Melissa Newman

Last updated

Melissa Newman
Born
Melissa Stewart Newman

(1961-09-27) September 27, 1961 (age 62)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Artist, singer
Years active1969–1990
SpouseRaphael Elkind
Children2
Parent(s) Paul Newman
Joanne Woodward
Relatives Nell Newman (sister)
Scott Newman (half-brother)

Melissa Stewart Newman [1] (born September 27, 1961), [1] also known as Lissy Newman, is an American artist, singer [2] and former actress who appeared in the 1990 film Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, and at the 30th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Contents

Career

On the big screen at 7 years of age, her first appearance was in Rachel, Rachel (1968) during the classroom scene, which is not credited. [3] A year later, she appears in Sometimes a Great Notion (1970), as Lissy Stamper, the daughter of Joe Ben (Richard Jaeckel) and Jan (Linda Lawson). [4] In Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990), she has a cameo as Young India at the Pool, appearing in silent home movies (at the beginning and end of the film) as a flashback of Mrs. India Bridge, who was portrayed by Newman's mother, Joanne Woodward.

On television, she had a supporting role as Laney, the teenage daughter of the protagonist Betty Quinn (Joanne Woodward), in the 1978 movie See How She Runs . [5]

Personal life

Melissa Newman was born in Hollywood, California, the daughter of American actors Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, and the sister of Elinor Newman (as a child actress also known as Nell Potts) and Clea (Claire) Newman. She was born on the same day her parents' film Paris Blues was released in the U.S.

She grew up shuttling back and forth with her well-known actor parents between Westport, Connecticut and Hollywood. [2] She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1988. [6]

Newman is married to Raphael "Raphe" Elkind, a middle-school teacher and they have 2 children. They reside in Westport, Connecticut, in the 19th-century home previously owned by her parents. [2]

In 2023, Newman published a book of personal photos and letters of her parents' relationship spanning over decades entitled "Head Over Heels: Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman: A Love Affair in Words and Pictures" [7] that included never before seen love letters and rare photos by acclaimed artists such as Richard Avedon and Stewart Stern. [8]

Filmography

As herself

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Newman</span> American actor and film director (1925–2008)

Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Silver Bear, a Cannes Film Festival Award, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

<i>Rachel, Rachel</i> 1968 film by Paul Newman

Rachel, Rachel is a 1968 American drama film produced and directed by Paul Newman and starring his wife, Joanne Woodward, in the title role and co-starring Estelle Parsons and James Olson. The screenplay, by Stewart Stern based on the 1966 novel A Jest of God by Canadian author Margaret Laurence, concerns a schoolteacher in small-town Connecticut and her sexual awakening and independence in her mid-30s. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two Golden Globes: Best Director and Best Actress (Drama).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanne Woodward</span> American actress (born 1930)

Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward is an American retired actress. She made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a characteristic nuance and depth of character. Her accolades include an Academy Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She is the oldest living winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress.

<i>From the Terrace</i> 1960 film by Mark Robson

From the Terrace is a 1960 American DeLuxe Color romantic drama film in CinemaScope directed by Mark Robson from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, based on the 1958 novel of the same name by John O'Hara. The film stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Myrna Loy, Ina Balin, George Grizzard, and Leon Ames, with a young Barbara Eden appearing in one scene. The plot tells the story of the estranged son of a Pennsylvania factory owner who marries into a prestigious family and moves to New York to seek his fortune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allison Janney</span> American actress (born 1959)

Allison Brooks Janney is an American actress. Known for her performances across the screen and stage, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and seven Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for two Tony Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Darwell</span> American actress (1879–1967)

Jane Darwell was an American actress of stage, film, and television. With appearances in more than 100 major movies spanning half a century, Darwell is perhaps best remembered for her poignant portrayal of the matriarch and leader of the Joad family in the film adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

<i>Mr. & Mrs. Bridge</i> 1990 film by James Ivory

Mr. & Mrs. Bridge is a 1990 American drama film based on the novels Mr. Bridge and Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell. It is directed by James Ivory, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and produced by Ismail Merchant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30th Academy Awards</span> Award ceremony for films of 1957

The 30th Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 26, 1958, to honor the best films of 1957.

<i>A New Kind of Love</i> 1963 film by Melville Shavelson

A New Kind of Love is a 1963 American romantic comedy film written, directed, and produced by Melville Shavelson and starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Frank Sinatra sings "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me" over the opening credits.

<i>ER</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American fictional drama television series ER first aired on September 26, 1996, and concluded on May 15, 1997. The third season consists of 22 episodes.

<i>Sometimes a Great Notion</i> (film) 1971 film by Paul Newman

Sometimes a Great Notion is a 1971 American drama film directed by Paul Newman and starring Newman, Henry Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, and Lee Remick. The cast also includes Richard Jaeckel in an Academy Award-nominated performance.

<i>Count Three and Pray</i> (film) 1955 film by George Sherman

Count Three and Pray is a 1955 American CinemaScope Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Van Heflin and Joanne Woodward in her first feature film. It was based on the story "Calico Pony" by Herb Meadow. It premiered in Woodward's home town, Greenville, South Carolina, at the Paris Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nell Newman</span> American actress

Elinor Teresa Newman is an American former child actress who performed under the name of Nell Potts. She is an environmentalist, biologist, and a prominent supporter of sustainable agriculture, who became an entrepreneur when she founded an organic food and pet food production company, Newman's Own Organics.

<i>The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds</i> (film) 1972 film

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds is a 1972 American drama film produced and directed by Paul Newman. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1964 play of the same title by Paul Zindel. Newman cast his wife, Joanne Woodward, and one of their daughters, Nell Potts, in two of the lead roles. Roberta Wallach, daughter of Eli Wallach, played the third lead.

The Stranger Who Looks Like Me is a 1974 American made-for-television drama romance film directed by Larry Peerce and starring Meredith Baxter, Beau Bridges and Walter Brooke. The cast includes Whitney Blake, who was Meredith Baxter's real-life mother; Bill Vint, who starred in the drive-in classic Macon County Line, as well as future Dallas star Patrick Duffy, who has a small part. The film originally premiered as the ABC Movie of the Week on March 6, 1974.

Rondi Charleston is a jazz vocalist and songwriter. She is also an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television journalist and investigative reporter for Primetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Newman on screen and stage</span> List of films by Paul Newman

This article is the filmography of Paul Newman.

The 80 Yard Run (<i>Playhouse 90</i>) 19th episode of the 2nd season of Playhouse 90

"The 80 Yard Run" is an American television play broadcast on January 16, 1958, as part of the second season of the CBS television series Playhouse 90. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward co-starred. Franklin Schaffner directed, and David Shaw wrote the teleplay as an adaptation of a story written by his brother Irwin Shaw.

<i>The Last Movie Stars</i> 2022 documentary series directed by Ethan Hawke

The Last Movie Stars is an American documentary television miniseries created by Emily Wachtel and directed by Ethan Hawke. All six episodes of the series were released on HBO Max on July 21, 2022. After discovering transcripts of interviews conducted at Paul Newman's request for an abandoned memoir project, a daughter of Newman and Joanne Woodward asked Hawke to tell their story, personally and as artists. Hawke assembled actors to read pieces of the interviews, conducted and edited by writer Stewart Stern, including interviews with Newman and Woodward. The marriage spanned 50 years and was often cited as one of the great Hollywood successful marriages and love stories.

References

  1. 1 2 Zeller, Terry (July 23, 2022). "Paul Newman's Wife: Everything To Know About His 2 Marriages Before Death". Hollywood Life. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Alexandria Styron – "Pop's Stars: Paul Newman's Daughters Now", Town & Country , December 31, 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2015
  3. 1 2 "The Lambs: Virtual Conversation with Melissa Newman". YouTube. January 29, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Sometimes a Great Notion: Credits". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "TV Guide: See How She Runs". TVGuide.com. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  6. Teltsch, Kathleen (March 27, 1991). "Newman To Endow New Chair". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2016. Two of the daughters of Ms. Woodward and Mr. Newman are also Sarah Lawrence graduates. Melissa Newman graduated in 1988.
  7. Schwing, John (October 11, 2023). "'Head Over Heels' pictures Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in love". Westport Journal. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  8. "Paul Newman's love letters to Joanne Woodward were too 'naughty' for daughter's book". Los Angeles Times. October 23, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.