His ending was even more sad than what is mentioned here. He was under the care of a quack doctor who told him he could cure his cancer thru alternative treatments like a coffee enema. It would have been sad to be still on the rise in Hollywood with an impressive array of movies and be told your cancer is incurable. His best role was in Pappilon. A true legend.
@@VenturiLife Yep, he did try anything he could because he new he was terminal. I have retinitis pigmentosa and have lost 90% of my vision. There is still no cure for it and I spent thousands of $$$ on alternative treatments because that's what you do when western medicine gives you no hope.
My father died from the same thing. Asbestos was used in brake linings. McQueen got his from working on pipes in the Marines, like a lot of shipyard workers.
50 is too young. Steve was a gorgeous actor. The Blob was one of my favorites and I wish he did a movie with his Martial Arts teacher and friend Bruce Lee
When I first saw Steve McQueen in a Bullitt rerun as a Kid, I thought he was the coolest actor on TV, with his crystal blue eyes...driving that green mustang on the streets of San Francisco...running through the Airport in his suede hush puppy shoes and his love affair with Jacqueline Bisset. I have been a big fan ever since .
He did a PHENOMENAL job in The Sand Pebbles. Great film, and though set in the 1920s, it was very relevant of the times when released in 1966. His character, Jake Holman, was rough around the edges, but a good hearted man. And as you mentioned, Mako did a great job as well...great film....
When he filmed the Towering Inferno, he had stipulated that Paul Newman would not have more lines and screen time than him. He was always a bit insecure with Newman.
No disrespect to Steve but Newman was a hard act to follow. BOTH were fabulous. As great as they were, to use a old quote, I "wouldn't want to have to live off of the difference".
Ohhhhh my Teenie Idol Steve McQueen......as I was 14 they play a serie 'Josh' in Germany... I loved Steve he was so beautiful, the blue eyes......wow and he was a great artist 🤩❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣💯💯💯💯💯💯RIP Steve ❤Thanks for the video😘 From Germany Keki👋
McQueen hated the film and when the producers gave him a choice of a straight salary ($12k) or 10% of the film's gross, he took the salary. Little did he realize that the film would ultimately gross $4 million which would have given him $400k.
I read they wouldn't let him jump the fences himself in The Great Escape because it was too dangerous. They had someone else do the jumping. I am sure he was disappointed. You know he would have loved to jump them himself.
Glad he found the Lord and had peace in his heart at the end...Loved the film Cincinnati Kid.There is also a great documentary that came out about him. Steve McQueen An American Icon.
I've not seen a better car chase scene than Bullitt, though The Seven-Ups came close. Actually the guy McQueen chased in Bullitt was the same guy Roy Scheider chased in The Seven-Ups.
I have a friend who grew up in Sweden. At about age 12 he and his classmates saw Bullitt. Swedish kids at that time thought that if you lived in San Francisco all you needed to do was sit by the road to see cars flinhing through the air at 100 mph.
His life was not sad or tragic or a waste or all that nonsense. We in the comments would give anything to be Steve McQueen. THAT is the point of living, no matter how short your life. TO MAKE A MARK. We in the comments may live to 100 years. We can only dream to be like this man.
First saw him in The Great Escape and loved the scene where he drove the guard crazy with the sound of the ball bouncing on the cell walls. Really liked him in Papilion where he would repeat through the film, "I'm still here, you ba^#ards!" Great actor! Seemed very private, which I admired.
A great and tough actor. Some bumps in his personal life. But gone too soon for sure. Favorite movies The Great Escape and Towering inferno. Good informational video. 👍
Steve McQueen used to say that a scare rumor would invite the more real common self title then the flight response. In his early acting career he would stomp throw his gel beams over the hollows and then sample the rods that came with it to give out at the set.
His actual form of cancer was pleural mesothelioma, like you mentioned in the video it is caused by exposure to asbestos particles. Bullitt was my favorite, he was so cool in that movie.
Steve. I see you don’t ride dirt bikes 😂. Steve was instrumental in the motorcycle classic “On Any Sunday”. He helped legitimize our sport. Love your channel. Best.
That motorcycle (or *motorcycles* ) jumping the fence in The Great Escape- iconic! And yes, Hollywood, with their rash of disaster movies.. they were popular all over the world! Kind regards, from Australia.
He died when I was a child and I remember it was very big news Now as an adult I understand that it was because one of the biggest stars in the world died terribly young. How awful.
His best picture to me, is not 'cause of him, but the type of genré. That would be (as I thought it was, his very first) his 1st. staring role; 'The Blob' (1958). Partially filmed in Downingtown, Pa., showing the old city.
In 1965 Steve had a falling out with his friend and neighbour, James Garner. Garner signed on to do the movie Grand Prix, but Steve felt that he was more qualified for the role. Both are great actors.
Even though I lived the era, I have still yet to see some of Steve McQueens movies, however....as an 83 year old fellow motorcycle rider, I have to admit the Great Escape is my favorite. My understanding is that Steve was so unpleased with the 'Germans' riding capabilities while chasing him, at some point in the movie, he donned a German military suit, some shots were taken and he, in essence in the final cut, became him chasing himself! BHE
He died in Juarez, Mexico just across the border from my hometown of El Paso, Texas. The Getaway was also partly filmed in El Paso. I have seen it many times and can recognize several locations in downtown where they filmed it. I also heard that when the the script of "The Bodyguard" was laying around during his time that Diana Ross and Steve McQueen were considered as starring in that movie however nothing came of it until Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston started in it many years later. Loved all his movies however I wonder what McQueen and Ross could have done with it. My prediction is that it would have been a smash hit! Definitely the "King of Cool'! Vaya Con Dios!
In the scenes where McQueen is locked up in solitary in The Great Escape, if you look to the left side of the screen, you can see the boom mic operator.
He was also a dessert racer, a very competitive one. On Any Sunday shows his riding skills. I know of a fellow dessert racer that contracted cancer from asbestos and radioactive material from testing. His wife also.
Yes this was a sad one, this type of cancer spawned an entire industry now of specialized law suits around employers who exposed people to asbestos. Did you mention the Great Escape and I just missed it? That was another good ensemble movie he was in. Thanks again for your content Steve!
Years ago, a large fund was established for payment of money damages to mesothelioma victims. The advertisements you see on TV are for law firms that examine the qualifications of claimants to receive compensation from the fund. My father received some compensation since he'd been a merchant seaman (like McQueen).
I haven’t watched the video yet, so I’m not sure if he touched on this, but McQueen used to wrap his face in a rag after he dipped it in asbestos while he raced so if he got in an accident, his face wouldn’t burn because he was an actor. It was this rag dripped in asbestos that caused him to have mesothelioma.
He was exposed to asbestos when was younger as suits wore for driving race cars had lining made of it and was working on ships with asbestos on pipes but smoking could have contributed to his lung cancer as well.
McQueen was excellent and very convincing as Battalion Cheif O'Halloran in the Towering Inferno. Great chemistry with Newman. " Now, under the circumstances, we can't order you to go up there, but you see how it is don't ya? " Well how do I get back down?......................... Ohhh sh*t !! 😁
No mention of John Sturges?? Director / Writer Sturges saw Steve in the show Wanted Dead Or Alive and cast Steve in the 1959 film Never So Few” co- starring Charles Bronson and Frank Sinatra. One year later Sturges cast Steve again in The Magnificent Seven 1960 and three years later in The Great Escape which made Steve a bonafide International Film Star. Steve’s wife helped guide his career,Neale was a star long before Steve. Neale was on the cover of Life Magazine after starring on Broadway in the “Flower Drum Song “. Neale also was a headliner in Las Vegas in the 1950 s. Neale gave up her career to raise their children and help guide Steve’s career. Neale said she only made one mistake she told Steve to turn down Dirty Harry”, Neale thought it was to close or too much like “Bullitt”. Sadly Steve McQueen and John Sturges’ friendship ended on the set of Lemans over creative differences “. Steve’s ego was out of control and according to Neale. John Sturges said “ I’m too old and too damn rich to put up with this bullshit” So John flew back to the USA. I’m not sure if John and Steve ever spoke again?? Sources “Steve McQueen,My Husband,My Friend” by Neale Adams and the documentary “Steve McQueen,The King of Cool”.
His trademark:A tooth knocked out in Nevada Smith, The Great Escape, and Papillon. Nevada Smith and Papillon were both on the Humanities Film Forum's Must See List.
No, his Doctors told him that his condition was terminal and nothing could have saved him then he went to Mexico under an alias to have the surgery his doctors told him he couldn’t survive, and died soon afterwards. I guess he thought - hell l got nothing to lose by trying.
I was living in El Paso in 1980 when Steve McQueen died there was a very big turnout of people just kind of going downtown standing around and talking about Steve McQueen but it was very sad I can't really named my most favorite movie but I do think he was one of our best actors that we've had in a long time I guess the greatest escape and Tom Horn or probably my two favorites and then bullet because he did a lot of his own driving I miss him a lot I have every movies ever made he's one of my favorites be safe be peaceful
Favorite Steve McQueen movie was "Bullitt". Another film I enjoyed was "Soldier in the Rain" where he played with an impossibly obese Jackie Gleason who stretched the bounds of credibility that the army would allow an active duty sergeant that fat.
If I remember it right, laetrelle? was supposed to be the new wonder drug as opposed to chemo and radiation. McQueen was trying this and other methods that were no good at all. All these alternative methods took time that could have been spent in chemo and he may have had years added to his life.
BTW...When you get car enthusiast together and they talk greatest racing movies of all time LeMans is always in the conversation and same can be said of the car chase in Bullitt. It's always in the conversation about greatest car chases.
A great actor. I could see why he was somewhat intimidated by Paul Newman but he definitely held his own in the talent category. I wonder if Newman and McQueen ever competed for the same role. I thought McQueen had more of a rakish charm plus good looks. Newman was a gorgeous man but he seemed to be so well grounded. I couldn’t see McQueen as Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but Newman had the golden boy good looks that were perfect for the role. And I don’t think Newman would have been believable as the detective in Bullitt. McQueen had that smoldering, semi-controlled rage that was perfect for that role.
