Interesting facts about ‘The King of Cool’ Steve McQueen (18 Photos)
1
Steve was born in 1930 under the name ‘Terrence Stephen McQueen’. His father abandoned his mother only 6 months after they had met.
2
Because he was born during The Great Depression, Steve wound up living on a farm with his grandparents and great uncle for most of his childhood.
3
McQueen was known for having a long list of requests whenever he showed up to a new film set. Things like electric razors and multiple pairs of jeans were on said list. It was later discovered that these items were donated by him to Boys Republic, a school for troubled youth that he himself had once been in.
4
Steve collected cars and motorcycles. His extensive collection included: a 1958 GMC Pickup Truck, a 1951 Chevrolet Styline De Lux Convertible, a 1956 Jaguar XKSS, and a 1958 Porsche 356 Speedster 1600 Super.
5
McQueen was neighbours with Keith Moon when he lived in Malibu. Moon constantly left his bathroom light on at night, and it infuriated Steve. After failing to get Keith to stop this habit, he wound up shooting the light out with a shotgun from his bathroom window.
6
As a youth, Steve often found himself out on the streets, eventually joining a gang that constantly got involved in petty crimes.
7
Steve was serious about keeping in shape, working out for several hours nearly every day. At one point, he would run five miles a day on top of lifting weights.
8
It is often believed that McQueen was trained Tang Soo Do martial arts by Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris. However, it was actually his son that was trained by Norris. Mcqueen was trained by Pat E. Johnson.
9
Before making it as an actor, Steve had a pretty interesting resume, including being a lumberjack, carnival barker, merchant marine, and a towel boy at a brothel.
10
Steve had appeared in a total of 3 movies directed by John Sturges which also co-starred Charles Bronson: The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and Never So Few.
11
McQueen has said on several occasions that Bullitt featured his favorite character to play.
12
Steve’s grandson, Steven R. McQueen, also acts and has appeared in he Vampire Diaries and Piranha 3D.
13
Because he died so early, Steve never got to see his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was dedicated on June 12, 1986, 6 years after his death.
14
Despite being one of the most popular actors of his time, Steve was only ever nominated for one Oscar for his film The Sand Pebbles.
15
In preparation for his role as a cop in Bullitt, Steve spent a few days with real cops on the job. In order to see what he was really made of, they planned to bring him to the morgue to see bodies. Apparently, he walked into it while eating an apple, cool as a cucumber.
16
On August 8, 1969, Steve was set to join Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate for a soiree in their Hollywood home. However, he bailed last-minute in order to see another woman. That was the same night of where Tate and hairdresser Jay Sebring became victims of the Manson Family Murders.
17
After learning that he was on the top of Charles Manson’s celebrity death list, Steve started carrying around a concealed weapon with him.
18
Today, Steve is recognized as one of the true icons of Hollywood, and the king of cool. He died on November 7, 1980, due to complications from a risky surgery.
What are your favourite Steve McQueen movies? Let us know!
Interesting facts about ‘The King of Cool’ Steve McQueen (18 Photos)
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November 17, 2019
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