LOS ANGELES, Sept 27: 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 spokesman said on Saturday.

He was 83, and he died on Friday night, said his Los Angeles-based spokesman 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 Colour 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 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 Jan 26, 1925, and was a Navy radio man in the Pacific during World War Two. Afterwards, 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.

—Reuters