Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (Reuters)

Los Angeles, Sept. 27 (Reuters): Legendary film star Paul Newman, whose brilliant blue eyes, good looks and talent made him one of Hollywood’s top actors over six decades has died after a long battle with cancer, a spokesperson said today.

He was 83, and he died yesterday night, said his Los Angeles-based spokesperson Jeff Sanderson.

Newman appeared in some 60 movies, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Sting. He earned nine Oscar nominations for acting and won the best actor honour for 1986’s The Color of Money.

Famed for his philanthropy as well as his acting, Newman was married to Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward for more than 50 years, and had successful side careers as an auto racing driver and creator of a line of food products, Newman’s Own, that bore his name and face on their labels.

The Newman’s Own Foundation took profits from that company and sponsored numerous charitable organisations. Newman also founded his “Hole in the Wall” Camps, which provided fun summer breaks for children around the world suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

“Paul’s Newman’s craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all,” Robert Forrester, vice-chairman of the Newman’s Own Foundation, said in a statement.

Newman was born in a Cleveland suburb on January 26, 1925, and was a navy radio man in the Pacific during World War II. Afterward, he went to Kenyon College in Ohio on a football scholarship but took up acting after being cut from the team because of a barroom 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 major movie role was portraying boxer Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me.