Tom Hanks has paid tribute to his Road To Perdition co-star Paul Newman, hailing the late actor an "extraordinary artist and man".

The Hollywood superstar spoke out five days (30Sep08) after Newman lost his battle to cancer at the age of 83.

And Hanks, who will celebrate the star's life at a celebrity-packed tribute in San Francisco, California later this month (Oct08), recalls the vulnerable side of the revered actor.

Hanks says, "Paul Newman told me his hotel in Chicago was a room at the Ymca, which was not hard to imagine.

"He considered himself just another member of the acting company, who would call his wife during breaks and confess to feeling self-conscious on the first day of shooting."

He adds, "But he was Paul Newman, and could not mask the fact he was simply - yet elegantly - an extraordinary artist and man. How lucky we all have been."

Newman was cremated after a private funeral service near his home in Westport, Connecticut on Monday (29Sep08). (c) WENN