At 94, Joanne Woodward’s Alzheimer’s Battle Caused Her To Put On Weight & Forget Husband Of 50 Years Paul Newman

Jun 09, 2023

Two of the most good-looking stars on the silver screen just happened to be married to one another. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were a picture-perfect, loving couple who stayed together for five decades until Paul's passing in 2008.

The two actors first met on the set of "Picnic" in the 1950s, where they started off their blossoming acting careers. However, Paul was married at the time, and they went their separate ways to take on big roles in Hollywood movies.

They reunited in 1958's "The Long, Hot Summer," and by the time filming ended, Paul's divorce from his first wife was finalized. He whisked Woodward away to Las Vegas, where the two were married.

The next decades were filled with love and professional success. They had three daughters and took up residency as a happy family in Connecticut. Among it all, Paul went on to fill his biggest roles in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting." His wife Woodward also won the best actress Oscar for her role in "The Three Faces of Eve."

Paul was married twice in his life. First, to Jackie Witte from 1949 to 1958. They shared three children, a son named Scott Newman and daughters Susan Newman and Stephanie Newman. After meeting Woodward in 1953, the two remained friends until Paul separated from his wife in 1957, the same year he and Woodward filmed "The Long, Hot Summer."

After divorcing Witte, Paul married Woodward in early 1958. They had three daughters: Elinor "Nell" Newman, Melissa Newman and Claire "Clea" Newman. Paul was a renowned family man and loving husband. Read on to learn more about their love story and find out how Woodward has been coping since her husband's passing.

Paul was a famous American actor, film director and race car driver. With more than 50 years of experience in the entertainment industry, it's not hard to see why Paul was so loved and respected by fans, critics and his fellow peers. He is best known for his roles in major films such as "The Hustler, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and for voicing the role of Doc Hudson in Disney-Pixar's "Cars."

The star was born on Jan. 26, 1925, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and showed a strong interest in theater when he was just a child. Paul began performing early on, and his career only escalated as he grew older. Before he died on Sept. 26, 2008, Newman had been honored with plenty of awards and nominations.

During his life, Paul wore plenty of hats and showed off just how much talent and dedication he had to a long list of passions and accomplishments. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. Afterward, he went on to enroll in higher education and obtained his bachelor's degree in drama and economics from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in 1949.

At first, Paul pursued more business ventures, joining summer stock companies in the months following his graduation. However, he later went on to study under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio and attended the Yale School of Drama for one year. It was clear that Paul had made a choice to fully pursue his love for acting, and he was ready to show the world everything he had to offer.

Paul had moved to New York City with his first wife in 1951, just a couple of years after they tied the knot. His second marriage was a high-profile spectacle as the famous couple went on to be recognized as a golden couple in Hollywood. However, the actor's first marriage is not as well known as it was kept a bit more private. 

Newman was married to a woman named Jackie Witte. Witte was a tall, dark-eyed blonde aspiring actress who was the first woman to marry Paul, according to Rocks Off magazine. She was born in September 1929 and was just 19 years old when she met a 24-year-old Paul. The two instantly fell for each other and got married in December 1949. Together they had three children: Scott, Susan and Stephanie.

The pair met before Paul had become a household name and a good majority of their relationship was spent with him trying to finally make it in the acting industry. He started off as a stage actor but seemed to give it up following the birth of his son. According to Rocks Off, Paul attended Yale University in hopes of obtaining a degree in theater but eventually dropped out after Witte became pregnant again. 

Still, he tried to make it big in the world of acting. According to the Daily Mail, it took some time, but Paul finally started to land small roles here and there before his career really took off. Finally, he found a break on Broadway.

He was cast as the understudy for the leading role in a play called "Picnic," where his character portrayed a renegade who wreaked havoc among lonely women in a small southern town. It was a huge change for Paul, but he committed to the role. He also began to form a great bond with his co-star, Woodward.

Paul's career only escalated from that point on, and he appeared in a screen test with James Dean in 1954 for the 1955 film "East of Eden." However, Paul ended up not being cast in the film. Fortunately, he went on to co-star alongside Eva Marie Saint and Frank Sinatra in a TV broadcast of "Our Town" that same year.

This proved to be a great year for Paul as he was also cast in the film "The Silver Chalice," marking his first Hollywood film appearance. Unfortunately, it was a failure at the box office, and it was clear that the movie did not resonate well with fans or critics. 

Thankfully, this didn't hamper Paul's career too much, as he continued to find more fame and success in future roles, starring alongside beautiful women, including Elizabeth Taylor in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and working again with Woodward in "The Long, Hot Summer." The latter film earned Paul critical acclaim, and he won the Best Actor award at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival.

Throughout the remainder of the 1950s, all the way through the 1990s, Paul led a very successful life as an actor. He starred in plenty of great films, including "The Young Philadelphians," "The Hustler," and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

Woodward was born on Feb. 27, 1930, in Thomasville, Georgia. She discovered her passion for acting at a young age and pursued her dreams by studying drama at Louisiana State University. She later moved to New York City and enrolled at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Her talent quickly caught the attention of casting directors, and in 1952, she made her television debut in an episode of “Robert Montgomery Presents.”

Woodward's breakthrough moment came in 1955 when she won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Eve White/Eve Black in the film "The Three Faces of Eve." The film showcased her exceptional acting skills as she portrayed a woman with multiple personality disorder. This achievement launched her into stardom and established her as a highly respected actress in Hollywood.

Throughout her career, Woodward demonstrated her versatility by tackling a wide range of roles. She appeared in notable films such as "Rachel, Rachel," which she both produced and starred in, earning her a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Other memorable films include "The Stripper," "A New Kind of Love" and "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds." 

Beyond her successful acting career, Woodward is renowned for her loving and enduring relationship with Paul. Their partnership lasted over five decades until Paul's passing in 2008 and was characterized by deep love, mutual respect and a shared commitment to each other.

Woodward and Paul had three daughters together and prioritized their family life despite their fame. They maintained a private personal life, valuing their privacy over the spotlight of Hollywood. Together, they formed one of Hollywood's most beloved and enduring couples, known for their genuine affection and loyalty.

While Paul and Woodward soon became known as Hollywood’s “it” couple, memories of Paul’s first failed marriage never eluded him.

"I was probably too immature to make a success of my first marriage," Paul once admitted. "What happened to us during that period is nobody's business." Still, the fact that he had felt so estranged from his wife and their three children continued to haunt him. Paul confessed that he felt "guilty as hell" about how he went about his first marriage and said:

"And I'll carry it with me for the rest of my life."

However, Paul and Woodward’s partnership was widely seen as loving and set the standard for Hollywood couples. Paul is widely quoted as having said, "I have steak at home; why go out for hamburger?" referring to his wife Joanne being the "steak," as per The New York Times. And on her side, the secret to a long-lasting marriage was laughter. She told TODAY that even though beauty might fade, a man that makes you laugh every day is something to hold onto.

Other people have witnessed their electric chemistry, and for one writer in their presence at a dinner party in the 1970s, she was very much taken in.

"Up behind me, Joanne Woodward sat on the ground with her back against the trunk of a big tree, her legs stretched out in front. In her lap rested the head of Paul Newman, who occasionally reached up to touch her face and hair as he savored the music," wrote author Carol Ross Joynt, according to The Washington Post. "It's possible I gaped. To this day it's the most romantic thing I ever witnessed."

After 50 years together, Woodward and Paul were the perfect partners and shared their secret to a long and happy marriage. "We really liked each other," Woodward said. "We could talk to each other, we could tell each other anything without fear of ridicule or rejection. There was trust."

The Academy-Award-winning actress also explained what had kept their marriage alive. "Somebody once asked, 'What is your relationship based on,'" Woodward shared. "I said, 'He's very good-looking and very sexy and all of those things but all that goes out the window finally, and what finally is left is if you can make somebody laugh.' And he sure does keep me laughing."

One of their daughters, Clea Newman Soderlund, told Closer Weekly her parents shared an extraordinary bond that informed her own love life as well.

“They respected each other and laughed more than any couple I have ever known,” she told the outlet. “That’s why I didn’t get married until later in life. It was hard to find somebody who was really that kind of partner in every way, as my dad was to my mom.”

The pair were pretty much inseparable up to Paul’s passing in 2008. However, soon after, things began to take a turn for Woodward as well. After her husband’s passing, her family began to notice signs of Woodward becoming more confused and unsteady. 

“The girls saw their mom becoming slightly disoriented, but they chalked it up to her depression after Paul’s death,” a source close to the family told Closer Weekly.

However, it soon became clear it was something far more serious.

Woodward was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and her daughters closed ranks around her to give her the support and care she needed.

In 2015, an insider told Closer Weekly that Woodward’s health condition had deteriorated to the point it was hard for her to remember her loved ones or much of her past, including her beloved late husband Paul.

“Her health is deteriorating rapidly. Joanne will occasionally say she used to be married to someone handsome, but that’s it. She doesn’t even remember the love of her life,” the insider revealed. Woodward now requires round-the-clock care and her family stays close to her home in Connecticut to ensure her wellbeing.

“She barely speaks anymore and hardly ever recognizes her own daughters or grandchildren. It’s heartbreaking to see her this way,” the insider added.

The source also revealed Woodward had undergone a drug trial at Yale University’s Adler Geriatric Assessment Center, which had caused the star to gain weight, but that the treatment had since ceased. “She is so far gone that they feel she is reaching her end point,” the source said.

Despite the grim prognosis, some positivity was found when one of Paul and Woodward’s daughters, Nell Newman, shared a photo of the legendary star dancing with one of her grandchildren. Dressed all in black, it was clear Woodward’s usually slim frame was slightly heavier, but the smile on her face negated it all.

Followers praised the star for her enduring good looks. “Is this a recent picture of your mother? She looks amazing at 92,” one comment read, while another user said, “Btw, she looks darn good for 92!! WOW!!”

Paul and Woodward's love story serves as a timeless example of a strong and enduring partnership in the often tumultuous world of Hollywood. Their deep love and commitment to each other, both on and off the screen, continue to inspire many people to this day.

How beautiful is Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s love story? Were you sad to hear about Woodward’s deteriorating health condition? Let us know and don’t forget to pass this on to all the fans of the Hollywood legends you know.