Paul Newman
promotional photo of Paul Newman c. 1963, MGM
Birth Name: Paul Leonard Newman
Date of Birth: January 26, 1925
Place of Birth: Shaker Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Date of Death: September 26, 2008
Place of Death: Westport, Connecticut, U.S.
Ethnicity:
*Ashkenazi Jewish (father)
*Slovak (mother)
Paul Newman was an American actor, film director, businessperson, racing driver and team owner, environmentalist, activist, and philanthropist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Color of Money (1986). He was one of the greatest Hollywood stars.
Paul’s father, Arthur Sigmund Newman, was Ashkenazi Jewish, from a family from Hungary and Poland. Paul’s mother, Theresa (Fetsko, later Fetzer), who practiced Christian Science, was born to a Slovak Roman Catholic family at Homonna, Ptičie, formerly Pticsie, in the former Kingdom of Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire, now Humenné in Slovakia. He was not religious for most of his life. He had said, “I’ve always thought of myself as a Jew because it is harder.”
Paul was married to actress Joanne Woodward, until his death. Paul had three children, including actor Scott Newman, with his former wife, Jackie Witte; and three children, including actresses Nell Newman and Melissa Newman, with Joanne.
Paul’s paternal grandfather was named Simon Wolf Newman (the son of Joseph Newman and Hannah or Adel Edlisz/Roth). Simon was a Hungarian Jewish immigrant.
Paul’s paternal grandmother was named Hannah Cohn (the daughter of Selig Lazarus Israel Cohn and Bena). Hannah was a Polish Jewish immigrant.
Paul’s maternal grandfather was Štefan/Stephen Fecko/Fetsko (the son of George Fetsko and Mary Orgvanyi). Štefan was an ethnic Slovak. He born in either Hungary or Bohemia.
Paul’s maternal grandmother was Mária/Mary Polinak/Polenak or Hoczman. Mária/Mary was Slovak. She born in either Hungary or Bohemia. Mary Polinak was the daughter of Stephen Polinak and Mary Urban. Mária Hoczman was the daughter of Michael Holzman and Catharina Vojtun.
Sources: Genealogy of Paul Newman – http://www.geni.com
Pictures and genealogy of Paul’s family – http://www.findagrave.com
Genealogy of Paul Newman (focusing on his father’s side) – http://www.wikitree.com
Death record of Paul’s father – https://www.familysearch.org
Hannah Cohn was possibly born in Germany
http://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Newman-Family-Tree-2496
Andrew can you believe this? Lol ashash says Paul Newman parents were in an interracial marriage LOL I’ve heard it all…
Well, they were. I believe what they called it was “miscegenation.”
I do not believe those laws have ever effected Jewish individuals marrying “whites”. Maybe they couldn’t or wouldn’t be married by religious figures, priest, pastor, rabbi, etc, but a justice of the peace could perform the union in any state.
Jews although have been called a Semitic people, legally they were mostly known, in the past, as a “White Minority”, along with Italians and Poles, etc.
Thank you. I could have responded to that person but I was so in disbelief of that comment… lol Jews from Europe are white. Jewish is not a race. Hitler created that nonsense with aryan race… blonde blue eyed. Newman’s paternal side are Jews from Europe.
I know Paul Newman’s Jewish ancestors were from Eastern Europe but he most likely has little to no ethnic ancestry from Hungary or Poland (at least from the Ashkenazi side of his family). Ashkenazi is more likely middle eastern, Roman, Greek and other ancestry if you back to before the second temple was destroyed (70 A.D.) Although it is important to keep in mind that the people living in the Levant pre-Islamic times were much closer in genetics to Europeans.
@cwm85
I can’t reply to all the trolling comments.
My friend who is a polish and hungrian jew favors him. No wonder lol.
His paternal grandfather looked somewhat like him.
http://www.geni.com/people/Simon-Newman/6000000002962902711?through=6000000002963267590
That site has pictures of other relatives.
How were Paul’s parents able to get married? Interracial marriage was outlawed at the time …
What?!
Interracial marriage was illegal. Loving v. Virginia was a groundbreaking case.
How is that Paul’s parents were legally married??
Are you serious? Lol
Does Paul Newman look part black to you?
No, he looks Jewish. His father was Jewish and his mother was a white woman. Therefore, his parents had an interracial marriage, which was illegal at the time in the U.S.
There are other nonwhite races besides black,you know.