He was sent to Parris Island for boot camp. He was under contract to Irwin Allen after appearing in The Towering Inferno and offered a part in a sequel in 1980, which he turned down. On November 7, 1980, the actor Steve McQueen, one of Hollywoods leading men of the 1960s and 1970s and the star of such action thrillers as Bullitt and The Towering Inferno, dies at the age of 50 in Mexico, where he was undergoing an experimental treatment for cancer. I learned how to get along with others, and I had a platform to jump off of. He followed this with a physically demanding role as a Devil's Island prisoner in 1973's Papillon, featuring Dustin Hoffman as his character's tragic sidekick. He tried to keep the condition a secret but on March 11, 1980, the National Enquirer disclosed that he had "terminal cancer. A year later, Steven was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma - a kind of cancer often associated with asbestos exposure. [134] Michael Foust of Wordslingers called it "one of the most powerful and inspiring documentaries I've ever seen."[135]. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy had failed to shrink his cancer, seeing McQueen desperate for alternative solutions. [citation needed], McQueen was an avid motorcycle and race car enthusiast. For this film, McQueen went for a change of image, playing a debonair role as a wealthy executive in The Thomas Crown Affair with Faye Dunaway in 1968. "King of Cool" Steve McQueen dies - History He was a man sure of himself and very sincere, Santos said. The Hollywood daredevil races his Jaguar XK-SS down Sunset Boulevard in the early 1960s. He drove cars and motorcycles in races all over the world like the Mojave Desert 500 and the 12 Hours of Sebring and he even filmed his 1971 classic Le Mans on the site of the actual race. [101][102], McQueen followed a daily two-hour exercise regimen, involving weightlifting and, at one point, running 5 miles (8km), seven days a week. "Steve liked to [seduce] blondes, but he married brunettes," his ex-wife Neile Adams said at McQueen's funeral in 1980. DVD Video: Steve McQueen, The Essence of Cool. Terrence Stephen McQueen was born on March 24, 1930, in Beech Grove, Indiana. Had he not gone to reform school, McQueen believed, "I would have ended up in jail or something. And then we had a falling out. As the Great Depression worsened, McQueen and his grandparents moved in with Lillian's brother Claude and his family at their farm in Slater. And before Steve McQueens death, the actor placed his trust in a man named William D. Kelley. He had heard of a kidney specialist there named Cesar Santos Vargas who had a knack for putting mutilated bullfighters back together. Steve McQueen picking up his new Shelby Cobra from the legendary racing driver and designer Carroll Shelby. With no known cure, the diagnosis was terminal. 25 Breathtaking Photos Of Borobudur, The Ancient Temple Of 500 Buddhas, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Then, check out vintage Hollywood in these mesmerizing images. Brynner refused to draw his gun in the same scene with McQueen, not wanting his character outdrawn. [28], On November 2, 1956, he married Filipino actress and dancer Neile Adams,[86] with whom he had a daughter, Terry Leslie (June 5, 1959 March 19, 1998[87][88]), and a son, Chad (born December 28, 1960). I got my lumps, no doubt about it. If it hadnt been for the heart failure, I believe something could have been done to make his remaining days more pleasant, Santos said. By the time Sam Peckinpah's crime-thriller classic The Getaway came out in 1972, Steve McQueen was not only America's leading man but also the highest-paid actor in the world. Big production spent a lot of money and stayed in China too long there, in Taiwan. And from that time on, we were talking again. He served three years and was honorably discharged in 1950. After resisting arrest, he was sentenced to 41 days in the brig. And I started: "Steve, I want to tell you, before somebody else, that I'm going to do Grand Prix." Morrell, David, Jay MacDonald. For a while, the actor was able to eat small chunks of ice. [59]:93[67], In a segment filmed for The Ed Sullivan Show, McQueen drove Sullivan around a desert area in a dune buggy at high speed. His last two films were loosely based on true stories: Tom Horn, a Western adventure about a former Army scout-turned professional gunman who worked for the big cattle ranchers hunting down rustlers, and later hanged for murder in the shooting death of a sheepherder, and The Hunter, an urban action movie about a modern-day bounty hunter, both released in 1980. However, there was controversy whether or not the watch was his personal watch worn by McQueen himself or if the watch was bought, engraved, then gifted. He then studied acting and began competing in motorcycle races. He removed as many tumors in McQueens neck and liver as he could. McQueen wanted to drive a Porsche 917 with Jackie Stewart in that race,[58] but the film backers threatened to pull their support if he did. [14] His first off-road motorcycle was a Triumph 500 cc, purchased from Ekins. McQueen takes a gander at the crowd while filming. McQueen was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma on Dec. 22, 1979, and died of cardiac arrest from widespread metastasis less than a year later at age 50. In 2007, 27 years after his death, Forbes said McQueen remained a popular star and still the "king of cool" and was one of the highest-earning dead celebrities. [14]:21213[119] Using the name "Samuel Sheppard," McQueen checked into a small Jurez clinic where the doctors and staff were unaware of his actual identity. He gained national attention when the man called Sheppard suddenly died in his Juarez clinic at 2:50 a.m. Friday. "Elliott Gould has had quite a career to joke about". [145], The Rolex Explorer II, Reference 1655, known as Rolex Steve McQueen in the horology collectors' world, the Rolex 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. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! [53] Although the jump over the fence in The Great Escape was done by Bud Ekins for insurance purposes, McQueen did have considerable screen time riding his 650cc Triumph TR6 Trophy motorcycle. [129], The Beech 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.[130]. His added touches in many of the shots (such as shaking a shotgun round before loading it, repeatedly checking his gun while in the background of a shot, and wiping his hat rim) annoyed top-billed Brynner, who protested that McQueen was stealing scenes. Vargas later told the press that McQueen displayed an immense will to live during the few days that he knew him. McQueen recalled: I could see that Jim was neat around his place. Coupled with the generally negative image of the bounty hunter, noted in the three-part DVD special on the background of the series, this added to the antihero image infused with mystery and detachment that made this show stand out from the typical TV Western. Only one member of the "B" team finished the six-day event. [citation needed], McQueen supported Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 United States presidential election and Richard Nixon in the 1968 United States presidential election.[107][108]. [18], McQueen gradually became a role model and was elected to the Boys Council, a group who set the rules and regulations governing the boys' lives. Sheppard, alias actorSteve McQueen, went to Santos Clinica de Santa Rosa looking for reprieve from the painful cancer that was killing him. With Sanford Meisner's acting techniques firmly under his belt, the young actor nabbed minor roles in several plays before making his Broadway debut in 1955's A Hatful of Rain. That same year, the actor portrayed an elegant thief in The Thomas Crown Affair. The rest of the driving by McQueen's character was done by stunt drivers Bud Ekins and Loren Janes. 18 Pictures Of Steve McQueen's Incredible Car Collection - HotCars Forty years ago, Nov. 7, 1980, actor Steve McQueen died of heart failure at a Jurez clinic while recovering from surgery to remove cancerous tumors of the neck and stomach. Here he is wearing a Firestone racing suit and leaning against a Lola T70 SL70/14 car at Riverside Raceway. [36] The antagonist's black Dodge Charger was driven by veteran stunt driver Bill Hickman; McQueen, his stunt drivers and Hickman spent several days before the scene was shot practicing high-speed, close-quarters driving. Steve McQueen: Photos of the King of Cool, 1963 - LIFE Steve McQueen died on November 7, 1980 at 50 years old in a hospital in Mexico, but did cancer really kill the legendary actor? It wasn't a falling out, as I did Grand Prix. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. McQueen sometimes drank to excess; he was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1972. Browse 2,132 steve mcqueen actor photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. But we were about to release, before he even got to that film. Here's what we know about the actor's heir. When McQueen appeared in a two-part Westinghouse Studio One television presentation entitled The Defenders, Hollywood manager Hilly Elkins took note of him[32] and decided that B-movies would be a good place for the young actor to make his mark. Changing the day will navigate the page to that given day in history. "[113][114] In July 1980, McQueen traveled to Rosarito Beach, Mexico, for unconventional treatment after U.S. doctors told him they could do nothing to prolong his life. Bike in gear, cigarette in mouth, and McQueen is ready to tear out of his driveway. In the 1970s, McQueen was one of Hollywoods highest-paid actors and starred in hit films such as director Sam Peckinpahs The Getaway (1972) with Ali MacGraw, to whom McQueen was married from 1973 to 1978; Papillon (1973), with Dustin Hoffman; and The Towering Inferno (1974), with Paul Newman, William Holden and Faye Dunaway. [144] Tag Heuer continues to promote its Monaco range with McQueen's image. Steve McQueen last chance surgery, dies in Juarez due to cancer In 2012, McQueen was posthumously honored with the Warren Zevon Tribute Award by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). The casket containing the body was placed aboard the private jet by three men identified only as McQueen's friends. [37] Bullitt went so far over budget that Warner Brothers cancelled the contract on the rest of his films, seven in all. This photo was taken near a sign on his property that read: "Anyone caught in here better have a damned good reason.". Santos said McQueen might have lived another two or three months if he had not undergone an operation. McQueen and Lewis instantly clashed, the meeting was a disaster, and the role went to Garner. Steve McQueen quenches his extreme thirst during a break in the Mojave Desert 500 a cross-country motorcycle race with as many miles as the name implies. [7] McQueen served until 1950, when he was honorably discharged. In the commercial, a farmer builds a winding racetrack, which he circles in the 2005 Mustang. Two years later, she and Robert broke up after Ali began a public affair with screen icon Steve McQueen. Santos said he believes McQueen might have been referred to his clinic by other patients treated for cancer. He was only 50 when he died, leaving behind a complicated legacy of mismanaged masculinity, worldwide adulation, and a rare cinematic footprint. [14] He was 50 years old. All Rights Reserved. When did Steve McQueen die, what was the cause of his death, what were Spy novelist Jeremy Duns revealed that McQueen was considered for the lead role in a film adaptation of The Diamond Smugglers, written by James Bond creator Ian Fleming; McQueen would play John Blaize, a secret agent gone undercover to infiltrate a diamond-smuggling ring in South Africa. ", because he planned to do Le Mans, which was another title at the time. [5], Terrence Stephen McQueen was born to a single mother on March 24, 1930, at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. His son Chad McQueen and former wife Neile Adams are among those interviewed. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. When Bullitt became a huge box-office success, Warner Brothers tried to woo him back, but he refused, and his next film was made with an independent studio and released by United Artists. Well, there was about a 20 dollars' silence there (laugh), on the telephone. McQueen loved the outdoors and frequently hiked and camped with his dog. . He took an unauthorized absence, failing to return after a weekend pass expired. He had a bad impression of journalists, he said. Unfortunately, as is the case with many superstar actors, McQueen liked booze, drugs, and women who weren't his wife. When Steve McQueen married Barbara Minty, he had already been diagnosed with terminal cancer, against which he intended to wage war in private. Word circulated among Juarez news media that McQueens body was at the mortuary and reporters and television crews converged on the funeral home. He also said that McQueen had been able to walk and chew on bits of ice after the surgery, but that tumor was so large it would have eventually killed him. [7] He initially struggled with conforming to the discipline of the service, and was demoted to private seven times. , Toppman, Lawrence. Frankenheimer was unable to meet with McQueen to offer him the role, so he sent Edward Lewis, his business partner and the producer of Grand Prix. Santos said McQueen checked in using the pseudonym Samuel Sheppard, a Cleveland osteopath who was the defendant in two sensational trials in the 1950s and 1960s, allegedly killing his wife. "He liked camping, he liked rugged things, he liked firing a gun," said LIFE photographer John Dominis of his friend and subject, Steve McQueen. Here he is back on the campus of his alma mater, the Boys' Republic Reformatory School, to inspire the younger generation. But Steve was a wild kid. [19], At age 16, McQueen returned to live with his mother, who had moved to Greenwich Village in New York City. [46][47] Spielberg offered to take the crying scene out of the story, but McQueen demurred, saying that it was the best scene in the script. Steve McQueen Never-Before-Seen & Nearly Nude PHOTOS The Magnificent Seven (1960), in which he played Vin Tanner and starred with Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Robert Vaughn, Charles Bronson, Horst Buchholz, and James Coburn, became McQueen's first major hit and led to his withdrawal from Wanted: Dead or Alive. Steve in The Thomas Crown Affair ( Image: Getty Images) Tragically, on November 7, 1980, he died of heart failure at the clinic, just 12 hours after the surgery to remove tumours from his neck. From the Archives: Actor Steve McQueen Dies in Juarez Hospital For financial security, the three moved in with McQueens uncle Claude, whom he later called a very good man, very strong, very fair.. John Dominis/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images. Vintage Steve McQueen Photos That Prove He'll Always Be The 'King Of Cool' View Gallery Dyslexic and partially deaf, McQueen returned to Indianapolis some years later to live with his mother and her new husband. [7] McQueen's mother married and when the boy was eight, she brought him from the farm to live with her and her new husband in Indianapolis. [122], On November 7, 1980, McQueen died of a heart attack at 3:45 a.m. at a Jurez hospital, 12 hours after surgery to remove or reduce numerous metastatic tumors in his neck and abdomen. Santos said McQueens wife, Barbara, and two children by a previous marriage, son Chad, 21, and daughter Terri, 20, had just left the clinic when he died. [7] He left the Boys Republic at age 16. "Costner Sings to Houston's Debut". Nonetheless, he's seen here attending the trials before filming. After starring in 1965's The Cincinnati Kid as a poker player, McQueen earned his only Academy Award nomination in 1966 for his role as an engine-room sailor in The Sand Pebbles, in which he starred opposite Candice Bergen and Richard Attenborough, whom he had previously worked with in The Great Escape.[14]. He said he taught McQueen the "art of the fast-draw." John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images After the 1969 Manson Family murders, Steve McQueen didn't go anywhere without a gun. McQueen and I get along pretty good, McQueen looked to me kind of like an older brother and he didn't want to have much with me, till he got into trouble, then he'd call and, you know, he knew, I could tell him just what I thought. Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930 November 7, 1980)[4] was an American actor. Husband and wife share a laugh while hanging out on their couch. Soon, it spread to his stomach, liver, and neck. [citation needed], At the Detroit Auto Show in January 2018, Ford unveiled the new 2019 Mustang Bullitt. The destination was Southwest Air Rangers terminal at the El Paso International Airport. Over 40 years after his untimely death from mesothelioma in 1980, Steve McQueen is still considered hip and cool, and he endures as an icon of popular culture. Steve and Ali divorced in 1978 after five tumultuous years. The 94 episodes that ran from 1958 until early 1961 kept McQueen steadily employed, and he became a fixture at the renowned Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, where much of the outdoor action for Wanted: Dead or Alive was shot. In the 1971 film Le Mans, he famously wore a blue-faced Monaco Ref. bill helped him pay for the iconic Neighborhood Playhouse and study under legends like Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen. Steve McQueen - Wikipedia Archive footage of McQueen was used to digitally superimpose him driving and exiting the car in settings reminiscent of the film. McQueen's father, William McQueen, a stunt pilot for a barnstorming flying circus, left his mother, Julia Ann (or Julianne) Crawford,[6][11]:9 six months after meeting her. [62] On arrival in Germany, the team, with their English temporary manager, were surprised to find a Vase "B" team, comprising expat Americans living in Europe, had entered themselves privately to ride European-sourced machinery. And in 1977, MacGraw and McQueen went their separate ways. Around half of the driving in Bullitt was performed by Loren Janes.[36]. Prados old Fort LTD, used as a makeshift hearse, recently had been in the repair shop. So to piss him off, I'd start lobbing empty beer cans down the hill into his driveway. McQueen in character as race driver Michael Delaney in. The other guys in the bungalow had ways of paying you back for interfering with their well-being. The world's eyes were on El Paso. [7] As McQueen began to rebel again, he was sent back to live with Claude for a final time. He had a one-off outing in the British Touring Car Championship in 1961, driving a BMC Mini at Brands Hatch, finishing third. McQueen became a household name as a result of this series. "McQueen biography is portrait of a rebel". The Philippines-born dancer and actress, Neile Adams, lounges poolside with her husband at their Palm Springs home. His stepfather regularly beat him, and before long McQueen resorted to petty crime and joined a street gang. , French, Philip. Flying Leads to Redemption The film includes an in-depth interview with McQueen's widow, Barbara Minty McQueen, as she reveals candid photographs of the actor in his final years. "A Candid Interview with Barbara McQueen 26 Years After Mesothelioma Claimed the Life of Husband and Hollywood Icon, Steve McQueen". You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. Friedkin later remarked that not casting McQueen hurt the film's performance at the box office. McQueen's first breakout role came on television. [97] Some friends later claimed that MacGraw was the one true love of McQueen's life: "He was madly in love with her until the day he died. We strive for accuracy and fairness.