Who was Paul Newman’s first wife Jackie Witte? All about Susan Kendall Newman’s mom as the actor dies at 72

The late American actor, filmmaker, racing driver, and philanthropist, Paul Newman’s daughter, Susan Kendall Newman, passed away on August 2, 2025, at the age of 72. The announcement came over two months later on the New York Times obituary website Legacy.com on October 7, 2025.

According to her family, Susan Kendall Newman died of complications from chronic health conditions. She was the daughter of Paul Newman and his first wife, and late actress Jackie Witte.

“Susan Kendall Newman will be remembered for her sharp wit and tongue, generosity and love, and her devotion to family and friends. She will be very much missed,” the family’s statement read.

Susan Kendall Newman was a Broadway and movie actress, TV producer, lifelong philanthropist, and social activist dedicated to raising awareness about civil rights, conservation education, and anti-war and nuclear disarmament efforts.

She is best remembered for appearing in the Beatles tribute film, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, in 1978. The comedy musical was directed by Robert Zemeckis and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg.

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Everything about Susan Kendall Newman’s mother, Jackie Witte

According to IMDb, Susan Kendall Newman was Paul Newman and Jackie Witte’s middle child and first daughter. She was born on February 21, 1953, in New York City.

As for Jackie, her full name was Jacqueline Emily Witte. She was born on September 15, 1929, in Cook County, Illinois. She was an aspiring actress. According to Closer Magazine, Jackie Witte married Paul Newman in December 1949 while she was in college and lived in Staten Island, New York. They divorced in January 1958 when the Oscar-winning late actor wanted to marry Joanne Woodward.

Witte and Newman had three children: Scott Newman, Susan Kendall Newman, and Stephanie Newman. Jackie Witte passed away in New York on May 19, 1994, aged 64.

Scott Newman, their first son, born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1950, was an actor and stuntman known for his appearances in The Towering Inferno (1974), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), and Breakheart Pass (1975).

Susan Kendall Newman’s brother died from an accidental overdose on November 20, 1978, in Los Angeles, California, aged 28. Later, his father, Paul Newman, and his stepmother, Joanne Woodward, established the Scott Newman Foundation at the University of Southern California in his memory.

As per her obituary, Susan Kendall Newman served multiple leadership roles within the foundation, raised awareness about drug addiction, and substance abuse prevention. Paul Newman spoke about his son’s death and first marriage in his memoir, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, published posthumously in October 2022.

Not much is known about Scott and Susan’s sister Stephanie, born in 1954, except that she was mentioned in the 2022 HBO TV miniseries, The Last Movie Stars, which chronicled Paul and Joanne's love story.

Actress, producer, and director Joanne Woodward, 95, was Paul Newman’s second wife and the stepmother of Stephanie, Scott, and Susan Kendall Newman. Woodward and Newman had three daughters: Nell Potts (Elinor Newman), 66, Melissa “Lissy” Newman, 64, and Claire “Clea” Newman, 60.

The couple was married until Paul Newman died in 2008, at the age of 83.

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More about Susan Kendall Newman in the aftermath of her demise

Susan Newman began her career acting in on-and-off Broadway productions, including Jerry Adler’s 1975 play We Interrupt This Program and the 1977 sports comedy, Slap Shot, alongside her dad.

Later, in 1978, she appeared as one of the six teenagers to sneak their way into The Beatles’ iconic February 1964 “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the film, I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Susan shared the screen with Nancy Allen, Bobby Di Cicco, Marc McClure, Theresa Saldana, Wendie Jo Sperber, Eddie Deezen, Christian Juttner, and Will Jordan.

The late actress’ other acting credits include Robert Altman’s 1978 satirical comedy-drama A Wedding.

As a producer, Susan Kendall worked on the 1980 ABC Theater presentation of Michael Cristofer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Shadow Box, directed by Paul Newman and starring Joanne Woodward. Newman herself received an Emmy, Peabody, and Grammy nomination for the same, alongside a Golden Globe win.

Paul Newman’s recently deceased daughter had been a part of his nonprofit, the Scott Newman Foundation, since 1980, and was its Executive Director. In the role, Susan Newman collaborated with the California Department of Education to create the video “Drug Free Kids: A Parent’s Guide.”

She also toured across the country, as well as in Canada, Australia, and Mexico, to raise awareness against drug addiction. Susan was a regular speaker at the Betty Ford Center and the Annenberg Complex. She was the President of the Entertainment Industry Foundation and the founder of Newman Consulting Company.