Barry Newman

Barry Foster Newman (born November 7, 1938) is an American actor of stage, screen and television [1] known for his portrayal of Kowalski in Vanishing Point,[2] and for his title role in the 1970s television series Petrocelli.[3] He has been nominated for Golden Globe and Emmy awards.

Barry Newman
Newman in 1974
Born
Barry Foster Newman

(1938-11-07) November 7, 1938
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1960–present

Early life

Newman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of a Belarusian-born mother, Sarah (née Ostrovsky), and an Austrian father, Carl Newman. Newman graduated from the prestigious Boston Latin School in 1948.[4][5] He was a childhood friend of actor Leonard Nimoy.[6][7]

After graduating from Brandeis University with a degree in anthropology in 1952, Newman was drafted into the Army, and having learned saxophone and clarinet in high school, he was assigned to the 3rd Army Band in Atlanta. After being discharged, Newman went to New York to receive his master's degree in anthropology from Columbia University, when a friend, who was studying acting with Lee Strasberg, invited him to sit in on a class.[8] His destiny changed as he fell in love with acting and left Columbia after only five weeks to study acting with Strasberg.

Career

Newman's first acting job was in Herman Wouk's first comedy Nature's Way, in which he played a jazz musician. New York critic Richard Watts called him "The creme of the Jesters". This role was followed by a featured part in the play Maybe Tuesday, written by Mel Tolkin.

Newman starred in the New York production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. After numerous parts on Broadway, including the musical What Makes Sammy Run, Sidney Kingsley's Night Live, America Hurrah,, Newman went on to do TV and movies. While working at nights on Broadway in What Makes Sammy Run, Newman starred as attorney John Barnes in the daytime drama The Edge of Night for two years. Earlier, Newman co-starred in his first film, the gangster potboiler Pretty Boy Floyd (1960), and he made his breakthrough with his first starring role in The Lawyer (1970). Newman starred in the 1971 cult movie Vanishing Point, followed by starring roles in 20th Century Fox's Salzburg Connection and Paramount's Fear Is the Key. In 1974, Petrocelli, a TV series created around the character Newman first played in The Lawyer, debuted on NBC and ran two seasons.

After Petrocelli, Newman starred in the film City on Fire with Henry Fonda and Ava Gardner, then in Disney's Amy. He starred or co-starred in more than 20 TV movies of the week, including ABC's King Crab, which won the ABC Theater Award. He also co-starred in several miniseries, including Fatal Vision. Variety called Newman "The Spencer Tracy of the 80s".

In 1989, Barry Newman starred with Suzanne Pleshette in the television series Nightingales. In the early 1990s, Newman starred in the BBC's production of The Mirror Cracked. During the 1990s, Newman co-starred in Daylight, Bowfinger, and The Limey.

Vanishing Point

Director Richard C. Sarafian's original choice for the role of Kowalski was Gene Hackman, but 20th Century Fox insisted on using Newman.[9] The film was not initially a success in the United States when it first opened in 1971, but received critical acclaim and was a commercial success in Europe. Since its release it has developed a cult following.[10]

Newman's success with the TV movie Night Games, based on the 1970 movie The Lawyer, led to the TV series Petrocelli, starring Newman as a lawyer who lives and works in the fictional town of San Remo, Arizona (filmed in Tucson, Arizona). He was nominated for an Emmy in 1975 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and in 1976, for a Golden Globe.

Awards and nominations

Selected filmography

Selected television work

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barry Newman.
  1. "Barry Newman". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 2007-10-23.
  2. Roger Greenspun (1971-03-25). "Vanishing Point (1971) A Lot of Speed and Loads of Hair". The New York Times.
  3. "Petrocelli". The New York Times.
  4. "Alumni". www.bls.org. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  5. "Liber actorum : Boston Latin School (Mass.) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  6. "'For the Love of Spock': Tribeca Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  7. Rogerinorlando (2016-09-06). "Movie Review: "For the Love of Spock"". Movie Nation. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  8. Hal Erickson (2014). "Barry Newman profile". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  9. "Vanishing Point". IMDB. October 17, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  10. Soha, Amber (2021-03-13). "Deconstructing the 1971 Cult Hit, Vanishing Point". Goomba Stomp Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  11. Paley Center.org

Petrocelli: San Remo Justice: An Episode Guide and Much More, by Sandra Grabman, published by BearManor Media ISBN 978-1-62933-205-5

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