MOVIE NEWS – Veteran actor Barry Newman, best known for his role as Petrocelli, the film character of the dashing lawyer, has died.

Actor Barry Newman, best known for his roles in the classic generational film Vanishing Point and the legal drama series Petrocelli, has died. It was revealed that Newman died on May 11 at New York Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center. However, his death has only just been announced to the press. The actor, who was previously diagnosed with vocal cord cancer in 2009, was 92.

Born on November 7, 1930, Newman was a lifelong friend of Leonard Nimoy, whom he met as a child.

After a stint in the US Army, Newman turned to acting. He made his Broadway debut in 1957 in Herman Wouk’s Nature’s Way. He appeared on screen in the daytime drama series The Edge of Night for two years. The actor’s first film role came in 1960 in the gangster film Pretty Boy Floyd. Continuing to persevere, Newman landed his first film role a decade later as the star of the 1970 courtroom drama The Lawyer, which marked his debut as Tony Petrocelli. He reprised the role in the TV movie Night Games.

In 1974, Newman returned as Tony in the TV series Petrocelli. The NBC series ran for two seasons and is one of the actor’s most memorable roles. For his role in the series, Newman was nominated for a 1975 Emmy Award for Best Actor. He was nominated for another Golden Globe Award in 1976. After Petrocelli, Newman starred in such television series as Murder; She Wrote; L.A. Law; NYPD Blue; The O.C.; Ghost Whisperer and The Cleaner.

Newman is also known for his starring role in the 1971 Richard C. Sarafian action film Vanishing Point, in which Newman plays an ex-cop who drives a muscle car across the country while “speeding” to evade law enforcement.

The film, starring Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger, John Amos and Victoria Medlin, has gained a cult following in the years since its release. Even if it wasn’t an undivided success at the box office when it was first released.

“It opened again in America after playing Europe and people then started getting on to the film,” Newman said of the film in a 2019 interview with Paul Rowlands. “It became a cult film without me even realizing it. To this day, I’m always being asked to talk about it somewhere.”

Recently, Newman reunited with The Lawyer director Sidney J. Furie to star in the indie film Finding Hannah. This film will serve as the actor’s final role.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter