Joanne Woodward, celebrated for her contributions to the Golden Age of Hollywood and her enduring marriage to the late Paul Newman, has led a life filled with both personal and professional success. As she turns 94, Woodward’s battle with Alzheimer’s, spanning over a decade, adds a poignant chapter to her storied legacy.
Born on February 27, 1930, Woodward won many beauty contests as a teen, but all she wanted to do was become an actress.
As soon as she was old enough, Woodward attended Louisiana State University, where she majored in drama. After performing in small plays, Woodward moved to New York, where she studied acting with Sanford Meisner.
Roles in theater and television productions soon followed, and it was around this time that she was introduced to Paul Newman by her agent in 1953. Her journey to stardom began with her breakout role in the 1955 film “Count Three and Pray.”
In 1957, Woodward’s portrayal in “Three Faces of Eve” earned her an Oscar for Best Actress, marking the beginning of a distinguished career with 44 nominations and 29 award wins.
Alongside Newman, she starred in 16 films, contributing to their collective achievements, including four Emmys, two Academy Awards, and numerous classic movies.
By 1960, she had earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Despite her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Woodward continued to contribute to the arts, performing voiceovers in five projects from 2010 to 2013, with “Lucky Them” being her last.
“She released her ego to become a stepmother and then a mother, only to have his career explode. And she didn’t expect what the industry would do to her once she started being a mother. Her life as an actor was deeply affected,” said Ethan Hawke, whose projects on the two star’s lives, “The Last Movie Stars,” and the posthumous memoir, “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man,” were released in 2022.
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