Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward: A lifelong love story. Infopun

The love story of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward is quite different from typical Hollywood romances. True, the star couple had to get over Newman's painful divorce, but in other aspects Newman-Woodward union is a rare example of a close-knit family of actors who have overcome all the misfortunes and professional rivalry, and lived until the golden wedding anniversary in January 2008. Seven months later, on September 26, 2008, the legendary actor died of cancer, and his beloved woman held his hand.

The future Hollywood stars met in August 1953 at the dawn of their careers in the waiting room of the agency MCA, which promoted young artists. He was married and had already become a father. Although Newman felt nothing towards his wife but respect, Woodward did not want to be known as the woman who ruined the family. Therefore, despite the passion noticeable to everyone around them, the lovers abandoned their romantic feelings and pursued their own careers. Young stars remained friends, often met in the MCA hallways, at movie premieres and Hollywood parties, but continued to be faithful to their partners – his wife and her fiancé, to whom the star actress was engaged. But then came 1958 with The Long, Hot Summer starring Woodward and Newman.

The Long, Hot Summer is the debut movie co-starring Woodward and Newman. After five years of friendship, during which Newman had had three kids with his first wife Jackie Witte, the ideal couple finally met on the set, where they were to play lovers. Passion on the screen wildly splashed into real life and the actors could no longer hide their feelings.

Witte desperately resisted divorcing Newman, for whom she had left her acting career and who was the father of her three children.

One day the tragedy with Scott, Newman's son from his first marriage, nearly destroyed the perfect union Woodward-Newman. However, in 1958, lovers did not know, did not think and couldn't even imagine that Newman Jr. will die of a drug overdose, and Newman Sr. will blame himself and his second wife for the death of his only son (his five daughters, are still doing well). The actor thought he was responsible for his son's death because his new family distracted him from his paternal responsibilities to the children from his first marriage. Scott was the actor's firstborn and somewhere in the course of his life he had chosen the wrong path. And Newman wasn't there to help his son. Tragedy could have ruined the perfect Woodward-Newman family, but they got over the blow and became even more bonded in the end.

Winners of the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe, the Cannes Film Festival and other cinematic forums were not like today's celebrities. Photographers could catch and photograph iconic actors in the most unexpected locations. They didn't consider themselves celebrities. They would walk in parks, relax on benches, go shopping, sunbathe on city lawns, and work in the vegetable garden in their Connecticut home. In such places paparazzi and ordinary photographers caught the star couple making historical photos, the most spectacular, bright and interesting of which are presented below.