Nell Newman | |
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 Nell Newman in 2011 | |
| Born | Elinor Teresa Newman (1959-04-08)April 8, 1959 (age 66) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Nell Potts |
| Alma mater | College of the Atlantic |
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| Years active | 1968–present |
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| Relatives | Melissa Newman (sister) Scott Newman (half-brother) |
Elinor Teresa Newman (born April 8, 1959[1]) is an American former child actress who performed under the name ofNell Potts. She is anenvironmentalist,biologist, and a prominent supporter ofsustainable agriculture, who became anentrepreneur when she founded anorganic food andpet food production company,Newman's Own Organics.
Born inNew York City, she is the eldest child of actressJoanne Woodward and actorPaul Newman. She has two sisters from that marriage and three half-siblings from her father's first marriage. She is a graduate ofThe Putney School inPutney, Vermont. She attended theCollege of the Atlantic inBar Harbor, Maine, from which she graduated in 1987.[2]
She worked professionally as an actress during the 1960s and 1970s. Under the direction of her father, she played the title character as a child inRachel, Rachel (1968), in which her mother,Joanne Woodward, portrayed the adult Rachel.[3] In the next decade she starred in the filmThe Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), which featured her mother as a central character and which was directed by her father.[4]
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Following her education in human ecology at theCollege of the Atlantic, she worked for fundraising institutions until 1993, when she founded Newman’s Own Organics using the same ideals she'd learned from her father regarding philanthropy. Newman's Own Organics was a snack and pet food manufacturing company specializing in organic products that became a national brand. Royalties paid by Newman's Own Organics, for use of the Newman name and image, support the charitable activities of Newman's Own Foundation.
Her work inorganic food was initially inspired by a childhood awareness that her favorite bird, the Peregrine Falcon, was heading for extinction due to the use ofDDT, a pervasive chemical pesticide applied to agricultural crops. DDT works its way through the food chain, from insects to birds and rodents up to top predators such as falcons and hawks. Nell’s passion for birds specifically and nature generally led her to pursue a degree in Ecology, so she could better understand natural systems and how they interact with the human landscape.
Additionally, having been raised in ruralConnecticut she grew up eating vegetables from her mother’s garden and made pies out of apples picked from their trees, which contributed greatly to her work in sustainable agriculture and organic food.
She has a long friendship withAlice Waters, the owner of the restaurantChez Panisse and has remarked that, "With Alice Waters I had the unquestionable proof that organic food doesn't have to taste like 'health food'. As a matter of fact, organic food tastes better."[5] Following that line of thought, "Great-tasting products that happen to be organic" became the slogan of Newman's Own Organics.
Her father died oflung cancer on September 26, 2008. He had participated in the business, most importantly by lending his name and image as a boost to the fledgling business that began as a division of Newman's Own, founded in 1982.[6] In 2014, her license withNewman's Own was not renewed and Nell moved on to pursue her ongoing commitment to conservation, organic farming and philanthropy.
She and her father were featured together in many of its marketing campaigns, often posed to resembleAmerican Gothic, aniconic painting byGrant Wood.
Newman has been married to Gary Irving since 2005.[7] They reside in California. She is aflexitarian.[8]
In 2014, Newman received the prestigiousRachel Carson Award fromThe National Audubon Society for her environmental leadership.[9]In 2017, Newman was inducted into the Specialty Food Hall of Fame, which “honor(s) individuals whose accomplishments, impact, contributions, innovations, and successes within the specialty food industry deserve praise and recognition.”[10]
on April 8, 1959, Joanne gave birth to their first daughter, Elinor Theresa
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