(Jewish Group) Paul Newman Recalls Fight Over 'Antisemitic Taunt' While Serving in WWII

[Behind the Aegis]

Paul Newman revealed he was called an antisemitic slur while serving in World War II.

In the actor's posthumous book, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir, obtained by Newsweek, the late star writes about an encounter he had with a fellow serviceman.

According to Uso.org, the Cool Hand Luke star—who passed away in 2008 at the age of 83—"initially enrolled in the Navy's V-12 pilot training program but was disqualified upon the discovery that he was colorblind."

Instead, the website states that "Newman served as a radioman and rear gunner for torpedo bombers."

The Ohio native's father, Arthur Newman Sr., was Jewish, while his mother, Theresa Newman, practiced Christian Science.

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[wryter2000]

1. I didn't know he fought in WWII

I never thought about him being the right age, but he was.

He had a house near my hometown in Redding, CT. There were all kinds of stories about people who met him, and they were consistently about how warm and down-to-earth he was. It's just like him to call himself an ordinary man.

I got to meet him when I was an extra in Rachel, Rachel. I was sitting on the set when I noticed him over my right shoulder. I played it cool instead of gushing and continued my conversation. When I ended he bent down and gave me an instruction. I only realized when he walked away that he'd been waiting for me to finish talking to the other person rather than interrupt me. I guess he was about the nicest person you could hope to meet, and completely in love with his wife.