Paul Newman: big in Iran

It seems Paul Newman, who died on Friday aged 83, was more popular than even his most ardent fans might have imagined. The screen legend, who starred in films such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cool Hand Luke,and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, has been mourned all around the world - including the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Despite the fact that there is a nationwide ban on Hollywood films in Iran, the government’s own newspaper IRAN led the charge with a front-page obituary for Newman. Iran’s biggest-selling daily Hamshahri followed suite with a full front page devoted to the actor, as did smaller independent papers Etemaad and Kargozaran who used huge photographs of the star on their covers. "The end of the last classic star", was Etemaad's headline. Kargozaran went with "The end of the blue-eyed kid".

The decision to celebrate Newman’s life in the Iranian media is doubly surprising considering that only six months ago the country’s Cultural Ministry shut down nine cinemas and a handful of lifestyle magazines for their coverage of "corrupt" American film stars. The government was particularly offended by photographs of screen sirens such as Cameron Diaz, Naomi Watts and Angelina Jolie. Why the clerical regime would make an exception for Newman, a committed gay-rights campaigner and bona-fide all-American hero, is anyone’s guess. (Continued below)

Even Tahmineh Milani, the liberal female film director who spent time in prison for her controversial 2001 film The Hidden Half, was allowed to rave about Newman’s films to the international press. She said she had watched over 30 of his movies. "I am sad for his death", she said. "He had a positive impact on the world cinema."