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Newman, one of the biggest stars of the 1960s
and 1970s, began writing the memoir in the 1980s to counter the
relentless media attention on him, Knopf said in a statement. He
never published an autobiography prior to his death in 2008.
Knopf said the as yet untitled memoir would cover the thoughts
of the "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" star on acting,
directing, his 50-year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward,
racing, politics and stardom.
“Because there had been so many unsolicited biographies and
examinations of my work and my life, the record now has no
bearing on truth at all," Newman told a friend, screenwriter
Stewart Stern, in 1986. "I should probably at least make some
truthful self-examination so the unsolicited biographies
wouldn’t be considered as gospel.”
The memoir is based on Stern's conversations with Newman. Stern
also spoke with dozens of Newman's friends and co-stars, many of
them on the record.
Knopf said the transcripts for the memoir were recently
discovered at the home of Woodward, now 91, and had been
approved for publication by the family.
Peter Gethers, who is editing the book, said it showed a side of
Newman that had not been seen before.
“He does not shy away from his demons, and the actor’s candor,
is, by turns, stunning, smart, funny, self-critical, and
tender,” Gethers said in a statement.
Newman, known for his piercing blue eyes, won an Oscar for his
1986 movie "The Color of Money" and was Oscar-nominated nine
other times for movies including "Cool Hand Luke" and "The
Verdict." Also a keen race car driver, he retired from acting in
2007 and died the following year of lung cancer at age 83.
Knopf said the memoir will be published in the fall of 2022.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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