Steve McQueen

Lore & Background

McQueen was born at the former St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Indiana, on March 24, 1930, the son of Julia Ann Crawford and flying circus stunt pilot William McQueen. He was of Scottish descent and grew up in a Catholic household. His father abandoned the family when McQueen was six months old, and he was raised primarily by his grandparents and mother at various times. Several biographers have stated that his mother was an alcoholic. Unable to cope with caring for him, she decided in 1933 to leave him with her parents Lillian and Victor in Slater, Missouri. As the Great Depression worsened, McQueen and his grandparents moved in with Lillian's brother Claude and his family at their farm in Slater. Claude gave McQueen a red tricycle on his fourth birthday, which McQueen subsequently credited with sparking his early interest in car racing. Dyslexic and partially deaf due to a childhood ear infection, McQueen did not adjust well to school or his new life, and his stepfather beat him to such an extent that he left home to live on the streets at the age of nine. At age 14, he left Claude's farm without saying goodbye and joined a circus for a short time. He drifted back to his mother and stepfather in Los Angeles, resuming his life as a gang member and petty criminal. After an incident, McQueen's stepfather persuaded his mother to sign a court order remanding him to the California Junior Boys Republic in Chino Hills. He left the Boys Republic at age 16. In 1947, McQueen enlisted in the U.S. Marines and was sent to Parris Island, South Carolina, for boot camp. He served until 1950, when he was honorably discharged. In 1952, with financial assistance under the G.I. Bill, McQueen began studying acting in New York at Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse and at HB Studio under Uta Hagen. He made his Broadway debut in 1955 in the play A Hatful of Rain. His first film role was a bit part in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956).

In Their Own Story

The roar of the Ford GT40 vibrates through the chassis as Steve McQueen grips the wheel, his eyes scanning the blurred horizon of the Mulsanne Straight. The sun beats down on the tarmac, heat waves shimmering off the asphalt like a mirage. Beside him, Bruce McLaren calls out lap times, but the world outside the cockpit is a blur of speed and adrenaline. For these twenty-four hours, there are no movie scripts, only the rhythm of the engine and the relentless pursuit of perfection.

Reader's Guide

McQueen's participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans is not mentioned in the source article.

Did You Know?

• McQueen was nicknamed the 'King of Cool'.
• He used the alias 'Harvey Mushman' when participating in motor races.
• He was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died of a heart attack after surgery in Mexico in 1980.