Joanne Woodward’s 3 Kids: Meet Her Daughters With Paul Newman
Joanne Woodward is known for her work as an actress & her marriage to the late Paul Newman, but did you know they had 3 daughters? Find out more about them here!
Joanne Woodward, 93, is an actress who rose to fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Aside from her work in movies like Rachel, Rachel, and others, Joanne was famous for her long-lasting marriage to the late actor Paul Newman. The pair got married in 1958 and maintained their strong bond until his death in 2008. Together, Paul and his wife welcomed three out of his six children. Aside from his kids with Joanne, Paul was a proud dad to Scott Newman, Stephanie Newman, and Susan Kendall Newman.
Unfortunately, Joanne has been battling Alzheimer’s since 2007. The documentary The Last Movie Stars revealed that the actress lived with her family in Connecticut. A source gave an update on her in a report from OK! Magazine in April 2023. “At this point, the best that can be done for Joanne is to keep her comfortable while waiting for the inevitable. It’s a tribute to her courage and determination she has lived with this debilitating disease as long as she has,” they said.
Joanne’s daughter, Melissa, compiled a book about her parents’ love story Head Over Heels: Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman: A Love Affair in Words and Pictures in October 2023. Their relationship also served as the basis for the 2023 HBO film The Last Movie Stars. Keep reading to find out about his three daughters with the now 93-year-old!
Nell Newman
One year after Paul and the A Big Hand for the Little Lady star got married, they welcomed their first daughter, Nell Newman (b. 1959). Their eldest child appeared in a few movies in her younger years but ultimately went on to focus on “charitable giving,” per the Nell Newman Foundation website. A few of the movies that she was featured in include The Effect of Gamma Rays (1972), Rachel, Rachel (1968), and Fed Up! (2002). She notably co-starred in the first two movies listed alongside her famous momma.
Nell often shares photos of both of her parents via Instagram to reminisce on the fond memories she has of them. Most recently, on Jan. 27, 2023, the 64-year-old took to Instagram to share a cute throwback photo with her dad during her younger years. “Today I miss my Pop more than usual. This picture was from the good old days when Pop raced for Bob Sharp Datsun. The pits were best navigated on a mini bike,” she captioned the photo with the Cool Hand Luke star. She married Gary Irving in 2005, together they have no children.
Melissa Newman
Two years after Nell was born, Joanne and Paul welcomed their second daughter, Melissa Newman (b. 1961). The now 61-year-old starred in a few movies growing up, but ultimately opted to pursue a career out of the entertainment industry. Some of her movies include Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990), The Undefeated (1969), and Sometimes a Great Notion (1971). Her father and mother notably starred in a few of those same films as well.
In recent years, Melissa appeared on BBC’s Breakfast talk show in Oct. 2022 to chat about her father’s posthumous memoir, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man. “I was thinking about this in being asked to be an authority on my parents… and I thought well who is an authority on their parents?”, she said at the time. “They were my parents. I’m an authority on being their child.” She even admitted that there are many films that both of her parents starred in that she still has not seen. As mentioned above, she also compiled the book Head Over Heels about her parents’ love story.
Melissa is married to Raphael Elkind and they have two kids: Henry Elkind and Peter Elkind.
Claire “Clea” Olivia Newman
In 1965, Paul and his wife expanded their family for the final time when they welcomed their daughter, Claire “Clea” Olivia Newman. Claire is the closest to following in her parents footsteps out of her two older sisters. The now 58-year-old is a TV producer and has worked on many hit TV shows including Big Little Lies, The Big C, Love & Death, and more, per her IMDb profile. Although she has not starred in these projects, she is credited for working on the editorial department and as the producer for the Max series.
In 2017, she spoke to The Daily Mail about her late father in admiration. “Dad was like a big kid,” she said at the time. “He was like a kid in the way that nothing stopped him. You know how children feel they can do anything? My dad was like that. Not in an egotistical way, but he thought, ‘Why should there be barriers?'” Clea is married to Kurt Soderlund and does not appear to have any children.