Who voiced Doc Hudson in Pixar’s original Cars movie?

Paul Newman voiced Doc Hudson in Pixar’s original Cars movie.

Doc Hudson is the respected physician of Radiator Springs and a former racing champion known as the Hudson Hornet. Newman’s voice gives the character a calm, authoritative quality that contrasts with Lightning McQueen’s youthful confidence. Doc eventually becomes Lightning’s mentor.

Paul Newman was also a real-life racing enthusiast and owner of a successful racing team. That connection made his casting especially fitting, because Doc’s past includes competition in the early years of the Piston Cup and a painful withdrawal from racing after being replaced by newer cars.

Newman died in 2008, so Doc Hudson does not appear as a speaking character in Cars 2. Archival material and the character’s legacy are referenced, and Cars 3 includes Doc’s influence on Lightning’s training and outlook.