For anyone acquainted with American film, actor Steve McQueen has long been heralded as the complete bad boy and distillation cool. Starring in motion picture classics like The Great Escape, Bullit, The Thomas Crown Affair and many more, McQueen portrayed rough, streetwise personas that women adored and men wanted to replicate. But what made this Hollywood star tick? Definitely there was a lot more to this man than his robust good looks and the powerful people that he portrayed on the big screen. Steve McQueen was a complex character whose lifetime contained many different parts, so let's take a look at several of the most significant aspects of his life that made him the King of Cool.
Rebel from a Young Age
Probably the biggest element of what made Steve McQueen into the man he became was a rough early childhood. Born to a young alcoholic mother, McQueen had a rough early beginning which started when his father abandoned the family when he was just six months old. Discovering it tough to deal with a child, McQueen's mother left him with her parents and he would constantly move among relatives through his early life. Ultimately finding his way to Los Angeles California in his early teens, Steve McQueen was beaten by his stepfather and shortly found his way into a street gang. Consequently, he served 18 months in a juvenile detention facility that resulted in developing a strength and maturity that would be the key of his tough guy image later in life.
From Soldier to Actor
Upon completion of his military service in the late 1940s, Steve McQueen made a decision to pursue acting with the help of the GI Bill. After having held a variety of different jobs including sailor, oil rigger and brothel janitor, McQueen had found something in performing that appealed to him and started his acting career playing modest rolls in a variety of productions. Having landed a number of TV roles, the actor's first big break occurred when he received the starring role in the low budget horror film The Blob and was later chosen by Frank Sinatra for the film Never So Few. Subsequently, Steve McQueen took on roles that highlighted his rugged good looks and affinity for speed which manifested into his reputation as the quintessential anti-hero. As there is little doubt that his position as an actor was the driving force behind his status as an American King of Cool, it certainly wasn't the only one.
Automobile Racing
There's no doubt that an element of danger must exist to make someone truly cool and Steve McQueen hand a penchant for driving fast. Starting with a love of motorcycles, McQueen competed in off-road races that included well-known events like The Baja 1000, The Mint 400 and The Elsinore Grand Prix., along with representing the U. S. in the International Six Days Trial - a type of off-road motorcycle Olympics. This demand for speed later progressed into a love for auto racing for McQueen, who had considered being professional racecar driver. A champion in the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring race, Steve McQueen had partnered with Peter Revson to win the 3 liter class and later thought about driving in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year. Plainly, McQueen had an edge and enjoyed taking risks which cultivated an image of cool.
Bad Boy
Among the many components that contributed to Steve McQueen's cool factor, his track record of a chaotic personal life and his popularity among the Hollywood's leading actresses was substantial. Seemingly willing to pursue a risky way of life, McQueen reportedly used drugs regularly and had periodic run-ins with the law, as proven by his 1972 arrest for DUI in Alaska. Moreover, Steve McQueen had a series of relationships that put him squarely among Hollywood's elite leading ladies like Ali McGraw and Barbara Leigh, let alone quite a few less popular actresses. Moreover, his continual philandering exaggerated his image as a bad boy for both men and women alike and recorded his image as a cool character.
Created through his difficult early years, along with his pursuits as an actor, racing lover and Hollywood bad boy, it's no real shock that Steve McQueen was an American original and the King of Cool.
Rebel from a Young Age
Probably the biggest element of what made Steve McQueen into the man he became was a rough early childhood. Born to a young alcoholic mother, McQueen had a rough early beginning which started when his father abandoned the family when he was just six months old. Discovering it tough to deal with a child, McQueen's mother left him with her parents and he would constantly move among relatives through his early life. Ultimately finding his way to Los Angeles California in his early teens, Steve McQueen was beaten by his stepfather and shortly found his way into a street gang. Consequently, he served 18 months in a juvenile detention facility that resulted in developing a strength and maturity that would be the key of his tough guy image later in life.
From Soldier to Actor
Upon completion of his military service in the late 1940s, Steve McQueen made a decision to pursue acting with the help of the GI Bill. After having held a variety of different jobs including sailor, oil rigger and brothel janitor, McQueen had found something in performing that appealed to him and started his acting career playing modest rolls in a variety of productions. Having landed a number of TV roles, the actor's first big break occurred when he received the starring role in the low budget horror film The Blob and was later chosen by Frank Sinatra for the film Never So Few. Subsequently, Steve McQueen took on roles that highlighted his rugged good looks and affinity for speed which manifested into his reputation as the quintessential anti-hero. As there is little doubt that his position as an actor was the driving force behind his status as an American King of Cool, it certainly wasn't the only one.
Automobile Racing
There's no doubt that an element of danger must exist to make someone truly cool and Steve McQueen hand a penchant for driving fast. Starting with a love of motorcycles, McQueen competed in off-road races that included well-known events like The Baja 1000, The Mint 400 and The Elsinore Grand Prix., along with representing the U. S. in the International Six Days Trial - a type of off-road motorcycle Olympics. This demand for speed later progressed into a love for auto racing for McQueen, who had considered being professional racecar driver. A champion in the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring race, Steve McQueen had partnered with Peter Revson to win the 3 liter class and later thought about driving in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year. Plainly, McQueen had an edge and enjoyed taking risks which cultivated an image of cool.
Bad Boy
Among the many components that contributed to Steve McQueen's cool factor, his track record of a chaotic personal life and his popularity among the Hollywood's leading actresses was substantial. Seemingly willing to pursue a risky way of life, McQueen reportedly used drugs regularly and had periodic run-ins with the law, as proven by his 1972 arrest for DUI in Alaska. Moreover, Steve McQueen had a series of relationships that put him squarely among Hollywood's elite leading ladies like Ali McGraw and Barbara Leigh, let alone quite a few less popular actresses. Moreover, his continual philandering exaggerated his image as a bad boy for both men and women alike and recorded his image as a cool character.
Created through his difficult early years, along with his pursuits as an actor, racing lover and Hollywood bad boy, it's no real shock that Steve McQueen was an American original and the King of Cool.
About the Author:
James Moore studies mens leather motorcycle jackets and their history. Steve McQueen defined cool by donning a leather motorcycle jacket in his movies.
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