Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an American actor. Hisantihero persona, emphasized during the height of1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late 1950s to the mid-1970s. He was nicknamed the "King of Cool" and used the alias "Harvey Mushman" when participating in motor races.
Diagnosed with terminal cancer, McQueen flew toMexico in October 1980 for surgery to remove or reduce tumors in his neck and abdomen, against the advice of U.S. doctors who warned him that his cancer was inoperable and that his heart could not withstand the surgery. A few weeks later he checked in to a hospital inCiudad Juárez under a fake name and underwent surgery by hospital staff who were unaware of his true identity. A few hours after surgery, he died of a heart attack at the age of 50.
Terrence Stephen McQueen[2]: 292 [3]: 233 was born atSt. Francis Hospital inBeech Grove, Indiana, on March 24, 1930,[4][5][6] the son of Julia Ann (or Julianne) Crawford[4][7]: 9 and flying circusstunt pilot William McQueen.[5] He was ofScottish descent and grew up in aCatholic household.[8][9] He was raised by his mother, who was abandoned by his father six months after they met.[10]: 158 Several biographers have stated that his mother was an alcoholic.[7]: 72 [11][12]: 7–8 [13] Unable to cope with caring for him, she decided in 1933 to leave him with her parents Lillian and Victor inSlater, Missouri. As theGreat Depression worsened, McQueen and his grandparents moved in with Lillian's brother Claude and his family at their farm in Slater.[5] McQueen later said that he had good memories of living on the farm, noting that his great-uncle Claude was a "very good, very strong, [and] very fair" man from whom he "learned a lot".[5]
Claude gave McQueen a red tricycle on his fourth birthday, which McQueen subsequently credited with sparking his early interest in car racing.[5] His mother, who had since married, brought McQueen from the farm to live with her and his stepfather in Indianapolis when he was eight years old. He later recalled, "The day I left the farm, Uncle Claude gave me a personal going-away present—a gold pocket watch, with an inscription inside the case." The inscription read: "To Steve, who has been a son to me."[12] Dyslexic and partially deaf due to a childhood ear infection,[5] McQueen did not adjust well to school or his new life, and his stepfather beat him to such an extent that he left home to live on the streets at the age of nine.[11] He later said, "When a kid doesn't have any love when he's small, he begins to wonder if he's good enough. My mother didn't love me, and I didn't have a father. I thought, 'Well, I must not be very good.'"[10]: 7
Julia wrote to Claude when McQueen was 12, asking that he be returned to her again to live inLos Angeles, where she now lived with her second husband. By McQueen's own account, he and his new stepfather "locked horns immediately".[5] McQueen recalls him being "a prime son of a bitch" who was not averse to beating both McQueen and Julia.[5] McQueen began to rebel again and was sent back to live with Claude for a final time.[5] At age 14, he left Claude's farm without saying goodbye and joined a circus for a short time.[5] He drifted back to his mother and stepfather in Los Angeles, resuming his life as a gang member and petty criminal.[14] He was caught stealinghubcaps by the police and handed over to his stepfather, who beat him severely and threw him down a flight of stairs. McQueen looked up at his stepfather and said, "You lay your stinking hands on me again and I swear I'll kill you."[5]
After this incident, McQueen's stepfather persuaded his mother to sign a court order saying that McQueen was incorrigible, remanding him to theCalifornia Junior Boys Republic inChino Hills.[5] Steve began to change and mature there, but was not popular with the other boys at first: "Say the boys had a chance once a month to load into a bus and go into town to see a movie. And they lost out because one guy in the bungalow didn't get his work done right. Well, you can pretty well guess they're gonna have something to say about that. I paid my dues with the other fellows quite a few times. I got my lumps, no doubt about it. The other guys in the bungalow had ways of paying you back for interfering with their well-being."[15]
McQueen gradually became a role model and was elected to the Boys Council, a group that set the rules and regulations governing the boys' lives.[5] He left the Boys Republic at age 16. When he later became famous as an actor, he regularly returned to talk to resident boys and retained a lifelong association with the center.[16] At age 16, he returned to live with his mother, who had since moved to New York City'sGreenwich Village. He met two sailors from theMerchant Marine there and decided to sign on to a ship bound for the Dominican Republic.[5] Once there, he abandoned his new post and was eventually employed at abrothel.[11] He later ventured to Texas and drifted from job to job, including selling pens at a traveling carnival and working as a lumberjack in Canada. Upon his arrest for vagrancy in theDeep South, he served a 30-day assignment on achain gang.[10]: 28
In 1947, after receiving permission from his mother since he was not yet 18 years old, McQueen enlisted in theU.S. Marines and was sent toParris Island, South Carolina, for boot camp.[3]: 106 [17][18] He was promoted toprivate first class and assigned to an armored unit.[5] He initially struggled with conforming to the discipline of the service and later said, "I was busted back down to private about seven times". He took an unauthorized absence, failing to return after a weekend pass expired, and was caught by theshore patrol while staying with his girlfriend, Barbara Ross, for two weeks. After resisting arrest, he was sentenced to 41 days in thebrig.[5] After this, he resolved to focus his energies on self-improvement and embraced the Marines' discipline. He saved the lives of five other Marines during an Arctic exercise, pulling them from a tank before it broke through ice into the sea.[5][19] He was assigned to the honor guard responsible for guardingUSSWilliamsburg, the presidential yacht ofHarry S. Truman.[5] He served until 1950, when he washonorably discharged.[3]: 106 [17][18] He later said he had enjoyed his time in the Marines,[20] remembering it as a formative time in his life: "The Marines made a man out of me. I learned how to get along with others, and I had a platform to jump off."[10]: 39
Long enamored of cars and motorcycles, McQueen began to earn money by competing in weekend motorcycle races atLong Island City Raceway. He purchased the first two of many motorcycles, aHarley-Davidson and aTriumph.[10]: 158 He soon became an excellent racer, winning about $100 each weekend (equivalent to $1,200 in 2024).[5][24] He appeared as a musical judge in an episode ofABC'sJukebox Jury, which aired in the 1953–1954 season.[25]
McQueen had minor roles in stage productions, includingPeg o' My Heart,The Member of the Wedding andTwo Fingers of Pride. He made hisBroadway debut in 1955 in the playA Hatful of Rain starringBen Gazzara.[5] In late 1955, McQueen left New York and headed for Los Angeles. He moved into a house on Vestal Avenue in theEcho Park area, and sought acting jobs in Hollywood.[26]
McQueen's first breakout role came on television. He appeared onDale Robertson'sNBCWestern seriesTales of Wells Fargo as Bill Longley. Elkins, then McQueen's manager, successfully lobbiedVincent M. Fennelly, producer of the Western seriesTrackdown, to have McQueen read for the part ofbounty hunter Josh Randall. He first appeared in Season 1, Episode 21, ofTrackdown in 1958. He appeared as Randall in that episode, cast opposite series leadRobert Culp, a former New York motorcycle racing buddy. McQueen appeared again onTrackdown in Episode 31 of the first season, in which he played twin brothers, one of whom was an outlaw sought by Culp's character, Hoby Gilman.
McQueen next filmed a pilot episode for what became the series,Wanted Dead or Alive, which aired onCBS in September 1958. It became his breakout role. In interviews associated with theDVD release ofWanted: Dead or Alive, Robert Culp ofTrackdown claimed credit for bringing McQueen to Hollywood and landing him the part of Randall. He said he taught McQueen the "art of the fast-draw". Culp said that by the second day of filming, McQueen beat him at it.
McQueen became a household name as a result of the series.[5] Randall's special holster held asawed-off.44–40Winchester rifle (nicknamed the "Mare's Leg") instead of thesixgun carried by the typical Western character, although the cartridges in the gunbelt were dummy.45-70, chosen because they "looked tougher." As noted in the three-part DVD special feature on the background of the series, the generally negative image of the bounty hunter added to theantihero image infused with mystery and detachment that made this show stand out from the typical TV Western. The 94 episodes which ran from 1958 until early 1961 kept McQueen steadily employed, and he became a fixture at theIverson Movie Ranch inChatsworth, where much of the outdoor action forWanted: Dead or Alive was shot.
At age 29, McQueen got a significant break whenFrank Sinatra removedSammy Davis Jr. from the filmNever So Few after Davis supposedly made some mildly negative remarks about Sinatra in a radio interview, and Davis's role went to McQueen. Sinatra saw something special in McQueen and ensured that the young actor got plenty of closeups in a role that earned McQueen favorable reviews. McQueen's character, Bill Ringa, was never more comfortable than when driving at high speed—in this case, in aJeep—or handling aswitchblade or atommy gun.
AfterNever So Few, the film's directorJohn Sturges cast McQueen in his next movie, promising to "give him the camera".The Magnificent Seven (1960), in which he played Vin Tanner and starred withYul Brynner,Eli Wallach,Robert Vaughn,Charles Bronson,Horst Buchholz andJames Coburn, became McQueen's first major hit and led to his withdrawal fromWanted: Dead or Alive. McQueen's focused portrayal of the taciturn second lead catapulted his career. His added touches in many of the shots (such as shaking his shotgun cartridges beside his ear before loading them, repeatedly checking his gun while in the background of a shot, and wiping his hat rim) annoyedtop-billed Brynner, who protested that McQueen was stealing scenes.[5] (In his autobiography,[28] Eli Wallach reports struggling to conceal his amusement while watching the filming of the funeral procession scene in which Brynner's and McQueen's characters first meet. Brynner was furious at McQueen's shotgun round-twirl, which effectively diverted the viewer's attention to McQueen. Brynner refused to draw his gun in the same scene with McQueen, knowing that his character would probably be outdrawn.[5])
McQueen played the top-billed lead role in the next big Sturges film, 1963'sThe Great Escape, Hollywood's fictional depiction of the true story of a historic mass escape from aWorld War IIPOW camp,Stalag Luft III. Insurance concerns prevented McQueen from performing the film's notable motorcycle leap, which was done by his friend and fellow cycle enthusiastBud Ekins, who resembled McQueen from a distance.[29] WhenJohnny Carson later tried to congratulate McQueen for the jump during a broadcast ofThe Tonight Show, McQueen said, "It wasn't me. That was Bud Ekins." This film established McQueen's box-office clout and secured his status as a superstar.[30]
After being nominated for an Oscar, McQueen was inBullitt (1968) – one of his best-known films and his personal favorite – which co-starredJacqueline Bisset,Robert Vaughn, andDon Gordon. It featured an unprecedented (and endlessly imitated) car chase through San Francisco. Although McQueen did the driving that appeared in closeups, his was about 10% of what is seen in the film's car chase. The rest of the driving by McQueen's character was done by stunt driversBud Ekins andLoren Janes.[31] McQueen's character drove a 1968Ford Mustang GT 390, while the antagonist's blackDodge Charger was driven by veteran stunt driverBill Hickman. McQueen, his stunt drivers, and Hickman spent several days before the scene was shot practicing high-speed close-quarters driving.[32]Bullitt was so far over budget thatWarner Bros. canceled the contract on the rest of his films, seven in all.
WhenBullitt became a major box-office success, Warner Bros. tried to woo McQueen back, but he refused, and his next film was made with an independent studio and released byUnited Artists. For the film, McQueen went for a change of image, playing a debonair role as a wealthy executive inThe Thomas Crown Affair withFaye Dunaway in 1968. In 1969, he made the Southernperiod piece,The Reivers.
In 1971, McQueen starred in the auto-racing dramaLe Mans, which received mixed reviews, followed byJunior Bonner in 1972, a story about an aging rodeo rider. He collaborated once again with directorSam Peckinpah inThe Getaway, where he met his future wifeAli MacGraw. McQueen then took on a physically demanding role as a prisoner onDevil's Island in the 1973 filmPapillon, alongsideDustin Hoffman as his character's tragic companion. By the time ofThe Getaway, McQueen was the world's highest-paid actor.[33]
In 1974, withPaul Newman, McQueen co-ledJohn Guillermin's disaster film,The Towering Inferno. McQueen played a fire chief assigned to stop a fire in a skyscraper. He was originally asked to play the architect who is the other hero of the story, but he requested to play the fire chief, thinking the part was "showier". The role of the architect went to Newman, a part that had more lines, hence McQueen requested more dialogue to even it out. McQueen was paid $1,000,000 plus a percentage of the gross, and he insisted on doing his own stunts. The film was a success, and its North American gross was $55,000,000.[34]
After that, McQueen disappeared from the public eye to focus on motorcycle racing, traveling around the country in amotor home and on his vintageIndian motorcycles. He did not return to acting until 1978 withAn Enemy of the People, playing against type as a bearded, bespectacled 19th-century doctor in this adaptation of theHenrik Ibsen play. The film was never properly released theatrically, but it has appeared occasionally onPBS.
McQueen's final two films, both released in 1980, were loosely based on true stories:Tom Horn, a Western adventure about a former Army scout turned professional gunman who works for big cattle ranchers hunting down rustlers, and later hanged for murder in the shooting death of a sheepherder; andThe Hunter, an urban action movie about a modern-daybounty hunter.
According to directorJohn Frankenheimer and actorJames Garner in bonus interviews for the DVD of the filmGrand Prix, McQueen was Frankenheimer's first choice for the lead role of American Formula One race car driver Pete Aron. Frankenheimer was unable to meet with McQueen to offer him the role, so he sentEdward Lewis, his business partner and the producer ofGrand Prix. McQueen and Lewis instantly clashed, the meeting was a disaster, and the role went to Garner.[citation needed] Later, in an interview, Garner said:
Oh, McQueen. Crazy McQueen. McQueen and I got along pretty good. McQueen looked at me kind of like an older brother, and he didn't want to have much to do with me, till he got in trouble, then he'd call. He knew he could trust me to tell him just what I thought. A lot of people wouldn't do that... then we had... it wasn't a falling out... as I did Grand Prix, Steve was originally slated to do that movie, but he couldn't get along with Frankenheimer... that lasted about thirty minutes, and Steve was out, and I was in... Steve went over to doThe Sand Pebbles, which went about a year longer than they wanted to go. Big production, spent a lot of money and stayed over in [Taiwan] too long... when I got the part in Grand Prix, I called him, in Taiwan. and I said, "Steve, I want to tell you, before you hear it from somebody else, that I'm going to do Grand Prix." Well, there was about a twenty dollar silence there, on the telephone. He didn't know what to say, and finally said "Oh, that's great, great, I'm glad to hear it." Because, he planned to do Le Mans, which was another title at the time, but we were going to be out, and Grand Prix released before he ever even got to that film. But he said, "Great, great, well, I'm glad to hear it; that's good. You know, if anybody's gonna do it, I'm glad, you're doin' it."He didn't talk to me for about a year and half, and we were next-door neighbors, so it did get to him a little bit. Finally, his son, Chad, made him take him to go see Grand Prix. And from that time on, we were talking again. But Steve was a wild kid. He didn't know where he wanted to be or what he wanted to do.[40]
DirectorSteven Spielberg said McQueen was his first choice for the character of Roy Neary inClose Encounters of the Third Kind. According to Spielberg in a documentary on the film's DVD release, Spielberg met him at a bar, where McQueen drank beer after beer. Before leaving, McQueen told Spielberg that he could not accept the role because he was unable to cry on cue.[41][42] Spielberg offered to take the crying scene out of the story, but McQueen demurred, saying that it was the best scene in the script. The role eventually went toRichard Dreyfuss.
William Friedkin wanted to cast McQueen as the lead in the action thriller filmSorcerer (1977).Sorcerer was to be filmed primarily on location in the Dominican Republic, but McQueen did not want to be separated from Ali MacGraw for the duration of the shoot. McQueen then asked Friedkin to let MacGraw act as a producer, so she could be present during principal photography. Friedkin would not agree to this condition and castRoy Scheider instead of McQueen. Friedkin later remarked that not casting McQueen hurt the film's performance at the box office.
Spy novelistJeremy Duns revealed that McQueen was considered for the lead role in a film adaptation ofThe Diamond Smugglers, written byJames Bond creatorIan Fleming. McQueen would play John Blaize, a secret agent gone undercover to infiltrate a diamond-smuggling ring in South Africa. There were complications with the project, which was eventually shelved, although a 1964 screenplay does exist.[43]
McQueen andBarbra Streisand were tentatively cast inThe Gauntlet (1977), but the pair could not get along and both withdrew from the project[11]—though according to one biographer, they had briefly dated in 1971.[44] The lead roles were filled byClint Eastwood andSondra Locke. McQueen expressed interest in theRambo character inFirst Blood whenDavid Morrell's novel appeared in 1972, but the producers rejected him because of his age.[45][46]
He was offered the title role inThe Bodyguard (to starDiana Ross) when it was proposed in 1976, but the film did not reach production until years after McQueen's death; the film eventually starredKevin Costner andWhitney Houston in 1992.[47]Quigley Down Under was in development as early as 1974, with McQueen in consideration for the lead, but by the time production began in 1980, McQueen was ill. The project was scrapped until a decade later, whenTom Selleck starred.[48]
McQueen with two forms of transportation–his horse, Doc, and hisJaguar XKSS (1960)
McQueen was an avid motorcycle and race car enthusiast. When he had the opportunity to drive in a movie, he performed many of his own stunts, including some of the car chases inBullitt and the motorcycle chase inThe Great Escape.[10]: 151 Although the jump over the fence inThe Great Escape was done byBud Ekins for insurance purposes, McQueen did have considerable screen time riding his 650 ccTriumph TR6 Trophy motorcycle. It was difficult to find riders as skilled as McQueen.[49] At one point, using editing, McQueen is seen in a German uniform chasing himself on another bike. Around half of the driving inBullitt was performed byLoren Janes.[31]
McQueen andJohn Sturges planned to makeDay of the Champion,[50] a movie aboutFormula One racing, but McQueen was busy with the delayedThe Sand Pebbles.
McQueen competed inoff-road motorcycle racing, frequently running aBSA Hornet and using alias Harvey Mushman.[12] He was also set to co-drive in aTriumph 2500 PI for theBritish Leyland team in the 1970 London-Mexico rally, but had to turn it down due to movie commitments.[12] His first off-road motorcycle was aTriumph 500 cc, purchased from Ekins. McQueen raced in many top off-road races on the West Coast, including theBaja 1000, theMint 400, and theElsinore Grand Prix.
In 1964, McQueen and Ekins were part of a four-rider (plus one reserve) first-ever official U.S. team-entry into the Silver Vase category of theInternational Six Days Trial (ISDT),[55] anEnduro-type off-road motorcycling event held that year inErfurt, East Germany.[56] The "A" team arrived in England in late August to collect their mix of649 cc and490 cc twins from theTriumph factory before modifying them for off-road use.[55] Initially let down with transport arrangements by a long-established English motorcycle dealer, Triumph dealer H&L Motors stepped-in to provide a suitable vehicle.[57] On arrival in Germany, the team, with their English temporary manager, were surprised to find that a Vase "B" team, comprisingexpat Americans living in Europe, had entered themselves privately to ride European-sourced machinery.[58]
McQueen's ISDT competition number was 278, which was based on the trials starting order.[59] Both teams crashed repeatedly.[58][60] McQueen retired due to irreparable crash damage,[61] and Ekins withdrew with a broken leg, both on day three. Only one member of the "B" team finished the six-day event.[60] UK monthly magazineMotorcycle Sport commented: "Riding Triumph twins...[the team] rode everywhere with great dash, if not in admirable style, falling off frequently and obviously out for six days' of sport without too many worries about who was going to win (they knew it would not be them)".[61]
In a segment filmed forThe Ed Sullivan Show, McQueen drove Sullivan around a desert area in a dune buggy at high speed. Afterward, Sullivan said, "That was a 'helluva' ride!" According to testimony by McQueen's son, Chad, Steve owned around 100 classic motorcycles, as well as around 100 exotic and vintage cars, including:
1958Porsche 356 Speedster 1600 Super (black exterior, interior and top) (McQueen drove the car in numerousSCCA racing events) (now in property of his son Chad)[66][67]
1953Siata 208s (McQueen replaced theSiata badges withFerrari badges and called it his "little Ferrari")[69]
1967Mini Cooper-S (McQueen had the car customized by Lee Brown with changes including a single foglight, a wood dash, a recessed antenna and a custom brown paint job)[70]
1952Chevrolet 3800 pickup camper conversion (McQueen used the truck for cross-country camping trips. It was the last car he rode in before his death)[72]
1958GMC Pickup Truck (reportedly one of McQueen's favorite cars, it is powered by a 336 Ci V8 which has been modified. The tag "MQ3188" is a reference to the ID number assigned to him when he was in reform school)[75]
1969 Chevrolet Baja Hickey race truck (originally debuted at the 1968Mexican 1000 Rally and was driven by Cliff Coleman, Johnny Diaz, andMickey Thompson and others during its racing career; said to be the first truck specifically constructed byGeneral Motors for use in the Mexican 1000; McQueen bought it from General Motors in 1970)[78]
In spite of numerous attempts, McQueen was never able to purchase theFord Mustang GT 390 he drove inBullitt, which featured a modified drivetrain that suited McQueen's driving style. One of the two Mustangs used in the film was badly damaged, judged beyond repair, and believed to have been scrapped until it surfaced in Mexico in 2017,[79] while the other one, which McQueen attempted to purchase in 1977,[80] is hidden from the public eye. At the2018 North American International Auto Show the GT 390 was displayed, in its current non-restored condition, with the 2019 Ford Mustang "Bullitt".[81]
McQueen dated British-American actressGia Scala whilst attending Stella Adler's school in New York.[23]
On November 2, 1956, McQueen marriedFilipino actress and dancerNeile Adams,[82] with whom he had a daughter named Terry Leslie (June 5, 1959 – March 19, 1998)[83][84] and a son namedChad (December 28, 1960 – September 11, 2024).[10]: 144 McQueen and Adams divorced on March 14, 1972.[83] Chad became an actor and race car driver like his father.[85] In her autobiography,My Husband, My Friend, Adams said that she got an abortion in 1971 when their marriage was on the rocks.[27]
Via his son Chad, one of McQueen's four grandchildren isSteven R. McQueen, who also became an actor.[86] His granddaughter via his daughter Terry is actress and producer Molly McQueen.[87]Mamie Van Doren claimed to have had an affair with McQueen and triedhallucinogens with him around 1959.[88] Actress-modelLauren Hutton said that she also had an affair with McQueen around 1964.[89][90] In 1971–1972, while separated from Adams, McQueen had a relationship withJunior Bonner co-starBarbara Leigh,[83][91] ending in pregnancy and abortion.[92]
McQueen married hisThe Getaway co-starAli MacGraw inCheyenne, Wyoming, on July 12, 1973, and they divorced on August 9, 1978.[93] MacGraw suffered a miscarriage during their marriage.[94] McQueen's closest friend in his last years, martial-arts master Pat Johnson, claimed that MacGraw was the one true love of McQueen's life: "He was madly in love with her until the day he died."[95] In 1973, McQueen was one of thepallbearers atBruce Lee's funeral, along withJames Coburn, Lee's brotherRobert, Peter Chin,Dan Inosanto, andTaky Kimura.[96]
After discovering a mutual interest in racing, McQueen andThe Great Escape co-starJames Garner became good friends and lived near each other. McQueen recalled, "I could see that Jim was neat around his place. Flowers trimmed, no papers in the yard... grass always cut. So to piss him off, I'd start lobbing empty beer cans down the hill into his driveway. He'd have his drive all spick 'n' span when he left the house, then get home to find all these empty cans. Took him a long time to figure out it was me."[12]
On January 16, 1980, less than 10 months before his death, McQueen married fashion modelBarbara Minty.[97] In her bookSteve McQueen: The Last Mile, Barbara Minty wrote that McQueen, who was raisedCatholic, became anevangelical Christian toward the end of his life.[98] This was due in part to the influences of his flying instructor Sammy Mason, Mason's son Pete, and Barbara herself.[99] McQueen attended his local church, Ventura Missionary Church, and was visited by evangelistBilly Graham shortly before his death.[99][100]
McQueen's mug shot booking photographs forDUI in Alaska, 1972
McQueen followed a daily two-hour exercise regimen involving weightlifting and, at one point, running 5 miles (8 km), seven days a week.[10]: 111 McQueen learned the martial artTang Soo Do from ninth-degreeblack beltPat E. Johnson.[5]
According to photographerWilliam Claxton, McQueen smokedmarijuana almost every day. Biographer Marc Eliot stated that McQueen used a large amount ofcocaine in the early 1970s. He was also a heavy cigarette smoker. McQueen sometimes drank to excess; he was arrested for driving while intoxicated inAnchorage, Alaska, in 1972.[101]
Two months afterCharles Manson incited theTate murders, including McQueen's friendsSharon Tate andJay Sebring, the media reported police had found a hit list with McQueen's name on it. According to his first wife, McQueen began carrying a handgun at all times in public, including at Sebring's funeral.[102]
McQueen had an unusual reputation for demanding free items in bulk from studios when agreeing to do a film, such as electric razors, jeans and other items. It was later discovered that McQueen donated these things to theBoys Republicreformatory school,[103] where he had spent time during his teen years.
McQueen developed a persistent cough in early 1978. He gave up cigarettes and underwent antibiotic treatments without improvement. His shortness of breath grew more pronounced and on December 22, 1979, after filmingThe Hunter, a biopsy revealedpleuralmesothelioma,[106] a cancer associated withasbestos exposure for which there is no known cure.
A few months later, McQueen gave a medical interview in which he blamed his condition on asbestos exposure.[107] McQueen believed that asbestos used in movie sound stage insulation and race-drivers'protective suits and helmets could have been involved, but he thought it more likely that his illness was a direct result of massive exposure while removing asbestos lagging (insulation) from pipes aboard a troop ship while he served in the Marines.[108][109]
By February 1980, evidence of widespreadmetastasis was found. He tried to keep the condition a secret, but on March 11, 1980, theNational Enquirer disclosed that he had "terminal cancer".[110][111] In July 1980, McQueen traveled toRosarito Beach, Mexico, for unconventional treatment after U.S. doctors told him they could do nothing to prolong his life.[112] Controversy arose over the trip because McQueen sought treatment fromWilliam Donald Kelley, who was promoting a variation of theGerson therapy that usedcoffee enemas, frequent washing with shampoos, daily injections of fluid containing live cells from cattle and sheep, massages, andlaetrile, a reputed anti-cancer drug available in Mexico but long known to be both toxic and ineffective in treating cancer.[113][114][115] McQueen paid for Kelley's treatments in cash, which were said to have been upwards of $40,000 per month (equivalent to $153,000 in 2024) during his three-month stay in Mexico. Kelley's only medically related license (until being revoked in 1976) had been fororthodontics, a field of dentistry.[116] Kelley's methods caused a sensation in the traditional and tabloid press when it became known that McQueen was a patient.[117][118]
McQueen returned to the U.S. in early October. Despite metastasis of the cancer throughout his body, Kelley publicly announced that McQueen would be completely cured and could return to normal life; however, his condition soon worsened, and huge tumors developed in his abdomen.[116]
In late October 1980, McQueen flew toCiudad Juárez in Mexico to have an abdominal tumor on his liver (weighing around 5 lbs/2.3 kg) removed, despite warnings from his U.S. doctors that the tumor was inoperable and his heart could not withstand the surgery.[12]: 212–13 [116] Under the name Samuel Sheppard, he checked into a small Juárez clinic, where the doctors and staff were unaware of his actual identity.[119] On November 7, 1980, he died of a heart attack at 3:45 a.m. at a Juárez hospital, 12 hours after surgery to remove or reduce numerous metastatic tumors in his neck and abdomen.[12] He was 50 years old.[120] He reportedly died in his sleep with his family at his bedside.[121][122]
Leonard DeWitt of the Ventura Missionary Church presided over McQueen's memorial service.[98][99] McQueen was cremated and his ashes were scattered in thePacific Ocean.
The photo on McQueen's international motorcycle driver's license given to him by FIM (the Federation Internationale Motocycliste), 1964
In 2007, 27 years after his death,Forbes said McQueen remained a popular star, was still the "King of Cool", and was one of the highest-earning dead celebrities. A rights-management agency head creditedBranded Entertainment Network (called Corbis at the time) with maximizing the profitability of his estate by limiting the licensing of McQueen's image, thereby avoiding the commercial saturation of other dead celebrities' estates. By 2007, McQueen's estate entered the top 10 of highest-earning dead celebrities.[123]
TheBeech Grove, Indiana Public Library formally dedicated the Steve McQueen Birthplace Collection on March 16, 2010, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of McQueen's birth on March 24, 1930.[126] A street inSan Antonio, Texas is named after McQueen.[127] In 2012, McQueen was posthumously honored with theWarren Zevon Tribute Award by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO).[128]
Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans, a 2015 documentary, examines the actor's quest to create and star in the 1971 auto-racing filmLe Mans. His sonChad McQueen and former wifeNeile Adams are among those interviewed. On September 28, 2017, there was a selected showing in some theaters of his life story and spiritual quest,Steve McQueen – American Icon.[129] There was an encore presentation on October 10, 2017.[130] The film received mostly positive reviews.[131] Kenneth R. Morefield ofChristianity Today said it "offers a timeless reminder that even those among us living the most celebrated lives often long for the peace and sense of purpose that only God can provide".[132] Michael Foust ofWordslingers called it "one of the most powerful and inspiring documentaries I've ever seen".[133]
TheAcademy Film Archive houses the Steve McQueen-Neile Adams Collection, which consists of personal prints and home movies.[134] The archive has preserved several of McQueen's home movies.[135]
In 1998, director Paul Street created a commercial for theFord Puma. Footage was shot in modern-day San Francisco, set to the theme music fromBullitt. Archive footage of McQueen was used to digitally superimpose him driving and exiting the car in settings reminiscent of the film. The Puma shares the same number plate of the classic fastbackMustang used inBullitt, and as he parks in the garage (next to the Mustang), he pauses and looks meaningfully at a motorcycle tucked in the corner, similar to that used inThe Great Escape.[136]
At theDetroit Auto Show in January 2018, Ford unveiled the new 2019 Mustang Bullitt. The company called on McQueen's granddaughter, actress Molly McQueen, to make the announcement. After a brief rundown of the tribute car's particulars, a short film was shown in which Molly was introduced to the actual Bullitt Mustang, a 1968 Mustang Fastback with a 390 cubic-inch engine and a four-speed manual gearbox. That car has been in possession of the same family since 1974 and hidden away from the public until then, when it was driven out from under the press stand and up the center aisle of Ford's booth to much fanfare.[137]
McQueen drove aPorsche 917 Chassis 022 extensively inLe Mans. After being sold and raced in the 1970s,Jerry Seinfeld acquired 022 in 2002, who asked Joe Cavaglieri to fully restore it to the 1971 film era in Gulf Porsche team livery. 022 was offered at auction on January 18, 2025, byMecum Auctions but failed to sell because the $25 million final bid failed to meet the undisclosed reserve price.[138] There is a dedicated webpage and video for 022, which features interviews with Seinfeld, Porsche Team members and grandson Chase McQueen. The 1970Porsche 911S purchased while making the filmLe Mans and appearing in the opening sequence was sold at auction in August 2011 for $1.375 million.
One of his motorcycles, a 1937 Crocker, sold for a world-record price of $276,500 at the same auction. McQueen's 1963 metallic-brownFerrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta sold for US$2.31 million at auction on August 16, 2007.[64] Except for three motorcycles sold with other memorabilia in 2006,[139] most of McQueen's collection of 130 motorcycles was sold four years after his death.[140]
From 1995 to 2011, McQueen's red 1957 fuel-injected Chevrolet convertible was displayed at thePetersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles in a special Cars of Steve McQueen exhibit. It is now in the collection of actressRuth Buzzi and her husband, Kent Perkins. McQueen's British racing green 1956 Jaguar XKSS is located in the Petersen Automotive Museum and is in drivable condition, having been driven byJay Leno in an episode ofJay Leno's Garage. In August 2019, Mecum Auctions announced it would auction the Bullitt Mustang Hero Car at itsKissimmee auction, held January 2–12, 2020.[141] The car sold without reserve for $3.4 million ($3.74 million after commissions and fees).
McQueen was a sponsored ambassador forHeuer watches. In the 1971 filmLe Mans, he famously wore a blue-facedMonaco Ref. 1133, which led to its cult status among watch collectors, purchasing six watches of the same model for the shoot of the film. On December 12, 2020, one of the last six models and one of two held in private hands was sold for a record US$2.208 million at aPhillips auction in New York City, becoming themost expensive Heuer watch sold at auction.[142] Tag Heuer continues[when?] to promote its Monaco range with McQueen's image.[citation needed]
TheRolex Explorer II, Reference 1655, known as a Rolex Steve McQueen in the horology collectors' world, theRolex Submariner, Reference 5512, which McQueen was often photographed wearing in private moments, sold for $234,000 at auction on June 11, 2009, a world-record price for the type.[143]
In June 2018, Phillips announced McQueen'sRolex Submariner to hit the auction block in September that year.[144][145] However, there was controversy whether the watch was his personal watch worn by McQueen himself or if the watch was bought, engraved, then gifted.[146] Phillips later removed the watch from the auction block.[146] Among McQueen's other watches was aHanhart 417 chronograph.[147]
In 2006 the blue-tinted sunglasses worn by McQueen in the 1968 filmThe Thomas Crown Affair sold at aBonhams & Butterfield auction in Los Angeles for $70,200.[148] The manufacturer sells a version of this design (Persol model 714) named after McQueen.[149]
^Leith, William (November 26, 2001)."Easy Rider".New Statesman.Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. RetrievedAugust 7, 2010.Steve knew what it was like to be dyslexic, deaf, illegitimate, backward, beaten, abused, deserted and raised Catholic in a Protestant heartland.
^Karlen, Neal (2008).The Story of Yiddish: How a Mish-Mosh of Languages Saved the Jews. William Morrow.ISBN978-0-06-083711-2.
^abSaint James, Sterling (December 10, 2014).Gia Scala: The First Gia. Parhelion House.ISBN978-0-9893695-1-0.
^"CPI Inflation Calculator". U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. August 17, 2011.Archived from the original on February 20, 2013. RetrievedJanuary 15, 2012.
^Jukebox Jury (Research Video). Music Footing Licensing Agency and Vintage Television Footage Archive.
^abMotor Cycle, August 27, 1964. p.451.On the Rough by Peter Fraser. "All of them have been riding regularly in US Enduros and scrambles, but Bud is the only one with previous ISDT experience. He won golds last year and in 1962". Accessed December 7, 2015
^abThe Motor Cycle, September 24, 1964. pp.578-580.ISDT Round up by Peter Fraser
^abMotorcycle Sport, November 1964, pp.411–418 "Steve McQueen, last man on the course after a long stop to repair a broken chain, was speeding along to catch up when he collided with a motorcyclist; the Triumph was sadly mangled, the front fork doubled under the frame".
^Sports Illustrated 35:8 (August 23, 1971), cover photograph by Heinz Kluetmeier. The article within was "Harvey on the Lam," beginning on page 54.
^"title". American Movie Classics Company. 2009. Archived fromthe original on November 25, 2009.
^abMcQueen, Barbara (2007). –Steve McQueen: The Last Mile. – Deerfield, Illinois: Dalton Watson Fine Books. –ISBN978-1-85443-227-8.
^abcJohnson, Brett (January 13, 2008). "Big legend in a small town – Action film hero lived quiet life in Santa Paula before 1980 death".Ventura County Star.
^Lerner, Barron H. (November 15, 2005)."McQueen's Legacy of Laetrile".The New York Times.Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. RetrievedMay 24, 2010.
^abcWorthington, Roger. "A Candid Interview with Barbara McQueen 26 Years After Mesothelioma Claimed the Life of Husband and Hollywood Icon, Steve McQueen". The Law Office of Roger G. Worthington P.C. October 27, 2006.
^European Stars and Stripes. November 9, 1980. p. 2..
^Elyria (November 8, 1980).Ohio Chronicle Telegram. p. C-5.{{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)[title missing]
^abMastine-Frost, Justin (September 20, 2018)."The McQueen Rolex Submariner".Bob's Watches.Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. RetrievedMarch 13, 2025.
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