts hatred and feelings of betrayal from their fellow loggers. Newman is wonderful in this role and is especially gripping during a scene where his best friend is pinned under a log and is only inches away from drowning. Newman as Hank Stamper struggles to keep him alive, but fights a losing battle as no one is around to help and must watch him fade away in the murky waters. This is a great film if you can get a hold of it.