She Was The First—And The Last
Joanne Woodward was one-half of Hollywood’s most iconic power couple, along with her husband, Paul Newman. Her dazzling career—and even more dazzling personal life—made her one of the last true movie stars. In fact, rumor has it that she was also the first.
1. She Was Born To Act
Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward was born to be a movie star. The Georgian-born actress made her grand debut in February 1930, playing her first role as the daughter of Elinor Trimmier and Wade Woodward Sr. Her mother would be her first director.
2. She Had Big Shoes To Fill
Whether she knew it or not, Joanne Woodward was destined for big-screen success. Her mother, a cinephile who may have had acting aspirations of her own, named Woodward after the legendary Joan Crawford. Woodward later confessed that it was her mother’s love of film that inspired her to become an actress herself.
She was already hanging out with stars.
Studio publicity still, Wikimedia Commons
3. She Sat On Laurence’s Lap
At the tender age of nine, Woodward had an experience that few aspiring movie stars could have asked for. While most children were eager to hop on Santa’s lap, Woodward had the rare opportunity to sit in Laurence Olivier’s lap! At the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind, the starry-eyed Woodward “rushed into the parade of stars” and hopped right into Olivier’s lap.
It was a moment neither would ever forget.
Carl Van Vechten, Wikimedia Commons
4. She Left A Lasting Impression
Decades after she'd hopped into Olivier’s lap, fate brought Joanne Woodward and Olivier back together. In 1977, Woodward starred alongside Olivier in Come Back, Little Sheba. Even though she was, by that time a bona fide star, she reminded him of their first encounter. Touchingly, Olivier remembered that moment and was glad that Woodward’s career had turned out so well.
But it had been a long way to the top.
Paramount Pictures, Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)
5. She Studied Acting
Prior to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Laurence Olivier, Woodward had to put in the work. After graduating from high school, she studied drama at Louisiana State University. Upon graduation, she moved to New York to find roles on stage while furthering her thespian education at the Actors Studio and the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Success—and a wild love story—were just around the corner.
6. She Landed Her First TV Role
It didn’t take long for Joanne Woodward to dazzle agents and casting directors. By 1952, she landed her first (of many) television roles. She played a character named “Pat” in the series Tales of Tomorrow; however, it was another role that put her on a crash course with destiny, stardom, and a love that burned brighter than any Hollywood spotlight.
ABC, Tales of Tomorrow (1951–1953)
7. She Found A “Tall Glass Of Water”
In 1953, Woodward became an understudy for William Inge’s stage drama Picnic. The real drama, however, was happening behind the curtains. On a particularly muggy summer day in August, Woodward tried to escape the heat by slipping into her agent’s office. Only, instead of a blast of fresh, cool air, she was struck by the man who would change her life: Paul Newman.
20th Century Fox, Wikimedia Commons
8. She Didn’t Feel Love At First Sight
Joanne Woodward was surprised to find Paul Newman, the star of Picnic, in her agent’s office. She later recalled the moment that she opened the door, saying that Newman was standing there “like an ice cream soda ad”. She couldn’t help but notice his striking blue eyes, “thick head of hair," and cool demeanor.
It was definitely not, however, love at first sight.
20th Century Fox, Wikimedia Commons
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9. She Thought Newman Was “Disgusting”
Initially, Woodward was not at all impressed with Newman. In fact, she found his cool demeanor—particularly given her own sweaty state—nothing short of “disgusting”. Before he opened his mouth, Woodward had written Newman off as nothing more than a “pretty face”. Thankfully, she left a better first impression.
20th Century Fox, Wikimedia Commons
10. She Was A “Modern” Woman
While Joanne Woodward claimed to have initially felt nothing but “disgust” for Newman, Newman couldn’t say the same. Years later, Newman confessed that it was effectively love at first sight for him. “She was modern and independent,” Newman recalled, “whereas I was shy and a bit conservative”. Quite apart from Woodward’s apparent indifference, there was one other little problem.
Sunset Boulevard, Getty Images
11. She Eventually Fell In Love
Despite her lackluster first impression of Newman, Woodward slowly melted to his rakish charms. As Newman himself put it, “It took me a long time to persuade her that I wasn't as dull as I looked”. Unfortunately for Woodward, she couldn’t act on her feelings. Newman was already married with three kids.
She threw herself into her work to forget him.
12. Her Career Took Off
Following Picnic, Woodward and Newman kept up a professional friendship, always dancing around the edges of their shared feelings. But Woodward didn’t sit in her room and cry—she got to work. Over the next few years, she had starring roles in over a dozen hit TV series, even starring alongside Marlon Brando in The Fugitive Kind.
Warner Bros. Pictures, The Fugitive Kind (1960)
13. She Made A Dazzling Debut
Woodward’s introduction to wider audiences came in 1955 when she received second billing in the western Count Three and Pray. Even as a largely unknown actress, her performance dazzled audiences and piqued the interest of critics. By 1956, she became a contract player for 20th Century Fox. Stardom was closer than she knew.
Universal Pictures, Count Three and Pray (1955)
14. She Was Mobbed By Fans
Joanne Woodward got her first true taste of stardom at the “World Premiere” event of Count Three and Pray. When she stepped off the plane onto the tarmac and into a “light blue Cadillac convertible”, 3,000 screaming fans turned out to greet her. However, she was about to make a rare career mistake.
Keystone Features, Getty Images
15. She Made The “Worst Hollywood Movie Ever”
Woodward followed up her success in Count Three and Pray with a possibly career-ending decision. Her next big film role was the 1956 Gerd Oswald film noir A Kiss Before Dying. Years later, Woodward divulged to Turner Classic Movies that she considered A Kiss Before Dying the “worst Hollywood movie ever made”. But her big mistake might have led to her biggest break.
16. She Had A Split Personality
The following year, in 1957, Joanne Woodward gave the performance that would turn her into a screen legend overnight. Playing the lead, tripartite role of a woman with multiple personality disorder in The Three Faces of Eve, Woodward left audiences and critics gobsmacked with her groundbreaking performance. She was practically unrecognizable.
20th Century Fox, The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
17. She Was Different People
Woodward’s roles as “Eve White, Eve Black, and Jane” in The Three Faces of Eve were unlike anything anyone had seen on screen before. Vacillating between a wholesome housewife, a promiscuous “bad girl," and a simple young woman, Woodward changed her voice, posture, and gestures to create distinct characters in one.
But the revolutionary role almost went to someone else.
20th Century Fox, The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
18. She Got Garland’s Scraps
The Three Faces of Eve writer and director, Nunnally Johnson, had originally wanted to cast Judy Garland in the starring role. However, when Garland either turned down the role or was deemed not quite right, Johnson set his sights on the still-up-and-coming Woodward. Johnson saw her full potential.
Studio Publicity, Wikimedia Commons
19. She Was The “Greatest Rising Star”
Woodward’s performance in the Three Faces of Eve instantly became one of the most iconic screen performances in Hollywood history. In fact, it was such a powerhouse of a performance that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. “She was heralded at that moment,” actor Ethan Hawke said, “as this country’s greatest rising star”.
She never lost sight of her humble roots.
20th Century Fox, The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
20. She Sewed Her Own Dress
Even as she clutched her Oscar and delivered a gracious acceptance speech, Joanne Woodward was still just a girl from Georgia with big dreams. At the Oscars that year, Woodward wasn’t wearing a fancy couture dress—she was wearing a number that she had sewn herself! By this time, her career wasn’t the only thing heating up.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
21. She Was Reunited With Newman
Just after the release of The Three Faces of Eve, Woodward had accepted a role in 1958’s The Long, Hot Summer. And the role reunited her with an old friend—Paul Newman. On-screen, Woodward and Newman melted camera lenses with their chemistry. Their fellow castmates couldn’t help but question whether they were acting at all.
20th Century Fox, The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
22. She Was Falling Under Newman’s Spell
Dame Angela Lansbury, who co-starred with Woodward in The Long, Hot Summer, couldn’t help but notice that Woodward’s and Newman’s chemistry continued heating up, even as the cameras stopped rolling. “They seemed to have such a total understanding of each other,” Lansbury said, "that they were able to work in scenes where they were at each other's throats or falling under each other's spell".
Things became combustible from there.
20th Century Fox, The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
23. Her Affair Became Public
Despite their best efforts to keep things professional, Woodward and Newman couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. And it wasn’t long before the tabloids noticed. With their affair becoming an open secret in Hollywood, Newman mustered up the courage to ask his wife, Witte, for a divorce so he could marry Woodward.
Woodward would have to fight for what she wanted.
24. She Was Hiding A Secret Pregnancy
News of Woodward’s and Newman’s affair spread across Hollywood like wildfire—but there was one firefighter determined to put out the scandal. Jackie Witte, Newman’s wife and the mother of his children, refused to sign the divorce papers. That is, until Woodward made a truly incendiary revelation.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
25. She Was Going To Marry The Man She Loved
Just when it seemed that Joanne Woodward would forever be the “other woman," shocking news hit the stands. Woodward was pregnant with Newman’s child. Once Witte caught wind of the explosive news, she signed the divorce papers, freeing Newman to marry Woodward before her due date.
They didn’t waste any time.
26. She Might Have Miscarried
In early 1958, Woodward married Newman in a rushed Las Vegas wedding. Once production on The Long, Hot Summer wrapped up, the couple escaped the throngs of media by going on their honeymoon. By some accounts, Woodward tragically miscarried while on the honeymoon, but other accounts told a different story.
Either way, one thing was true: Woodward and Newman were Hollywood’s “it” couple.
27. She Had A Hollywood Family
Over the next five decades, Joanne Woodward and Newman would remain married, defying the trope of an ill-fated Hollywood power couple. Together, the couple had three children, two of whom appeared alongside them in various films. Their dynasty seemed secure.
28. She Had The World At Her Feet—And Kicked It Away
Woodward’s Oscar win came just two months after her marriage to Newman. Later that same year, Newman received his first of many Oscar nominations for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. For this couple of true movie stars, the Hollywood red carpet unfurled at their feet. But it wasn’t all that Woodward had hoped it would be.
29. Her Dream Faded
By 1959, Woodward had it all: a dazzling career, a dashing husband, and an adoring public. But the life of a movie star wasn’t all she thought it would be. “Initially, I probably had a real movie-star dream,” she confessed. “It faded somewhere in my mid-30s when I realized I wasn't going to be that kind of actor. It was painful”.
The real pain, however, was what it did to her family.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
30. She Gave It All Up For Her Kids
Joanne Woodward followed up her Oscar win with captivating performances in films such as From the Terrace and Paris Blues. However, she seemed to be turning down more roles than she accepted. “I curtailed my career because of my children,” Woodward later explained. “...I resented it at the time, which was not a good way to be around the children”.
That resentment ate away at her.
Ron Galella Collection, Getty Images
31. She Was Racked With Guilt
It wasn’t just her children that Woodward had first felt derailed her career. It was also her heartthrob husband. “Paul was away on location a lot,” Woodward said. “I wouldn't go on location because of the children. I did once, and felt overwhelmed with guilt”. Still, she found little ways to have fun.
32. She Had The Paris Blues
While filming Paris Blues with Newman, Woodward was, herself, getting the Paris blues. Allegedly, she and Newman grew so sick of French food that they went in search of a good old-fashioned American steak. Unable to find one, in the middle of winter, they grilled a steak in their backyard, much to the dismay of the French locals.
Those weren’t the only feathers that she ruffled.
United Artists, Paris Blues (1961)
33. She Had Tension With Brando
Joanne Woodward had previously worked with Marlon Brando in The Fugitive Kind, but their reunion on Paris Blues wasn't exactly a happy one. According to director Sidney Lumet, there was some obvious tension between the two powerhouse actors throughout filming. The reason for their friction remains a Hollywood mystery to this day.
Woodward, it seemed, was keeping a lot to herself.
United Artists, Paris Blues (1961)
34. She Nearly Quit Acting
In the early 1970s, Joanne Woodward made a film that nearly ended her career—not because it flopped, but because she was so miserable making it. During the production of They Might Be Giants, Woodward had such an awful experience that she seriously considered walking away from acting altogether. She was tight-lipped about what made her so upset.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
35. She Protected Her Co-Star
The press tried speculating that the reason for Woodward’s sudden unhappiness had something to do with tensions on the set. However, in subsequent interviews, Woodward made it clear that her misery had nothing to do with her co-star, George C Scott. She simply called him a “gentleman” and left it at that.
Perhaps it was the off-screen tension that was driving her mad.
36. She Weathered Breakup Rumors
Almost from the moment they said “I do,” Woodward and Newman found themselves battling persistent rumors about their marriage falling apart. By their third wedding anniversary, gossip columnists were already predicting their demise. When one writer reported they were on the brink of a break-up, an infuriated Newman called the columnist “a dolt”.
Woodward, no doubt, was the full package.
37. She Was Compared To Steak
As the rumors of affairs and lovers’ quarrels swirled around Woodward’s marriage, Newman went on the offensive. In an interview with Playboy magazine, Woodward’s heartthrob of a husband delivered one of the most iconic Hollywood lines of all time when asked how he remained faithful: “I have steak at home,” he quipped, "why go out for hamburger?”
While the comment became legendary, comparing his Oscar-winning wife to a piece of meat didn't exactly go over well with Woodward herself.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
38. She Became Fine Wine
After Woodward's less-than-enthusiastic reaction to being compared to steak, Newman wisely tried a different metaphor. The next time an interviewer asked about their marriage, he said, “She's like a classy '62 Bordeaux. No, make it a '59. That's a year that ages well in the bottle”. Unfortunately for Woodward, “the bottle” was something her husband knew only too well.
39. Her Husband Liked The Bottle
Despite her denials in the media, Woodward’s marriage to Newman was, at various times, hanging by a thread. It was all because of Newman’s drinking problem. One night, Woodward found Newman in a terrible state next to their bed, having fallen off and bumped his head. Eventually, she did the only thing she thought she could do: She left.
Sunset Boulevard, Getty Images
40. She Fled From Her Husband
Woodward later confessed that scenes such as that were commonplace. But she had enough of her husband’s drinking. In a fit of anger, she scooped up their three kids and fled to their Malibu beach home, the specter of a scandalous divorce hanging over her. It wasn’t until Newman agreed to cut back on his drinking that Woodward took him back.
But Woodward’s marriage was far from safe.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
41. Her Marriage Faced Its First Real Test
In 1968, after one decade of married (mostly) bliss, Woodward’s relationship with Newman was put to a real test. While filming Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Newman began an affair with the curvaceous journalist, Nancy Bacon. Even though Woodward was the one to attend the film’s premiere with her husband, the rumor mill was already abuzz.
42. She Mocked Her Husband’s Affair
In response to the rumors about Newman’s affair with Bacon, Woodward—along with her allegedly wayward husband—took out an ad to ridicule the idea that her husband would be unfaithful. However, Bacon promptly responded to Woodward’s ad, shockingly confirming the rumors. In fact, according to Bacon, everyone knew the truth.
monstersforsale, Wikimedia Commons
43. Her Husband Had A Thing For Bacon
Much to Woodward’s embarrassment, Bacon called her affair with Newman “the worst kept secret in Hollywood”. It was such an open secret that Hollywood insiders had even coined a joke about it. “Paul may not go out for hamburger,” they quipped, “but he sure goes out for Bacon”. But if all the rumors were true, then Woodward had some romantic scandals of her own.
Bernard Gotfryd, Wikimedia Commons
44. She Lived With A Famous Writer
Before her marriage to Newman, Woodward had another high-profile relationship that raised eyebrows in Hollywood. While still a young ingénue, Woodward had shared a house in Los Angeles with none other than Gore Vidal—the scandalous writer. Hollywood had been abuzz with gossip about what went on behind those closed doors.
Carl Van Vechten, Wikimedia Commons
45. She Was Almost Mrs Vidal
Hollywood gossip mills went into overdrive when reports surfaced that Woodward had been engaged to Gore Vidal before her whirlwind romance with Newman. The engagement rumors added another layer of intrigue to Woodward's already fascinating love life. However, the truth behind their relationship was far more complex than anyone imagined.
46. She Was A "Beard"
Years later, Woodward revealed the real story behind her supposed engagement to Vidal. Truth be told, she confessed, there had been no genuine romantic relationship between them at all. Woodward stated that she had simply served as Vidal’s “beard," helping to conceal his true romantic inclinations. The two remained friends for life.
Universal History Archive, Getty Images
47. She Hated Her Character So Much
When Newman directed his wife in The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, something unusual happened. Newman later revealed that Woodward “never brought her character home after shooting except on the making of this film”. The reason? Woodward despised her character so intensely that she had to take her home to “get rid of her”.
She shouldn’t have been so quick to judge.
20th Century Fox, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
48. She Earned Ebert's Praise
The harsh film critic, Roger Ebert, was so thoroughly impressed by Woodward's transformative performance in The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds that he heaped praise on her. Noting that Woodward had “experimented” with a role completely “against type," he was amazed by her versatility. Woodward’s performance even netted her the prestigious Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
She ticked off every box on her bucket list.
20th Century Fox, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
49. She Had Three Life Goals
On the set of The Drowning Pool, Woodward shared some motherly wisdom with a then seventeen-year-old Melanie Griffith. Woodward confided in Griffith that she had achieved her three life goals: marrying a movie star, having beautiful babies, and winning an Academy Award. At that point, she had accomplished them all.
Now, she felt, it was time to pass the torch.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
50. She Championed Sally Field
During casting for the 1976 TV miniseries Sybil, Sally Field almost missed her chance at the career-defining role. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Woodward, no one might ever have heard the name Sally Field. At Woodward’s behest, the casting directors postponed their lunch to watch Field’s audition. And the rest is history.
Lorimar Productions/NBC, Wikimedia Commons
51. She Waited Decades For The Right Role
By 1990, Woodward was a living Hollywood legend with everything she wanted—except for one thing. Back in her 20s, Woodward had read Evan S Connell’s novel, Mr & Mrs Bridge, and dreamed of one day bringing the incredible story to the screen. But years passed, and nothing happened—until patience paid off.
Miramax Films, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990)
52. She Had To Age Into The Part
Initially, Woodward hadn't planned to play the starring role of “Mrs Bridge” herself—she had simply been too young for the role when she first read the novel. But by the late 1980s, time had solved that problem. At nearly sixty, she was finally the perfect age to embody the character she had been dreaming of bringing to life for three decades.
And it was worth it.
53. She Earned Her Fourth Oscar Nomination
Woodward's patience with Mr & Mrs Bridge paid off in spades. Her nuanced performance earned critical acclaim and netted her a fourth Academy Award nomination. She also took home the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress that year, proving that her dramatic powers had only deepened with age.
So, too, had her love.
54. She Fell For Newman's Humor
After 50 years of marriage, Woodward and Newman had defied all of the odds as one of the rare Hollywood power couples to make it work. Gleefully, Woodward revealed the secret to her marriage’s success: “He's very good-looking and very sexy and all of those things,” she confirmed, “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”.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
55. She Was The First “Star”—Or Was She?
Woodward became such a Hollywood fixture that a funny rumor began circulating. Many cinephiles and Hollywood historians believe that Woodward was the first real movie star, as she was the first celebrity to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In reality, however, 1,550 stars were all installed simultaneously, only one of which belonged to Woodward.
There is, however, some truth to the rumor.
56. She Was The Last True Movie Star
No one quite knows how the rumor began that Woodward was the first “star” on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, the Honorary Mayor of Hollywood, Johnny Grant, believes he knows how the rumor got started. According to Grant, Woodward was the first celebrity to pose for a picture with her star on the Walk of Fame, forever cementing her in audiences’ minds as the first—and last—true movie star.
Hollywood Press Syndicate, Wikimedia Commons
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