One of Hollywood’s top actors, the legendary , eventually lost his long battle to cancer on Friday. The film star - widely known for brilliant blue eyes, good looks, cool style and talent - died at age 83, at his farmhouse near Westport, Connecticut.  Newman’s publicist, Jeff Sanderson, said when the end came, the star - who was nominated for Academy Awards 10 times and won an Oscar in 1987 for his role in ‘The Colour of Money’ - was surrounded by his close family and friends.

Newman is survived by his wife of 50 years - actress Joanne Woodward - five daughters, two grandsons, and his older brother, Arthur. He also had a son Scott, who died in 1978. According to a statement released by his family on Saturday – “His death was as private and discreet as the way he had lived his life, a humble artist who never thought of himself as ‘big,’”

Paul Leonard Newman, known as ‘PL’ to his friends, was born in a Cleveland suburb on January 26, 1925. He was a Navy radio man in the Pacific during World War II. He went to Kenyon College in Ohio on a football scholarship, but took up acting after he was cut from the team over a bar-room brawl.

After his father’s death, Newman helped run the family sporting goods store, before heading to the Yale Drama School. He ended up in New York, finding bit parts in TV and a Broadway role in ‘Picnic’ in 1953. His first big film role was portraying boxer Rocky Graziano in ‘Somebody Up There Likes Me’.

He went on to become one of the world’s most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He had major roles in more than 50 movies including - Exodus, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Verdict, The Sting and Absence of Malice. He chanced to work with some of the greatest directors like Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Robert Altman, and Martin Scorsese.

Newman’s long marriage to Woodward ran counter to Hollywood’s tradition of fast weddings and quick divorces, and the pair lived in a 200-year-old Connecticut house, far from the heart of the entertainment industry.

A director and race car driver as well as an actor, Newman was also known for his extensive philanthropy. He created Newman’s Own food products, which funneled more than $250 million in profits to thousands of charities worldwide. Particularly close to his heart were his Hole-in-the-Wall Camps for seriously ill children.

“He quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity,” his five daughters said in a statement. “Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune. In his own words: ‘It’s been a privilege to be here.’”