Many say that if he was from the UK, Steve McQueen could have easily been the quintessential James Bond. Others claim that he was the original on-screen tough guy, the "King of Cool," and during the 1960s and 70s, McQueen's roles as the antithesis of a hero made him one of the top box office draws of the day.
Fans of McQueen respected his humble roots. When Steve's star was shining bright, America was going through a massive culture shift. Steve's life reminded some that the American dream was still possible. He was a small-town boy from a broken home, with a poor education, but still managed to become one of the highest-paid actors in the business.
Elvis and The Beatles had an uber-fan following, but they were musicians primarily. McQueen had the same amount of fanfare for simply acting in movies. The only real difference was the primary gender of the fans. Every guy around wanted to be Steve. McQueen embodied what it meant to be your own person for many.
He lived every single day to the fullest, and no matter what, he never caved in to the establishment. Not only were a lot of his movies about fast cars and tough-guy prowess, but his real life was a mirror image. Steve drove racecars and motorcycles, racing them professionally.
Steve McQueen was born March 24, 1930 in Beech Grove, Indiana. Steve never knew his father, and at a very young age, his mother also abandoned him. He was left to live with an uncle he hardly knew at the time, on a farm in Slater, Missouri. McQueen only stuck around there until he was 12 years old.
Steve found his mother in California and moved out there to be with her. He ended up joining and running with Los Angeles gangs, and he was quite the trouble maker as a youth. His mother shipped him off to the Junior Boys Republic, a home for unruly boys.
Although he tried to escape from the home on various occasions, Steve credits the home for putting him on the right track. After becoming famous, McQueen would frequent the school and make charitable donations. He set up the Steve McQueen fund, granting a scholarship to the school's best student, and in his will, he left the school $200,000. The home would later name a building after its most famous resident.
After release, Steve moved to New York to be close to his mother, who had moved again, but could never reconcile. In 1947, he enlisted in the Marines. This wasn't the best place for a troubled young man.
He was sentenced to the brig. However, during training in the Arctic, a ship struck a sandbank and sent dozens of crew men into the freezing waters inside of their tanks. Many Marines immediately drowned. McQueen jumped into the water and saved the lives of five men. Steve got an honorable discharge in 1950.
With money from his G. I. Bill and from racing winnings, Steve attended Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse to study acting. McQueen earned small-time acting roles in productions like The Member of the Wedding and Two Fingers of Pride, and eventually, he landed a movie role in Somebody Up There Likes Me.
Next up were B-movies, like The Blob and Never Love a Stranger. McQueen's big day came when he was cast in a Western series called Trackdown. Steve was America's favorite Western star. And after Sinatra put him in Never So Few, he became America's newest movie star.
Steve would go on to become America's best-loved actor, starring in The Magnificent Seven, Bullitt, The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Getaway, and many more classic American films.
McQueen died at only 50 years old after having surgery to remove tumors from his stomach. Although there was a cloud of mystery surrounding Steve's death, it was ultimately ruled due to the asbestos-caused mesothelioma cancer he contracted.
Fans of McQueen respected his humble roots. When Steve's star was shining bright, America was going through a massive culture shift. Steve's life reminded some that the American dream was still possible. He was a small-town boy from a broken home, with a poor education, but still managed to become one of the highest-paid actors in the business.
Elvis and The Beatles had an uber-fan following, but they were musicians primarily. McQueen had the same amount of fanfare for simply acting in movies. The only real difference was the primary gender of the fans. Every guy around wanted to be Steve. McQueen embodied what it meant to be your own person for many.
He lived every single day to the fullest, and no matter what, he never caved in to the establishment. Not only were a lot of his movies about fast cars and tough-guy prowess, but his real life was a mirror image. Steve drove racecars and motorcycles, racing them professionally.
Steve McQueen was born March 24, 1930 in Beech Grove, Indiana. Steve never knew his father, and at a very young age, his mother also abandoned him. He was left to live with an uncle he hardly knew at the time, on a farm in Slater, Missouri. McQueen only stuck around there until he was 12 years old.
Steve found his mother in California and moved out there to be with her. He ended up joining and running with Los Angeles gangs, and he was quite the trouble maker as a youth. His mother shipped him off to the Junior Boys Republic, a home for unruly boys.
Although he tried to escape from the home on various occasions, Steve credits the home for putting him on the right track. After becoming famous, McQueen would frequent the school and make charitable donations. He set up the Steve McQueen fund, granting a scholarship to the school's best student, and in his will, he left the school $200,000. The home would later name a building after its most famous resident.
After release, Steve moved to New York to be close to his mother, who had moved again, but could never reconcile. In 1947, he enlisted in the Marines. This wasn't the best place for a troubled young man.
He was sentenced to the brig. However, during training in the Arctic, a ship struck a sandbank and sent dozens of crew men into the freezing waters inside of their tanks. Many Marines immediately drowned. McQueen jumped into the water and saved the lives of five men. Steve got an honorable discharge in 1950.
With money from his G. I. Bill and from racing winnings, Steve attended Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse to study acting. McQueen earned small-time acting roles in productions like The Member of the Wedding and Two Fingers of Pride, and eventually, he landed a movie role in Somebody Up There Likes Me.
Next up were B-movies, like The Blob and Never Love a Stranger. McQueen's big day came when he was cast in a Western series called Trackdown. Steve was America's favorite Western star. And after Sinatra put him in Never So Few, he became America's newest movie star.
Steve would go on to become America's best-loved actor, starring in The Magnificent Seven, Bullitt, The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Getaway, and many more classic American films.
McQueen died at only 50 years old after having surgery to remove tumors from his stomach. Although there was a cloud of mystery surrounding Steve's death, it was ultimately ruled due to the asbestos-caused mesothelioma cancer he contracted.
No comments:
Post a Comment