Terrence Steven McQueen better known as
just Steve McQueen was born on March
24th 1930 in beach Grove Indiana his
father abandoned McQueen and his mother
Julianne when he was very young his
mother Julianne had a drinking problem
and soon left McQueen in the care of his
great grand uncle Claude where he worked
on the farm in Missouri his mother only
visited occasionally when his mother
remarried McQueen was reunited with her
when he was 12 years old they moved to
Los Angeles California unfortunately
after suffering physical abuse from his
stepfather Steve got involved with some
street gangs and was eventually sent to
reform school for stealing hubcaps he
escaped for reform school more than once
but with counseling eventually settled
down McQueen joined the Merchant Marines
in 1946 for a brief time aboard the SS
Alfa but soon decided to jump ship while
it was docked in the Dominican Republic
after coming back to the United States
McQueen travelled the country doing odd
jobs for example working for a carnival
and on an oil rig in 1947 McQueen
enlisted in the US Marine Corps and he
soon ended up in the brig for 41 days
for unauthorized absence and resisting
arrest by the shore Patrol
McQueen himself said I was busted back
down to private about 7 times the only
way I could have been made corporal was
if all the other privates and the
Marines dropped dead McQueen was
discharged from the Marines in 1950
after bouncing around a while he ended
up living in New York City he spent his
time in Greenwich Village an artist and
bohemian neighborhood McQueen soon with
the help of the GI Bill enrolled at the
Neighborhood Playhouse acting school
after a year or two McQueen was accepted
to the Actors Studio where he studied
with Lee Strasberg in 1956 McQueen
appeared in a hatful of rain on Broadway
that same year he also was in the
feature film somebody up there likes me
starring Paul Newman he probably felt a
bit of rivalry with Newman who was also
a member of the Actors Studio in 1958
McQueen had a starring role as Steve
Andrews in the cult classic sci-fi film
The Blob that same year he also starred
in the TV West
wanted dead or alive as a bounty hunter
the show was very popular and led to
even greater stardom it was around this
time that Steve McQueen became very
interested in motorsports and motorcycle
racing where he had won many cash prizes
in the early 1960s Steve McQueen became
a major movie star appearing in the
Magnificent Seven with Yul Brenner and
Charles Bronson and in 1963 is the Great
Escape more hit movies followed
including this Cincinnati kid at 65 and
the western Nevada Smith in 1966 McQueen
received an Academy Award nomination for
the film of the sand pebbles in 1966 he
then starred in the Thomas Crown Affair
with Faye Dunaway in 1968 McQueen made
his most famous film Bullitt also in 68
playing a San Francisco cop this movie
was famous for the exciting car chase
between the bad guys Dodge Charger and
McQueen's Mustang
his next film also included McQueen's
interest in car racing in 1971 LeMans
during the 70s McQueen starred in junior
Bonner in 1972 that same year he
appeared in the getaway with Ali MacGraw
he then did Papillon with Dustin Hoffman
and 73 and he finally was in another
movie with Paul Newman this time
co-starring with his box-office rival in
the towering inferno in 1974 in the
opening credits both their names are
shown on the screen at the same time the
Queens first on the left and Newman's on
the right slightly higher Steve McQueen
was into fitness
working out extensively running five
miles a day he also trained in martial
arts and was a friend of fellow actor
Bruce Lee McQueen was one of the
pallbearers at Lee's funeral in 1973
McQueen's personal life suffered from
drug and alcohol abuse while separated
from his wife Neely Adams with whom he
had two children a girl named Terry and
a boy named Chad McQueen began a romance
with Ali MacGraw while filming
the getaway after enduring a tabloid
scandal McQueen and McGraw married in
1973 their troubled relationship lasted
until their divorce in 1978 McQueen
developed a persistent cough in 1978 and
he had been having respiratory problems
for a while before an x-ray taken late
in 1979 showed that he had a tumor in
his right lung the doctor said that his
type of cancer stemmed from asbestos
exposure and was known to be aggressive
and terminal McQueen finished his film
career with his last two films both
released to 1980 the Western Tom Horne
and the action thriller the hunter
McQueen married model Barbara minty in
January of 1980 McQueen spent the last
months of his life in Mexico seeking
alternative therapies and surgery for
his cancer sadly the king of cool died
on November 7th 1980 and Juarez Mexico
he was only 50 years old McQueen was
cremated and his ashes were spread in
the Pacific Ocean
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