Veteran actor Barry Newman passes away at 92

Newman, known for ‘Vanishing Point’, ‘Bowfinger’, ‘The Limey’ and other films, passed away from natural causes in New York

Barry Newman (1930-2023)

Veteran actor Barry Newman, best known for starring in the 1971 cult action thriller Vanishing Point, has passed away. He was 92.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Newman passed away on May 11 from natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center. His wife shared the news with the US-based publication.

In Vanishing Point, Newman played former race car driver Kowalski, a speedster that darts around in a Dodge Challenger after becoming entangled in a criminal conspiracy. The film is regarded as one of the defining American action films of the '70s by genre enthusiasts. It was directed by Richard C. Sarafian. Vanishing Point was shot over eight weeks and has become an admired cult classic, with Steven Spielberg calling it one of his favourite movies.

Newman also featured in films such as Sylvester Stallone-starring Daylight (1996), Bowfinger (1999), Steven Soderbergh's The Limey (1999) and 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002). Newman's career was curtailed after he was diagnosed with vocal-cord cancer in 2007, but he recovered. More recently, he reunited with writer-director Furie to star in the independent film Finding Hannah (2022), The Hollywood Reporter reported. Newman is survived by his wife, Angela.