This is a landmark exploration of the life and legend of Hollywood's 'King of Cool', Steve McQueen. Steve McQueen tells the story of a small-town kid from modest means who went on to become one of the biggest icons in Hollywood. Much more than just a simple account of his career highlights, this volume delves deep into what made McQueen one of the most interesting and enigmatic figures of 20th century popular culture. Featuring new research revealing previously unknown and surprising information about his early history; behind-the-scenes stories from some of his greatest films - including The Great Escape, Bullitt, and Papillon; the truth about his larger-than-life exploits; as well as his lesser-known humanitarian work, this volume captures the essence of what made Steve McQueen the ultimate 'King of Cool'.
Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Terrell reprises the warts-and-all portrait of the mercurial Steve McQueen, aided by 32 pages of intimate photographs. Building on the foundation of his 1993 Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel, he delves into the actor's turbulent childhood with an alcoholic, free-loving mother and an absentee father, making for a combustible personality, constantly fighting for his sense of self, not trusting easily, and becoming an at-risk teen in trouble with the law. After a stint with the Marines, McQueen broke on the New York theater scene with an Actors Studio pedigree, a highly rated TV series, and a collection of blockbuster films including The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Getaway, and Bullitt. Terrell's psychologizing of his subject can be too much at times, but in the end he presents an engaging chronicle of McQueen's lifelong inner demons, competitiveness, single-mindedness, obsessive desire to triumph, romantic misfires with women, and final dogged battle with cancer. (Oct.) (c)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Approaching the thirtieth anniversary of Steve McQueen’s death, Terrill builds on his previous work, Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel (1994), to delve further into the star’s life. McQueen, known for his ultracool and antiheroic movie persona, started out life in rural Indiana. Born to a young, alcoholic woman and abandoned by his father, he was left in the care of his grandparents. Reunited with his mother at age eight, he was introduced to a series of her abusive and violent boyfriends. Compounding his problems were his partial deafness from a childhood ear infection and his dyslexia, making his adjustment to his new life particularly challenging. The young McQueen frequently got into trouble and soon found himself remanded to a home for troubled teenage boys. Following that, he joined the U.S. Marines and used the G.I. bill to study acting in New York. There, his rebellious angst and good looks helped him become a fixture of the theater scene, with movie and television success soon following. Terrill provides behind-the-scenes stories spanning McQueen’s career, his tumultuous love life, his greatest films, and, eventually, his fight with cancer. Well-written and exhaustively detailed. --Kathleen Hughes
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE Bio on 1 of the Most Enigmatic Stars In American Film History!
November 12, 2010
By The Yid Kid
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This will not be a lengthy review because I think the work should speak for itself. As a lifelong, die hard, Steve McQueen fan I think I can state without fear of contradiction this is THE best researched and written biography I have ever read on Steve McQueen -- and I've read them all! I've read Terrill's previous work on McQueen and he has outdone himself and any other previous attempts to chronicle the man's life. Why? Minus the sordid nonsense of Darwin Porter or the flagrantly incorrect data of Penina Speigel, William Nolan, Michael Munn, etc, Terrill sets the record straight, backs up his facts, and unearths some truly amazing revelations about the man's ancestry, life and work. I'd love to state what those revelations are but the best way to find out is the way I did...buy and savor the book!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Michael Manning Book Review: Steve McQueen: The Life and legend of a Hollywood Icon
October 17, 2010
Format:Hardcover
This book is the culmination of over 20-years of exhaustive research by the celebrated author Marshall Terrill into the unchartered waters of Steve McQueen's life from a historical and emotional perspective that has never been articulated until now. With a rare combination of respect, objectivity, painstaking accuracy (supported by facts) and candor, what emerges is the definitive work of a generation that delivers to the world the most comprehensive treatment of the iconic actors life. Terrill creates a genealogical history of McQueen's ancestry as it relates directly to a troubled life that began in Beach Grove, Indiana and continued through a turmoil-ridden existence on a remote farm in Slater, Missouri. From Slater, we follow McQueen to Los Angeles, California and ultimately to the heartbreak of The Boys Republic, a reform school situated in Chino Hills, California.
In a move that is both provocative and evokative, Terrill enlists the services of psychologist Peter O. Whitmer to deliberately reconstruct the traumatic emotional events and miscuses that formed the basis of McQueen's complicated and tortured existence. Whitmer plumbs the depths of McQueen's emotional psyche with a narrative that allows the reader an unprecedented access into Steve McQueen's long-misunderstood and often mischaracterized conflicts and difficulties resulting in a greater understanding of what drove the actor both in life and on "the big screen". Whitmer's pacing in knowing instinctively when to step forward to speak to the reader and when to step back out of the limelight is undertaken with sensitivity and compassion; this is not a dark expose, but rather an illuminating reconstruction of McQueen's life that fans will welcome and embrace for its authenticity. McQueen's maladaptive personality development is explained with clarity to shed light on the actors decision making, beliefs and the precipitating circumstances of his emotional scarring, tempered with his lesser known humanitarian contributions and ultimately, his desire to beging living life away from the trappings of Hollywood and the claustrophobic pressures of stardom.
Further, this book will stand the test of time for generations of fans, actors and serious film students alike. Inspiring as it is heartfelt, Terrill's book is unbiased as a balanced work that delivers--for the first time--a comprehensive story that separates the myth of McQueen, and reunites the reader with a humanity that the actor modestly withheld from the world. At last, Steve McQueen's story has been told as a poignant homage to the undisputed "King of Cool" with utmost care, respect and accuracy. This achievement will allow fans--old and new--to ponder the multi-dimentional and all too brief life of Steve McQueen 30-years after his passing. I do not state this lightly; this book is an epic event.
Michael Manning
Paradise Valley, AZ.
In a move that is both provocative and evokative, Terrill enlists the services of psychologist Peter O. Whitmer to deliberately reconstruct the traumatic emotional events and miscuses that formed the basis of McQueen's complicated and tortured existence. Whitmer plumbs the depths of McQueen's emotional psyche with a narrative that allows the reader an unprecedented access into Steve McQueen's long-misunderstood and often mischaracterized conflicts and difficulties resulting in a greater understanding of what drove the actor both in life and on "the big screen". Whitmer's pacing in knowing instinctively when to step forward to speak to the reader and when to step back out of the limelight is undertaken with sensitivity and compassion; this is not a dark expose, but rather an illuminating reconstruction of McQueen's life that fans will welcome and embrace for its authenticity. McQueen's maladaptive personality development is explained with clarity to shed light on the actors decision making, beliefs and the precipitating circumstances of his emotional scarring, tempered with his lesser known humanitarian contributions and ultimately, his desire to beging living life away from the trappings of Hollywood and the claustrophobic pressures of stardom.
Further, this book will stand the test of time for generations of fans, actors and serious film students alike. Inspiring as it is heartfelt, Terrill's book is unbiased as a balanced work that delivers--for the first time--a comprehensive story that separates the myth of McQueen, and reunites the reader with a humanity that the actor modestly withheld from the world. At last, Steve McQueen's story has been told as a poignant homage to the undisputed "King of Cool" with utmost care, respect and accuracy. This achievement will allow fans--old and new--to ponder the multi-dimentional and all too brief life of Steve McQueen 30-years after his passing. I do not state this lightly; this book is an epic event.
Michael Manning
Paradise Valley, AZ.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Steve McQueen, The Life and Legent of a Hollywood Icon is a fantasticaly complete biography. It covers all aspects of his 50 year life and those close to him. This beautifully written book is especialy well researched and documented. As a person who grew up and "lived and breathed" Steve McQueen, I had read everything I could find on him. This is the full story. The coverage of McQueens battle with cancer is enlightening and appears to be very accurate. A complete picture of Steve McQueen is painted, although I find the psychobabble from Peter O. Whitmer a bit overdone. I was a fan all the way from Wanted Dead or Alive to The Hunter and this was like going back in time. Pure joy.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
An engaging and thorough read
This book is long, but that is because it is so highly detailed and researched. It presents a highly conflicted and flawed individual. Read more
Published 9 days ago by miw
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book !
This book was a very thoughtful and well written book. It tells the good and the bad about Steve McQueen. Read more
Published 2 months ago by vhrules
5.0 out of 5 stars
A matured and evolved progression from "Portrait of An American Rebel"
While the author's first bio on McQueen was terrific, this is on a whole other level. Marshall knows his subject better than possibly anyone on the planet because he's talked to... Read more
Published 2 months ago by drmitch
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too long
Way to long and tedious. Not very interesting read, too wordy and not interesting. Never really grabbed me, had no trouble putting it down.
Published 3 months ago by S. Jesus
4.0 out of 5 stars
A goo read
Well researched biography of a complicated man. Worthwhile reading for Mc queen fans. Gets a bit tedious at times, however.
Published 4 months ago by A Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
BRUTALLY HONEST YET LOVING BIO OF THE KING OF COOL
I became a fan of Steve McQueen after watching BULLITT a few months ago. I watched all of McQueen's films and read all I could about the KING OF COOL. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jack E. Levic
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very good biography of a nasty, mean, entitled man!
I would call this book the definitive biography of Steve McQueen because 1) it really delves into his childhood which, in turn, explains why he became the person he was; 2) it... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Reading Rocks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well balanced and well written
Often biographers make the mistake of focusing too much on their subject's good side or bad side. Marshall Terrill has avoided that miscalculation and has written a very engaging... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Scott Blake
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to put down ....
I am enjoyin this book very much. It gives a thorough insight into the world of Steve McQueen. But I have to say when I started reading the book I admired and respected McQueen... Read more
Published on April 5, 2011 by Sandalwood
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, the life history of the King of Cool
I grew up in the 1960's, always fascinated by Steve McQueen and a little bit in love with him. He was amazing on the screen, always interesting to watch and always cool. Read more
Published on February 19, 2011 by Sabrina Bush
