Steve McQueen

From Beech Grove, Indiana, USA • 1930 - 1980

Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late 1950s to the mid-1970s. He was nicknamed the "King of Cool" and used the alias "Harvey Mushman" when participating in motor races. McQueen received nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and a Laurel Award for his role in Robert Wise's epic 1920s drama The Sand Pebbles (1966). His other popular films include The Blob (1958), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Nevada Smith (1966), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Bullitt (1968), The Getaway (1972) and Papillon (1973), in addition to ensemble films such as The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Great Escape (1963)—a turn which earned him both a Moscow International Film Festival Award and a Laurel Award nomination—On Any Sunday (1971), and the box office smash-hit The Towering Inferno (1974). He became the world's highest-paid movie star in 1974; however, afterwards, he did not appear in a film for another four years. Although he was combative with directors and producers, his popularity placed him in high demand and enabled him to negotiate the largest salaries. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, McQueen flew to Mexico in October 1980 for surgery to remove or reduce tumors in his neck and abdomen, against the advice of U.S. doctors who warned him that his cancer was inoperable and that his heart could not withstand the surgery. A few weeks later, he checked in to a hospital in Ciudad Juárez under a fake name and underwent surgery by hospital staff who were unaware of his true identity. A few hours after surgery, he died of a heart attack at the age of 50. (Via Wikipedia)