Paul Newman Diagnosed with Cancer

A longtime friend and business associate of Oscar-winning actor Paul Newman, said on Wednesday that Newman had made it known to his friends as far back as 18 months ago that he had cancer.

A.E. Hotchner, who co-founded Newman's Own food products with the actor, told Reuters that Newman, 83, was doing fine as of two weeks ago, and when asked if the actor had cancer, Hotchner said "he made it known to a lot of his friends."

Hotchner, 90, of Westport, Connecticut, said that Newman "was ill and he just told everybody, that's all."

He added that he didn't know exactly what type of cancer Newman had because "I don't believe it's any of my business, and I don't want to get into it."

The widely acclaimed actor of films such as "The Color of Money" and "The Sting" on Tuesday responded to a flurry of unconfirmed media reports that he was gravely ill with cancer by issuing a terse statement saying he was "doing nicely."

His Los Angeles-based spokesman, Jeff Sanderson, declined to elaborate or give further details.

According to numerous reports, Newman has been diagnosed with lung cancer and was undergoing outpatient treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

A spokeswoman for Sloan-Kettering has said she had no information about whether Newman was a patient there.

Last month, he stepped down as director of a stage production of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" at the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut, citing unspecified health issues.

Hotchner said Newman remains involved in his charitable Hole In the Wall Gang Camp for children with cancer, and two weeks ago the actor was at a charity event in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he auctioned off items for the camps.

"He was there and energetic," Hotchner said, adding that he sees the actor about every two weeks.

Newman, who has appeared in some 60 movies, made his name portraying brooding characters in films like "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof." He earned nine Academy Award nominations in all, but his only Oscar win was for best actor in the 1986 film "The Color of Money," portraying the same pool shark, Fast Eddie Felson, he had played when he was nominated in 1961 for "The Hustler."