Barry Newman, star of TV’s Vanishing Point and Petrocelli, dies aged 92
Barry Newman, who somehow made souped-up muscle cars look even cooler in the 1971 film Vanishing Point and played the title role in the NBC justice series Petrocelli, has died. He was 92 years old.
According to media reports, Newman died on May 11 at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center.
Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, he completed a college course with renowned drama teacher Lee Strasberg, who inspired him to become an actor. After graduating from Brandeis University and serving in the military, Newman moved to New York City to study with Strasberg.
Newman then went on to appear in various Broadway and New York theatrical productions before getting involved in feature films such as 1971’s The Lawyer and of course Vanishing Point, in which he played Kowalski, an auto parts supplier known for supplying hot rods transport in record time – but with a knack for getting into trouble with the road police.
He then went on to star in the NBC series Petrocelli, in which the Boston-born Harvard attorney settles in a small Arizona town. The series ran for two seasons until 1976. She earned Newman nominations for an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award.
In the years since Petrocelli ended, Newman has appeared in several television series, including The OC, Nightingales, Ghost Whisperer, NYPD Blue, LA Law, and Murder, She Wrote.
He has also appeared in notable films including Sylvester Stallone’s Daylight, Steve Martin’s Bowfinger and Stephen Soderbergh’s The Limey, starring Peter Fonda.
Newman is survived by his wife Angela.
