Dropped from flight training (because he was color blind) and spent WWII as a US Naval Reserve radio operator

Managed the family sporting goods business after his father's death

TV-acting debut, "Kraft Television Theatre"

Broadway theater debut in William Inge's "Picnic"; met future wife Joanne Woodward who was an understudy

Film acting debut, "The Silver Chalice"

Returned to Broadway in the thriller "The Desperate Hours"

Breakout role as boxer Rocky Graziano in Robert Wise's "Somebody Up There Likes Me"

First film opposite Joanne Woodward, "The Long Hot Summer"; first collaboration with director Martin Ritt

Delivered sensational perfomance as Brick in Richard Brooks' adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"; earned first Oscar nomination as Best Actor

Returned to the stage playing Chance Wayne in Tennessee Williams' "Sweet Bird of Youth"

Portrayed 'Fast' Eddie Felson opposite Jackie Gleason's 'Minnesota Fats' in Robert Rossen's "The Hustler"; earned second Best Actor Oscar nomination

Reprised role in the film adaptation of "Sweet Bird of Youth"; second collaboration with director Brooks; earned third Oscar nomination

Earned fourth Oscar nod for portraying the title role in Martin Ritt's "Hud"

Last stage appearance for nearly four decades, the Off-Broadway play "Baby Wants a Kiss"

Only collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, "Torn Curtain"

Had title role of "Harper" a private eye

Starred in Stuart Rosenberg's "Cool Hand Luke" as hardboiled egg-eating convict; earned fifth Oscar nomination

Sixth and final collaboration with director Ritt, "Hombre"

Feature directing and producing debut, "Rachel, Rachel"; earned an Oscar nomination for directing

Co-founded First Artists Production Company Ltd with Sidney Poitier, Steve McQueen, Barbra Streisand and others

First film opposite Robert Redford, George Roy Hill's "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"

Directed (also co-executive produced and starred in) the screen version of Ken Kesey's novel "Sometimes a Great Notion"

Reunited with Redford and director Hill for the Oscar-winning caper movie "The Sting"

Reprised role as private eye Lew Harper in "The Drowning Pool"

Played Buffalo Bill in Robert Altman's "Buffalo Bill and the Indians"

Third and final film with George Roy Hill, the hockey comedy-drama "Slap Shot"

Again collaborated with Robert Altman on "Quintet"

TV directing debut, "The Shadow Box" (starring Woodward); received an Emmy nomination for directing

Received first Oscar nomination in 14 years (since 1967) for "Absence of Malice"

Portrayed a Boston lawyer who's hit bottom in Sidney Lumet's "The Verdict"; earned sixth Oscar nomination for acting

Debut as co-screenwriter on "Harry and Son"

Returned to the screen as 'Fast' Eddie Felson in Martin Scorsese's "The Color of Money"; won first Oscar for Best Actor

Directed an adaptation of Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" featuring Joanne Woodward, John Malkovich, Karen Allen, and James Naughton

Signed a three-year non-exclusive agreement with Walt Disney Pictures (January)

Acted opposite Woodward in the Merchant-Ivory production "Mr & Mrs Bridge"

Starred as the villain of the Coen Brothers' extravagent "The Hudsucker Proxy"

Played the lead in "Nobody's Fool" adapted and directed by Robert Benton; earned seventh Oscar nomination

Reteamed with Benton (director and co-screenwriter) for "Twilight"

Portrayed Kevin Costner's father in "Message in a Bottle"

Made rare stage appearance in "Love Letters" alongside Joanne Woodward

Returned to the stage after more than four decades to co-star with Woodard in "Ancestral Voices"

Co-starred with Tom Hanks in Sam Mendes' "The Road to Perdition"; earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations

Cast as the Stage Manager in the Showtime adaptation of "Our Town"; earned Emmy and SAG nominations

Starred (also executived produced) in the HBO mini-series "Empire Falls" (lensed 2002); adapted and directed by Robert Benton

Voiced Doc Hudson in the Pixar animated feature "Cars"