NEW YORK — Actor Barry Newman, who drove hot rods across the U.S. in “The Vanishing Point” and played a defense attorney on the 1970s television crime drama “Petrocelli,” has died. He was 92.

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Newman died at a New York City hospital on May 11, his wife Angela Newman, told The Hollywood Reporter.

In the 1971 film “The Vanishing Point,” the Boston-born actor played the role of Kowalski, a car delivery driver who “transports hot rods in record time” but always runs afoul with police, according to IMDb.com.

Newman appeared on Broadway and also appeared as brash attorney Anthony Petrocelli in the 1970 film, The Lawyer. according to The Hollywood Reporter. Newman played a Harvard-educated lawyer who set up a practice in a small Arizona town.

He reprised the role in the 1974 made-for-TV movie “Night Games,” ET Canada reported. It was spun off into the television series, “Petrocelli”, which had a 44-episode run from 1974 until 1976, according to IMDb.com.

Newman also appeared in films such as “Daylight” (1996), “Bowfinger” (1999), “The Limey” (1999) and “40 Days and 40 Nights” (2002).

Barry Foster Newman was born on Nov. 7, 1930. He graduated from Boston Latin School and Brandeis University and studied acting with Lee Strasberg, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Newman’s career was cut short after he was diagnosed with vocal-cord cancer in 2009, according to the entertainment news outlet. His most recent work was the 2022 independent film, “Finding Hannah.”

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