How Paul Newman Cemented His Status as a Hollywood Legend After Starring in 1967’s ‘Cool Hand Luke’

Paul Newman cemented his statue as a Hollywood legend playing Luke Jackson, a Florida prison camp inmate who refuses to be broken, in Cool Hand Luke.

In this pivotal scene from the Oscar winning 1967 flick, Luke takes on the prisoners' burly leader, Dragline, played by George Kennedy, in a grudge boxing match and gets his butt kicked.

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But every time Dragline knocks him down, Luke crawls back to his feet — even as other cons urge him to "Stay down!" — until Dragline refuses to fight anymore. Amazingly, writer Donn Pearce thought Newman was "too cute" for the part!

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