Paul Newman's Close Friend Says Late Actor Was Determined To Help Veterans In Need
Paul Newman is known as one of the most popular actors in Hollywood history. But a friend believes that his most notable trait is helping the less fortunate when the cameras are not rolling.
The actor, film director, race car driver, entrepreneur, activist, and philanthropist passed away in September 2008 at the age of 83, but he still continues to give back to the needy through the Newman's Own Foundation (NOF). Back in October last year, the non-profit organization revealed that they are committing a total of $6.7 million in grants to be given to veterans organizations.
Speaking with Fox News, Newman's friend and NOF President and CEO Bob Forrester said that the actor would have been proud of the organization's accomplishment if he is still alive.
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According to Forrester, both he and Newman have a strong history with the troops since he became an army officer in Vietnam while the actor was part of the army during the Second World War as mentioned by Vanity Fair back in 2008.
The NOF executive also mentioned that his time serving during the World War II inspired him to have good performances in his past roles in the movies.
Forrester also said that Newman believes that veterans need all the support that they can get. "They are easily forgotten in our society. It was a privilege to support them... We want to bring attention to those veterans that are likely to get missed in the long term... Sometimes family members have to take care of these people for life," the actor's close friend stated.
Also, the NOF president mentioned that as much as $18.5 million has been committed to advocacies that centers on veterans' needs. According to Newman's close friend, the organization searches for smaller organizations that may be connected to the community and the veterans that they want to serve. "Maybe this will demonstrate to the bigger organizations that this can be done. That's our philosophy," he also stated.
