Steve McQueen was born in Indianapolis, the home of the legendary oval circuit, and this no doubt contributed to his lifetime passion for motor racing. His father, a pilot, was a regular visitor to the paddocks, and the speed tracks soon attracted the young Steve.
Later, he made a double impact on the world of cinema: he was a brilliant actor, and he was responsible for bringing Hollywood to motor racing.
Then, one day, life and cinema came together in the film Le Mans in which he wore the mythical TAG Heuer Monaco chronograph. He totally immersed himself in the project, moving into a driver’s caravan next to the track to soak up the atmosphere and living the role in every detail, to the point of changing his racing overalls every day to the despair of the stylists. The producer finally persuaded him to wear only one; it belonged to his coach and future friend, Jo Siffert, the Swiss F1 driver.
The actor saw his career as a constant battle to push himself further, the same spirit that lives in the paddocks and on the tracks.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
1980 The Hunter | Buzz Kulik
1974 The Towering Inferno | John Guillermin - Irwin Allen
1973 Papillon | Franklin J. Schaffner
1972 The Gataway | Sam peckinpah
1971 Le Mans | Lee H.Katzin
1968 Bullitt | Peter Yates
1968 The Thomas Crown Affair | Norman Jewison
1965 The Cincinnati Kid | Norman Jewison
1963 The Great Escape | John Sturges
1960 The Magnificent seven | John Sturges
Steve McQueen
