Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930–November 7, 1980) was an American movie actor. He was born Terence Steven McQueen in Beech Grove, Indiana. He never knew his father, who abandoned his wife and child shortly after McQueen was born. He was raised in Slater, Missouri by his uncle, where his mother left him. At the age of 12 McQueen moved with his mother to Los Angeles. When he was 14, his mother sent him to a reformatory school. Soon McQueen left the school and drifted before joining the Marines in 1947. In 1952, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill to study at the Actors' Studio in New York, making his Broadway debut in 1955 in A Hatful of Rain.

McQueen moved into film in 1956 with Somebody Up There Likes Me, securing his first lead role in the 1958 movie The Blob. Between 1958 and 1960 he gained recognition with the television series Wanted: Dead or Alive. His breakthrough, however, came in 1963 with The Great Escape, and his fame peaked in 1968 with Bullitt. Before, he had already earned an Academy Award nomination for the 1966 film The Sand Pebbles. From then on he mixed character roles in works such as 1973's Papillon, with pure spectacle in the 1971 car races film Le Mans or in The Getaway in 1972. After The Towering Inferno in 1974, McQueen did not return to film until 1978, when he played in An Enemy of the People.

McQueen was a motorcycle and race car enthusiast. He liked fast machines, and when he had the opportunity to drive these vehicles in a movie, he did it himself, performing many of his own stunts. During his acting career he even seriously considered becoming a professional race car driver.

McQueen was married to Neile Adams from 1957 until their divorce in 1972; from this marriage he had a son and a daughter. He married actress Ali McGraw in 1973 and divorced her in 1978. He was married to Barbara Minty in January 1980.

After 1978 he appeared only in two further films before he died in November of 1980, only 50 years old, in Juárez, Mexico due to a heart attack following a last-ditch effort to fight mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer caused by extensive asbestos exposure throughout his life.

Prefab Sprout released an album called "Steve McQueen" in 1985.

He was honored in the 2002 Sheryl Crow song called "Steve McQueen".


Filmography

  • The Hunter (1980)
  • Tom Horn (1980)
  • An Enemy of the People (1978)
  • The Towering Inferno (1974)
  • Papillon (1973)
  • The Getaway (1972)
  • Junior Bonner (1972)
  • Le Mans (1971)
  • The Reivers (1969)
  • Bullitt (1968)
  • The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  • The Sand Pebbles (1966)
  • Nevada Smith (1966)
  • The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
  • Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965)
  • Love with the Proper Stranger (1963)
  • Soldier in the Rain (1963)
  • The Great Escape (1963)
  • The War Lover (1962)
  • Hell Is for Heroes (1962)
  • The Honeymoon Machine (1961)
  • The Magnificent Seven (1960)
  • The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery (1960)
  • Never So Few (1959)
  • The Blob (1958)
  • Never Love a Stranger (1958)
  • Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

This page about Steve McQueen includes information from a Wikipedia article.
Additional articles about Steve McQueen
News stories about Steve McQueen
External links for Steve McQueen
Videos for Steve McQueen
Wikis about Steve McQueen
Discussion Groups about Steve McQueen
Blogs about Steve McQueen
Images of Steve McQueen


.
. He was honored in the 2002 Sheryl Crow song called "Steve McQueen". Through the use of computer graphics, footage of him as a young man was integrated into the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow in which Olivier "played" the villain. Prefab Sprout released an album called "Steve McQueen" in 1985. Fifteen years after his death, Olivier once again received star billing in a movie. After 1978 he appeared only in two further films before he died in November of 1980, only 50 years old, in Juárez, Mexico due to a heart attack following a last-ditch effort to fight mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer caused by extensive asbestos exposure throughout his life. The Laurence Olivier Awards, organised by The Society of London Theatre, were renamed in his honour in 1984.

He was married to Barbara Minty in January 1980. Lord Olivier is interred in Westminster Abbey, London, England. He married actress Ali McGraw in 1973 and divorced her in 1978. He died in Steyning, West Sussex, England, from complications of a neuromuscular disorder and cancer at the age of 82. McQueen was married to Neile Adams from 1957 until their divorce in 1972; from this marriage he had a son and a daughter. As a result between 1973 and 1986 when his health gave out he did many films and TV specials on a 'paycheck' basis on the condition that he would not have to promote the film on release. During his acting career he even seriously considered becoming a professional race car driver. After the opening of the National Theatre Olivier became concerned that he had not done enough to provide for his family after he died.

He liked fast machines, and when he had the opportunity to drive these vehicles in a movie, he did it himself, performing many of his own stunts. He was created a Knight Bachelor in 1947, and a life peer in 1970 (the first actor to be accorded this distinction) as Baron Olivier, of Brighton in the County of Sussex, and was admitted to the Order of Merit in 1981. McQueen was a motorcycle and race car enthusiast. He won both Best Actor and Best Picture (as the producer) for Hamlet in 1949, and two honorary Oscars (1947, for Henry V; 1979). After The Towering Inferno in 1974, McQueen did not return to film until 1978, when he played in An Enemy of the People. Among his honours are 10 Oscar nominations. From then on he mixed character roles in works such as 1973's Papillon, with pure spectacle in the 1971 car races film Le Mans or in The Getaway in 1972. In his book "Melting the Stone: A Journey Around My Father", Olivier and Plowright's son, Richard, described Laurence as being more interested in his work than in his children, and would actually become depressed when he didn't have a job.

Before, he had already earned an Academy Award nomination for the 1966 film The Sand Pebbles. He was reportedly also intimate with playwright Noel Coward. His breakthrough, however, came in 1963 with The Great Escape, and his fame peaked in 1968 with Bullitt. Danny Kaye was attached to Larry far earlier than I," poking fun at Spoto's claim that Kaye and Olivier were lovers. Between 1958 and 1960 he gained recognition with the television series Wanted: Dead or Alive. Plowright said "I have always resented the comments that it was I who was the homewrecker of Larry's marriage to Vivien Leigh. McQueen moved into film in 1956 with Somebody Up There Likes Me, securing his first lead role in the 1958 movie The Blob. Leigh named Plowright as co-respondent in her divorce, also on grounds of adultery.

Bill to study at the Actors' Studio in New York, making his Broadway debut in 1955 in A Hatful of Rain. Esmond named Leigh as co-respondent in her divorce on grounds of adultery. In 1952, he took advantage of the G.I. Olivier married Joan Plowright on March 17, 1961. Soon McQueen left the school and drifted before joining the Marines in 1947. They were divorced on December 2, 1960. At the age of 12 McQueen moved with his mother to Los Angeles. When he was 14, his mother sent him to a reformatory school. Finally divorced by their respective spouses, they married on August 31, 1940 at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, with Katharine Hepburn as the maid of honour.

He was raised in Slater, Missouri by his uncle, where his mother left him. By 1938, he had embarked on a torrid affair with Vivien Leigh, who was also married. He never knew his father, who abandoned his wife and child shortly after McQueen was born. On July 25, 1930, he married Jill Esmond, whom Olivier biographer Donald Spoto described as "a diffident lesbian." They had one son, Tarquin, and were divorced on January 29, 1940. He was born Terence Steven McQueen in Beech Grove, Indiana. He was founding director (1962-1973) of the National Theatre of Great Britain for which he recieved his peerage. Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930–November 7, 1980) was an American movie actor. His film breakthrough was his portrayal of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights in 1939.

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956). His stage breakthrough was in Noel Coward's Private Lives (in 1930), and in Romeo and Juliet (in 1935) alternating the roles of Romeo and Mercutio with John Gielgud. Never Love a Stranger (1958). It was his father, a clergyman, who decided that Laurence - or Kim as the family called him - would become an actor. The Blob (1958). He attended the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. Never So Few (1959). Laurence Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey.

Louis Bank Robbery (1960). Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (May 22, 1907 - July 11, 1989) was an English actor and director, esteemed by many as the greatest actor of the 20th century. The Great St. Lost Empires - 1986. The Magnificent Seven (1960). Peter the Great - 1986. The Honeymoon Machine (1961). The Ebony Tower - 1984.

Hell Is for Heroes (1962). The Last Days of Pompeii - 1984. The War Lover (1962). King Lear - 1984. The Great Escape (1963). A Talent for Murder - 1984. Soldier in the Rain (1963). Wagner - 1983.

Love with the Proper Stranger (1963). Johnson - 1983. Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965). Halpern and Mr. The Cincinnati Kid (1965). Mr. Nevada Smith (1966). A Voyage Round My Father - 1982.

The Sand Pebbles (1966). Brideshead Revisited - 1981. The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). Daphne Laureola - 1978. Bullitt (1968). Come Back, Little Sheba - 1977. The Reivers (1969). Jesus of Nazareth - 1977.

Le Mans (1971). Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - 1976. Junior Bonner (1972). The Collection - 1976. The Getaway (1972). Love Among the Ruins - 1975. Papillon (1973). The World At War - 1974.

The Towering Inferno (1974). The Merchant of Venice - 1973. An Enemy of the People (1978). Long Day's Journey Into Night - 1973. Tom Horn (1980). David Copperfield - 1969. The Hunter (1980). Male of the Species - 1969.

The Power and the Glory - 1961. The Moon and Sixpence - 1959. John Gabriel Borkman - 1958. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - 2004 (via computer-manipulated stock footage).

War Requiem - 1989. Wild Geese II - 1985. The Bounty - 1984. The Jigsaw Man - 1983.

Clash of the Titans - 1981. Inchon - 1981. The Jazz Singer - 1980. Dracula - 1979.

A Little Romance - 1979. The Boys from Brazil - 1978 - Oscar nomination: Best Actor. The Betsy - 1978. A Bridge Too Far - 1977.

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution - 1976. Marathon Man - 1976 - Oscar nomination: Best Supporting Actor. The Rehearsal - 1974. Lady Caroline Lamb - 1972.

Sleuth - 1972 - Oscar nomination: Best Actor. Nicholas and Alexandra - 1971. Three Sisters - 1970. Battle of Britain - 1969.

The Dance of Death - 1969. Oh! What a Lovely War - 1969. The Shoes of the Fisherman - 1968. Romeo and Juliet - 1968.

Khartoum - 1966. Othello - 1965 - Oscar nomination: Best Actor. Bunny Lake Is Missing - 1965. Uncle Vanya - 1963.

Term of Trial - 1962. Spartacus - 1960. The Entertainer - 1960 - Oscar nomination: Best Actor. The Devil's Disciple - 1959.

The Prince and the Showgirl - 1957. Richard III - 1955 - Oscar nomination: Best Actor. The Beggar's Opera - 1953. Carrie - 1952.

The Magic Box - 1951. Hamlet - 1948 - 2 Oscars: Best Actor, Best Picture; also nominated for Best Director. The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fifth with his Battell at Agincourt in France - 1944 - 2 Oscar nominations: Best Actor, Best Picture (also Academy Honorary Award). This Happy Breed - 1944.

The Demi-Paradise - 1943. Forty-Ninth Parallel - 1941. That Hamilton Woman - 1941. Pride and Prejudice - 1940.

21 Days - 1940. Rebecca - 1940 - Oscar nomination: Best Actor. Wuthering Heights - 1939 - Oscar nomination: Best Actor. Q Planes - 1939.

The Divorce of Lady X - 1938. Fire Over England - 1937. As You Like It - 1936. Conquest of the Air - 1936.

Moscow Nights - 1936. No Funny Business - 1933. Perfect Understanding - 1933. Westward Passage - 1932.

Potiphar's Wife - 1931. The Yellow Ticket - 1931. Friends and Lovers - 1931. Too Many Crooks - 1930.

The Temporary Widow - 1930. Filumena - 1980 (director). Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - 1967-8 (producer, director). The Tumbler - 1960 (director).

Venus Observed - 1952 (producer and director). Romeo and Juliet - 1940 (also acted, composed, produced, and designed). Romeo and Juliet - 1940 (also producer, composer, director, and designer). Venus Observed - 1952 (producer and director).

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - 1967-8 (producer, director). Antony and Cleopatra - 1952 (also acted). Daphne Laureola - 1950 (producer). Romeo and Juliet - 1940 (also acted, composed, directed, and designed).

Becket - 1960-1. The Entertainer - 1958. Antony and Cleopatra - 1952 (also producer). The Critic - 1946.

Oedipus Rex - 1946. Uncle Vanya - 1946. King Henry IV, Part II - 1946. King Henry IV, Part I - 1946.

Romeo and Juliet - 1940 (also producer, composer, director, and designer). No Time for Comedy - 1939. The Green Bay Tree - 1933. Private Lives - 1931.

Murder on the Second Floor - 1929. Time (as hologram) - 1986. Tribute to the Lady - 1974. The Party - 1973.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday - 1973. Long Day's Journey Into Night - 1971. The Merchant of Venice - 1970. Home and Beauty - 1969.

A Flea in her Ear - 1967. The Dance of Death - 1967. Love for Love - 1965. The Master Builder - 1964.

Othello - 1964. The Recruiting Officer - 1963. Uncle Vanya - 1963. Semi-Detached - 1962.

Rhinoceros - 1960. Titus Andronicus - 1957. The Entertainer - 1957. The Sleeping Prince - 1953.

The Sid Field Tribute - 1951. Antony and Cleopatra - 1951. Caesar and Cleopatra - 1951. Venus Observed - 1950.

Antigone - 1949. Richard III - 1949. The School for Scandal - 1949. King Lear - 1946.

Oedipus & The Critic - 1945. Henry IV Part 2 - 1945. Henry IV Part 1 - 1945. Uncle Vanya - 1945.

Richard III - 1944. Arms and the Man - 1944. Peer Gynt - 1944. Elsie Fogerty Jubilee Matine - 1942.

Henry V (scene) - 1942. Here's To Our Enterprise - 1938. Coriolanus - 1938. The King of Nowhere - 1938.

Othello -1938. Macbeth - 1937. Henry V - 1937. Twelfth Night - 1937.

Hamlet - 1937. Bees on the Boatdeck - 1936. Romeo and Juliet - 1935. Golden Arrow - 1935.

The Down and Outs Matinee - 1935. Notices (sketch) - 1935. November Afternoon (sketch) - 1935. Ringmaster - 1935.

The Winning Post - 1934. November Afternoon (sketch) - 1934. A Kiss for Cinderella - 1934. Journey's End - 1934.

Theatre Royal - 1934. Queen of Scots - 1934. Biography - 1934. The Rats of Norway - 1931.

Some Other Private Lives (sketch) 1930. Private Lives -1930. After All - 1930. 100 Not Out (sketch) 1930.

The Last Enemy - 1929. The Stranger Within - 1929. Paris Bound - 1929. The Circle of Chalk - 1929.

Prize Giving at Woodside House School (sketch) - 1929. Beau Geste - 1929. Journey's End - 1928. The Dark Path - 1928.

Paul Among The Jews - 1928. Bird in Hand - 1928. The Taming of the Shrew - 1928. Harold - 1928.

Back to Methuselah - 1928. Macbeth - 1928. The Adding Machine - 1928. The Song - 1926.

The Merchant of Venice - 1926. The Marvellous History of Saint Bernard - 1926. The Cenci - 1926. Oedipus Tyrannus - 1926.

Henry VIII - 1925. Henry IV Part 2 - 1925. The Merry Wives of Windsor - 1924.