Editing Paul Newman (section)

=== 1953–1958: Early roles ===
[[File:Paul Newman 1954.JPG|thumb|right|Newman in 1954]]

He made his [[Broadway theatre]] debut in the original production of [[William Inge]]'s ''[[Picnic (play)|Picnic]]'' with [[Kim Stanley]] in 1953. While working on the production, he met [[Joanne Woodward]], an understudy. The two married in 1958. He also appeared in the original Broadway production of ''[[The Desperate Hours (play)|The Desperate Hours]]'' in 1955. In 1959, he was in the original Broadway production of ''[[Sweet Bird of Youth]]'' with [[Geraldine Page]] and three years later starred with Page in the film version. During this time Newman started acting in television. His first credited role was in a 1952 episode of ''[[Tales of Tomorrow]]'' entitled "Ice from Space".<ref>{{cite episode|title=Ice From Space|series=Tales of Tomorrow|series-link=Tales of Tomorrow|airdate=August 8, 1952|season=1|number=43}}</ref> In the mid-1950s, he appeared twice on [[CBS]]'s ''Appointment with Adventure'' [[anthology series]].

In February 1954, Newman appeared in a [[screen test]] with [[James Dean]], directed by [[Gjon Mili]], for ''[[East of Eden (film)|East of Eden]]'' (1955). Newman was tested for the role of Aron Trask, Dean for the role of Aron's twin brother Cal. Dean won his part, but Newman lost out to [[Richard Davalos]]. That same year, as a last-minute replacement for Dean, he co-starred with [[Eva Marie Saint]] and [[Frank Sinatra]] in a live, color television broadcast of ''[[Our Town (television)|Our Town]]'', which was a musical adaptation of [[Thornton Wilder]]'s stage play.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Weiner|first1=Ed|title=The TV Guide TV Book: 40 Years of the All-Time Greatest Television Facts, Fads, Hits, and History|url=https://archive.org/details/tvguidetvbook40y00wein|url-access=registration|place=New York|publisher=Harper Collins|year=1992|edition=First|page=[https://archive.org/details/tvguidetvbook40y00wein/page/118 118]}}</ref> After Dean's death, Newman replaced Dean in the role of a boxer in a television adaptation of Hemingway's story "The Battler", written by A. E. Hotchner, that was broadcast live on October 18, 1955. That performance led to his breakthrough role as Rocky Graziano in the film ''[[Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956 film)|Somebody Up There Likes Me]]'' in 1956.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Bruce |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/15/books/a-e-hotchner-dead.html |title=A. E. Hotchner, Writer and Friend of the Famous, Dies at 102|date=February 15, 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215213813/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/15/books/a-e-hotchner-dead.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Dean connection had additional resonance. Newman was cast as Billy the Kid in ''[[The Left Handed Gun]]'', which was a role originally earmarked for Dean. Additionally, Dean was originally cast to play the role of [[Rocky Graziano]] in ''Somebody Up There Likes Me''; however, with his death, Newman got the role.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/14/the-legacy-of-james-dean|title=Would James Dean have been a Newman or a Brando?|first=John|last=Patterson|work=The Guardian|date=April 14, 2014|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111204926/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/14/the-legacy-of-james-dean|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Wise, Robert, (2006). ''Somebody Up There Likes Me Commentary''. Turner Entertainment.</ref>

Newman's first film for Hollywood was ''[[The Silver Chalice (film)|The Silver Chalice]]'' (1954), co-starring Italian actress [[Pier Angeli]]. The film was a box-office failure, and the actor would later acknowledge his disdain for it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKRWD9ec_Eo|title=Inside The Actors Studio – Paul Newman |publisher=YouTube |date=June 8, 2011|access-date=February 1, 2012|archive-date=July 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707175151/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKRWD9ec_Eo&feature=plcp|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1956, Newman garnered much attention and acclaim for the role of Rocky Graziano in [[Robert Wise]]'s biographical film ''Somebody Up There Likes Me''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/52009-SOMEBODY-UP-THERE-LIKES-ME?cxt=filmography|access-date=June 20, 2023|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> That year, he also played the lead in [[Arnold Laven]]'s [[The Rack (1956 film)|''The Rack'']].<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/51964-THE-RACK?cxt=filmography|access-date=June 20, 2023|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> In 1957, Newman worked again with director Wise in ''[[Until They Sail]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/52428-UNTIL-THEY-SAIL?cxt=filmography|access-date=June 20, 2023|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> Also that year, he acted in [[Michael Curtiz]]'s ''[[The Helen Morgan Story]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/52211-THE-HELEN-MORGAN-STORY?cxt=filmography|access-date=June 20, 2023|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref>