Steve McQueen

Jack Linkletter: I flew to Munich during my Here's Hollyood show to do interviews with Steve and the cast while they were making The Great Escape. On a free night, Steve got a hold of three Harleys for him, me and Jim Garner to go to Obermensing for a folk fest. Neither Garner nor I had many cycle hours and the narrow streets, humped in the middle and made of cobble stones would have been scary enough, but then to have cars flying by within inches, made Garner and I think it was our last trip anywhere.

During his time in the Marines, he saved the lives of five men in the Arctic after a transport ship struck a sandbank during a training exercise. Due to this dramatic event, he was greatly rewarded by becoming part of the honour guard protecting Harry S Truman's yacht.

He made his debut on Broadway in 1955, by replacing Ben Gazzara in the play A Hatful of Rain.

His only Acadamy Award nomination came from the 1966 film The Sand Pebbles.

His first lead role in film came from the 1958 horror movie The Blob.

His favourite beer was Old Milwakee Beer.

In 1999, he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

In his collection Steve owned 210 motorcycles, 55 cars, 5 airplanes and over 10,000 miscellaneous items. Most of which was auctioned off by his family in 1984.

His daughter Terry McQueen died at the age of 38 on March 19, 1998 from respiratory failure, four months after under going a liver transplant.

He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on August 23, 1971. He was pictured riding a motorcycle barechested.

Hewas good enough to be considered a class three Black Belt in martial arts. However, he never had his skills tested for fear of being sued if he actually hurt someone. His personal instructors included Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.

Steve McQueen made a brief appearance as a dirt-bike rider in the 1976 film Dixie Dynamite. He was a stuntman, not an actor.

Director Peter Yates was thankful for Steve's proficiency at the wheel during the filming of "Bullitt". When Yates was shooting clos-ups with the camera attached to the outside of the car, and he was on the back-seat floor, running it by remote control. During the chase sequence he ran out of film and called to Steve to slow down, but Steve shouted that we had run out of more than just film - they had also run out of brakes. He proceeded with great skill to downshift the car and although the engine strained the vehicle began to slow up and weaved from side to side finally slowing down enough to bring it to a stop. What a time to run out of film!

Steve McQueen: I live for myself and I answer to nobody.

Steve McQueen: Life is a scam.

He is the grandfather of Steven R. McQueen.

He met his second wife Ali McGraw in 1972 when they were co-starring in The Getaway.

He received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame posthumously on June 12, 1986.

He only attended the Academy Awards four times, in 1964, 1965, 1967 and 1971.

While working in a New York City garage in the early 1950s, he repaired a motorcycle that belonged to James Dean.

He was a heavy smoker for much of his adult life.

According to military records released by the Pentagon in 2005, was confined to base for being absent without leave. McQueen as confined for 30 days and fined $90 after being AWOL from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He joined the Marines Corps at 17 and worked as a tank driver and mechanic, which the documents indicated may have spurred a lifelong interest in vehicles, especially motorcycles.

Steve McQueen: "When a horse learns to buy martinis, I'll learn to like horses."

Steve McQueen: "In my own mind, I'm not sure that acting is something for a grown man to be doing."

Of the 2,000 performers that auditioned for Lee Strasberg's exclusive Actors' Studio in 1955, he and Martin Landau were the only ones who were accepted.

He had two children, Terry (1959-1998) and Chad (b. 1960).

According to David McCallum, the barbed wire that his character, Hilts, crashes into near the end of The Great Escape, which was actually made of rubber, was made by the cast and crew during their free time by tying small pieces of rubber around larger ones.

When he briefly left The Great Escape during filming due to the fact that his character did not play as large a part as he would have liked, it was James Coburn and James Garner that convinced him to return. Because of its huge success and continuing popularity, it has become his best known role.

He is Colin Farrell's favourite actor.

His production company was Solar Productions, Inc.

Eli Wallach appeared with him in both his first major successful film (The Magnificent Seven) and his final film (The Hunter).

He was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.

Although he was the highest paid star of the 1960s, he had a reputation for being tightfisted. On some films he would demand 10 electric razors, and dozens of pairs of jeans. It was later found out he gave this stuff to Boys Republic, a private school and treatment community for troubled youngsters, where he spent a few years himself.

Of all the characters he played, Lt. Frank Bullitt, the title character of Bullitt, was his personal favourite.

He was voted the 56th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

He died from two heart attacks at 3:45 am on November 7, 1980, less than 24 hours after undergoing successful surgery to remove the cancerous tumors in his stomach. According to the doctor present at the operation, his right lung was entirely cancerous.

He was a pallbearer at Bruce Lee's funeral.

He was married to Neile Adams from November 2, 1956 until April 26, 1972.

The last words he uttered on screen were "God bless you" in The Hunter.

He died of the same cause (lung cancer) as his The Magnificent Seven co-star, Yul Brynner.

He was the first of the seven main stars of The Magnificent Seven to pass away. As of March 2006, Robert Vaughn is the only one who is still alive.

He always resented the fact that Horst Buchholz was cast as Chico in The Magnificent Seven, the role he had initially wanted.

He appeared in three different films with Robert Vaughn: The Magnificent Seven, Bullitt and The Towering Inferno.