Celebrity Julia Roberts: Paul Newman 'Was My Hero' The actress was involved in the fellow Oscar winner's camps for sick children By People Staff Published on September 27, 2008 12:00 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage; REUTERS/Jim Ruymen /Landov As Hollywood mourns the loss of a screen legend, Oscar winner Julia Roberts remembered Paul Newman as more than just an actor. “He was my hero,” Roberts tells PEOPLE. The actress was on the board of Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang, which funds camp programs for children with serious illnesses, and had recently attended an event for the charity with his wife, actress Joanne Woodward.