Steve McQueen
“The King of Cool, whose laconic stillness and love of speed made him an icon of nerve.”
In 1960 Steve McQueen broke out as the laconic gunslinger Vin in 'The Magnificent Seven,' upstaging co-star Yul Brynner and proving his magnetic screen presence. Three years later 'The Great Escape' (1963) made him an international star and cemented the 'King of Cool' persona that defined the rest of his career.
Hard Beginnings
Born in Beech Grove, Indiana, McQueen endured an abusive stepfather and a turbulent youth that included reform school. He joined the Marines in 1947 before drifting toward acting in New York.
Rise to Stardom
The TV western 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' gave him a foothold, and 'The Magnificent Seven' and 'The Great Escape' turned him into a movie star. His understated, rebellious style made him one of the 1960s' biggest box-office draws.
The King of Cool
Films like 'Bullitt' and 'The Thomas Crown Affair' defined an effortless masculine cool that still influences popular culture. A passionate racer offscreen, he died of cancer in 1980 at just fifty.
Career Timeline
- 1930Born in Beech Grove, Indiana
- 1947Joins U.S. Marine Corps at seventeen
- 1958Stars in TV western 'Wanted: Dead or Alive'
- 1960Breakout role in 'The Magnificent Seven'
- 1963'The Great Escape' makes him an icon
- 1966Oscar nomination for 'The Sand Pebbles'
- 1968'Bullitt' features legendary car chase
- 1971Stars in and produces racing film 'Le Mans'
- 1974Tops the cast of 'The Towering Inferno'
- 1980Dies of cancer in Juarez, Mexico
Biggest Hits
- McQueen performed many of his own stunts and was a serious competitive motorcycle and race-car driver.
- He was once the highest-paid movie star in the world but had a troubled childhood, living on the streets at age nine.
The Moment You Remember
His high-speed pursuit through the hills of San Francisco in Bullitt, hunched silent behind the wheel of a green Mustang, set a standard for the movie car chase and crystallized his reputation for unflappable nerve.
Portrait: Unknown author · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons