Hollywood has seen countless golden couples rise and fade—Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, and many more.
But any conversation about legendary celebrity partnerships has to include the late Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, now 92.
Paul and Joanne married in 1958 and remained together until Newman died in 2008 at age 83. Over 50 years, they built a life that blended Hollywood success with family, travel, and shared work on screen.
What many people don’t realize is that Woodward wasn’t impressed by her future husband when they first met.
Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman
Paul Newman became one of the most admired actors of his era, and alongside Joanne Woodward, the two formed one of Hollywood’s most enduring couples.
It’s easy to assume Newman was the sole star in the relationship, but Woodward built an acclaimed career of her own—earning major awards and establishing herself as one of the most respected performers in film, theatre, and television. In 1950s Hollywood, she stood out for choosing strong, independent roles rather than the helpless characters often written for women at the time.
Joanne Woodward was born on Feb. 27, 1930, in Thomasville, Georgia. She attended Greenville High School in Greenville, South Carolina, and while still a teenager, she won multiple beauty contests.
Her acting began in high school through theatrical productions. She played Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie and later returned to Greenville in the 1970s to perform the same production again—this time as Amanda Wingfield.
Married in Las Vegas
In 1955, at 25, Joanne returned to Greenville for the premiere of her debut film, Count Three and Pray.
After graduating high school, she moved to Louisiana and studied drama at Louisiana State University. She later traveled to New York City, where she performed on stage.
That move became pivotal. In 1953, she met her future husband, Paul Newman.
At the time, Newman was married to his first wife, Jackie Witte.
Woodward had recently graduated from Louisiana State and was working as an understudy in the Broadway play Picnic. Newman starred in the production, and before long, their connection began to form.
Years later, Newman and Woodward recalled the day they first met. It was a hot summer day, and Newman wore a seersucker suit, didn’t sweat, and looked—by Joanne’s description—like an “ice cream ad.”
“I was hot, sweaty and my hair was all stringy around my neck,” Joanne later said.
She also admitted she wasn’t interested at first, even though Newman was drawn to her. He thought she was an “extraordinarily pretty girl,” and he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
A biography of Newman later described Woodward’s early reaction in blunt terms:
“I hated him on sight, but he was so funny and pretty and neat.”
It would take four years before their relationship moved beyond friendship. They stayed close from the moment they met, but while filming The Long, Hot Summer (1957), things shifted into something more.
A Wonderful Love Story
Newman divorced Jackie shortly after filming The Long, Hot Summer in 1957. The couple had three children together.
Not long after separating from Jackie, Paul married Joanne on Jan. 29, 1858.
Joanne and Paul wed in Las Vegas and spent their honeymoon in Europe.
Newly married, they became a constant fascination for the press. Reporters followed them through parts of their honeymoon, and their public image as Hollywood’s golden couple only grew.
It marked the beginning of a love story many would describe as happy, charming, and deeply enduring.
After their six-week honeymoon, Paul and Joanne settled into their 18th-century farmhouse in Connecticut. Years later, Joanne explained that choosing Connecticut over Los Angeles mattered for their marriage.
“We were never Hollywood people. We just liked it better here. It also probably helps that we always enjoyed each other’s company,” Joanne said.
1958 also became a defining year for Woodward professionally. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Three Faces of Eve and later received another Academy Award nomination for her role in Rachel, Rachel in 1969, which was directed by Paul Newman.
Academy Award Winner
Woodward later earned additional Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in 1974 for Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams and in 1991 for Mr. & Mrs. Bridge.
Newman would also go on to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. In 1987, he received it for The Color of Money.
Woodward also won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress for See How She Runs (1978) and Do You Remember Love (1985), and she received five more nominations.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame has honored thousands of actors, filmmakers, and musicians. During the official groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 9, 1960, Joanne Woodward became the first person to receive a star.