Paul Newman posed in 1983 for the launch of Newman's Own pasta sauce, which he donated - along with monetary funds - to victims of the Bay Area earthquake in 1989. Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Paul Newman had a memorable 1982, as the year not only saw the release of legal drama The Verdict, which earned him one of eight career Oscar noms for best actor, but also the launch of his food company, Newman's Own. The screen icon, whose lone competitive Oscar win came for 1987's The Color of Money, and author A.E. Hotchner, his neighbor and friend, co-founded the brand known for giving all after-tax profits on items like salad dressing, popcorn, pasta sauce, salsa, frozen pizza and wine to Newman's Own Foundation, a nonprofit benefiting food insecurity and other youth-focused causes. Since its launch, the company has donated more than $600 million to charity. Related Stories General News Can Philanthropy Make Up for Trump's Foreign Aid Pullback? General News Giving on the Edge: Effective Altruism's Post-SBF Comeback Six years after founding Newman's Own, the star started the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp - a reference to his 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - for kids with serious illnesses; the organization is now known as SeriousFun Children's Network and operates recreational camps across the globe. "Paul founded Newman's Own at the young age of 57, but well before that, he was already an activist and philanthropist," Newman's Own Foundation president and CEO Alex Amouyel tells THR. She notes that, prior to founding the company, Newman had attended Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 March on Washington, advocated for gender pay parity on his projects and was named a U.N. delegate on disarmament: "From the beginning to the end, he really continued with a vision of giving back." Each Newman's Own product features an illustration of him, although he was not initially hot on this concept. "When the idea came up, I said, 'Are you crazy? Stick my face on the label of salad dressing?' " Newman had said. "And then, of course, we got the whole idea of exploitation and how circular it is. Why not, really, go to the fullest length, and the silliest length, in exploiting yourself and turn the proceeds back to the community?" Amouyel knows that cinephiles will continue to appreciate Newman, but that his philanthropic efforts likely represent his most lasting legacy. "For the new generations, it's his commitment to philanthropy and to good business which endures and is very much something that millennials and Gen Z care about when it comes to working for and buying products from companies that seek to do good," the exec says. "In that sense, Newman's Own is more relevant than ever." This story appeared in a standalone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up WWE Hulk Hogan, Pro Wrestler Who Became a Household Name, Dies at 71 Spencer Pratt Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt Return to Podcasting With Launch of 'The Fame Game' Social Impact Summit Six Months After the L.A. Wildfires, Here's Who's Still Picking Up the Pieces Social Impact Summit Can Philanthropy Make Up for Trump's Foreign Aid Pullback? Social Impact Summit Giving on the Edge: Effective Altruism's Post-SBF Comeback Matthew Perry Matthew Perry Doctor Salvador Plasencia Pleads Guilty to Selling Late 'Friends' Star Ketamine WWE Hulk Hogan, Pro Wrestler Who Became a Household Name, Dies at 71 Spencer Pratt Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt Return to Podcasting With Launch of 'The Fame Game' Social Impact Summit Six Months After the L.A. Wildfires, Here's Who's Still Picking Up the Pieces Social Impact Summit Can Philanthropy Make Up for Trump's Foreign Aid Pullback? Social Impact Summit Giving on the Edge: Effective Altruism's Post-SBF Comeback Matthew Perry Matthew Perry Doctor Salvador Plasencia Pleads Guilty to Selling Late 'Friends' Star Ketamine