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There was a time when Steve McQueen, the “King of Cool,” may have been anything but — at least within the inner circle of Hollywood’s studio system. Blessed with striking, all-American good looks but cursed with a debilitating inferiority complex, McQueen’s insecurity often got the best of him, resulting in legendary on-set screaming matches in which he fought for more star power per production and, with that, more money. With his star status throughout the bulk of the 1960s, he was at one point the highest-paid actor in the business.
McQueen was famous for his strong, silent type persona on-screen. Off-screen, however, he was said to have struggled with unpredictable bouts of anger stemming from an unstable childhood and an absent mother. McQueen’s innate independence granted him a certain commanding presence that carried over to his most iconic roles branching from the late ’50s through the mid-’70s. Steve McQueen was by no means a terrific actor (though he did receive one Oscar nomination), yet he was without a doubt a movie star. He gripped the audience’s attention with his piercing blue eyes and unpredictable demeanor, seamlessly transferring his star power from spy thrillers and romantic dramas to crime dramas and westerns. Today, McQueen would have been 85 (he passed away in 1980 at the age of 50), and we’re looking back on the films that made him a staple of American cinema.
'The Blob' (1958)
Awaiting his big Hollywood break, McQueen was still going by “Steven” at the time of The Blob‘s premiere, which seems to have less of a bad-boy ring to it. Never the less, the pulpy horror tale (remade thirty years later with Kevin Dillon) made the 22-year-old McQueen an overnight heartthrob at a time when B-movies were shown at drive-in theaters, setting a tone for how films were reached young people and, in-turn, how movie stars captured their most loyal audiences. [Where to stream The Blob]
'Wanted: Dead or Alive' (1958-1961)
After The Blob and nabbing supporting roles in run-of-the-mill Western fare, McQueen was hired to play bad-boy gunslinger Josh Randall on CBS’ Wanted. His character’s anti-hero persona was groundbreaking at the time. It was shortly after McQueen garnered a couple of seasons under his holster, he hired as part of the ensemble for John Sturges’ perennial Western, The Magnificent Seven. [Where to stream Wanted: Dead or Alive]
'The Magnificent Seven' (1960)
McQueen was hired as part of Sturges’ A-list ensemble cast (which also included Yul Brenner, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, and Horst Buchholtz) in the director’s Americanized reimagining of Akira Kurosowa’s Seven Samurai. McQueen plays Vin Tanner, a wandering degenerate gambler and the token moody member of the group, who joins the vigilante crew because, well, he’s a bad-ass drifter and bad-ass drifters are up for anything. [Where to stream The Magnificent Seven]
'The Great Escape' (1963)
After the success of The Magnificent Seven, director John Sturges rounded up some of the former crew for his World War II epic based on the true account of POWs who escaped from a German prison camp. McQueen’s performance as Captain Virgil “The Cooler King” Hilts was praised as the film’s best and solidified the actor’s superstar status in Hollywood. [Where to stream The Great Escape]
'The Sand Pebbles' (1966)
This was McQueen’s “one for them” Oscar-bait role; he plays naval engineer Jake Holman, whose quiet brilliance is undermined by those around him, making a lonely life at sea even lonelier. McQueen’s ability to tug on the heartstrings as an empathetic character — a rarity for the actor — garnered him praise at the 39th Academy Awards, but he ultimately lost the Oscar to Paul Scofield for A Man of All Seasons. [Where to stream The Sand Pebbles]
'The Thomas Crown Affair' (1968)
The King of Cool met his queen in Faye Dunaway during the filming of Norman Jewison’s timeless crime romance. Though McQueen and Dunaway were perfectly friendly off-screen (they would eventually work together again for The Towering Inferno), but they flicked a switch and their on-screen sexual tension became a go-to lesson in faking chemistry. Though McQueen again played a “bad guy” in swanky bank robber Thomas Crown, Dunaway’s no-nonsense Vicki brought out a lovable, easy-going side in the actor that made for a hot and heavy game of cat-and-mouse. Oh, and the chess-playing was steamy too. [Where to stream The Thomas Crown Affair]
'Bullitt' (1968)
Famous for its inimitable San Francisco car chase scene (one that still packs a punch today), Bullitt was the film that sealed McQueen’s fate as a cinematic icon — a status made even more powerful considering McQueen’s stardom paralleled the New Hollywood era that came at the old-fashioned studio system like a bat out of hell. McQueen, who famously performed all of his own stunts, plays Frank Bullitt, a cop fighting for justice in the grey area between the do-gooder law enforcers and corrupt officers. [Where to stream Bullitt]
'The Getaway' (1972)
This was the film that brought McQueen and his great love, Ali MacGraw, together — though it would be their last on-screen pairing (and MacGraw’s final major film role). McQueen’s territorial ways kept the actress off-screen, and ultimately ensured MacGraw never got credible work in Hollywood again. Their on-screen chemistry, however, was nothing to sneeze at in this crime thriller about an ex-con and his adrenaline-chasing wife who attempt to beat the cops despite the odds against them. [Where to stream The Getaway]
'Papillon' (1973)
Think The Shawshank Redemption, only twenty years earlier and far superior. Co-starring Dustin Hoffman, the film follows two men who must rely on each other to escape an island prison. Arguably one of McQueen’s most underrated films, Papillon, based on Henri Charriére’s autobiographical account of the same name, offered a harrowing look at life in prison through the eyes of a man unjustly accused of murder. [Where to stream Papillon]
'The Towering Inferno' (1974)
Looking back, this movie was kind of bonkers. For starters, it’s an ensemble drama about a burning skyscraper — one that features O.J. Simpson as a cast member. Nevertheless, The Towering Inferno is a tensely directed nail-biter, and watching the dynamic between McQueen and Paul Newman only makes you wish they did had made more movies together. [Where to stream The Towering Inferno]
