STEVE MCQUEEN: 29 YEARS AGO!
March 24, 1930 - November 7, 1980It seems hard for me to admit this, but 29 years ago today Steve McQueen died at the age of 50. I became a fan of Steve McQueen at the age of 9 and recall hearing his final audio taped address to fans worldwide as he battled Mesothelioma. He is today regarded worldwide as "The King of Cool" for his anti-hero persona that is frequently imitated but will never be equalled. Steve became the highest-paid American movie actor by 1974's The Towering Inferno. He came to prominence replacing Ben Gazzara in the stage play, A Hatful of Rain after studying at Lee Strasberg's The Actor's Studio with Martin Landau. Memorable roles among his 30 films included: The Magnificent Seven with Yul Brynner, The Sand Pebbles with Lord Richard Attenborough, Never So Few with Frank Sinatra, The Great Escape with James Coburn, Jim Garner and Charles Bronson, Bullitt with Don Gordon, Robert Vaughn and Jacqueline Bisset, Love with the Proper Stranger with Natalie Wood, The Getaway with Ali MacGraw, LeMan's with Elga Andersen, Junior Bonner with Robert Preston, Ida Lupino, Ben Johnson and Barbara Leigh and Papillon with Dustin Hoffman. In a tremendous career move, he produced and acted in Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, with Charles Durning--released for the first time this year on DVD. There was simply nobody like Steve McQueen--and there never will be.
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A throwaway kid from Beech Grove, Indiana who had a seemingly insurmountable upbringing, Steve, nevertheless, succeeded with hard work to forge one of the most varied and creative film careers in Hollywood that is unmatched today. Even after nearly three decades since his death, he is celebrated for the brilliant actor of instincts that he was, and the admirable man he grew to become. 
A montage of Steve in the films The Thomas Crown Affair, The Great Escape, LeMans, The Sand Pebbles, Papillon, Nevada Smith and The Hunter. 
With Tuesday Weld and Ann Margret in The Cincinnati Kid.
Bullitt-
Thanksgiving: Continuing the Gratitude Challenge for the month of November that was introduced to me by Protege, I submit this entry for today: I give thanks for having been born when I was. I had incredible parents, I began work at age 14, and I have seen how society has changed so much today. I must say. I miss so many things from the past that preceded cell phones, texting (which I dislike), e-mailing and Facebook. In so many ways, I feel that I've lived in better times, when we kids had no computers; we created games outdoors and romance was free of ego and excesses. Life was simpler, and certainly more innocent than it is today. Life held more meaning and people were valued and appreciated far more than they are today. On this special day of remembrance, I appreciate the life of Steve McQueen. He was a private person and a tremendous philanthropist who finally found God in his life toward the end and made peace with himself and the world. He will always be "The King of Cool".
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The 5th Annual Steve McQueen Film Festival will be return here on this BLOG Page during the week of March 24th (Steve's birthday) in 2010.
posted by Michael Manning @ 12:00 AM
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24 Comments:
I can't believe it's been so many years either. What a good look guy, and a great actor.
Hi Michael, you might want to look out for this British movie, An Education, which has had great reviews and is set to be the best film of the year: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article6895553.ece
Ellee: Steve was great! :)
Ellee: With pleasure! Thank you!!
It's been that many years and now, I realize that I'm older than he was at his death...
I'm thankful for much, but also think that today's youth have some wonderful things to be thankful for too. I just wish they had the space to run that I enjoyed as a child.
Beautiful tribute to a talented actor. *Papillon* is one of my favorite movies.
Your last paragraph is very touching, you are a very special person.
Have a lovely weekend.;)
Zuzana
Wow..my life is flashing before my eyes.
Where did all that time go?
I blinked I guess..
Sage: I think we need more Gratitude among our youth.
Protege: I am very touched by your kind words to me! I was a kid who enjoyed munching on popcorn and watching McQueen on the big screen. He was really a fine definition of a man should be for me!
Green tea: Think about it. In Asia, particularly, they mourn Steve's passing deeply. He resonated with an energy on screen I do not see much today. I see it in select women of course (every Meryl Streep movie) but it is so rare. And I am glad that it is, otherwise we'd take it for granted. Many wonderful and varied performances left behind from Steve.
While I was a teenager when he died I still knew he was cool. Some people could just transcend generations. There will probably never be another person with that kind of persona and charm while still being the "it" guy to all.
I too am very grateful for my simple childhood, Michael.
Hope you have a great weekend! :o)
Love and hugs,
Diane
Hey Michael,
Great post - I just watched The Cincinnati Kid on DVD last night.
I hope you have a great weekend!
Glenn Bishop
Time marches on, with you though it's not making us forget what a great man and actor McQueen was. Keep up the good work.
DJ DAVY B: He was authentic, and I think this came through to movie audiences who attended any of Steve's films. No question.
Diane: I agree with you! Things today are much too complicated and it affects how people regard one another--very much like a derailed train. Focusing on the basics and keeping it honest and simple is Cool...like you Diane! :D)
Love and hugs! :)
Glenn: Wasn't that a great pairing with Edward G. Robinson? I loved the line: "I don't need marked cards to beat you, pal. Thanks Glenn!!!:)
PM: Steve's memory lives on in the many children (now adults) whom Steve quietly helped in his philanthropy from the slums of South Chicago to the West Coast. He really had a heart and related to others in dire circumstances. He had already walked that path!
Hi Michael,
This is a beautiful personal tribute to him. I am behind you 100% with life in simpler times as opposed to the impersonal ways of connecting. In bygone times, you and I would talk on the phone or wait with delightful anticipation for a hand-written letter! ( I ABHOR texting!). Our college age daughter knows I will call her back not text...Even if I hadn't studied language and communication in college, I'm sure I would still ponder the effects all of these impersonal, yet can also be so public, means of communication.
Face-to-face, seeing someone, hearing his/her voice, feeling that hug, seeing the glint in their eyes or the tears: NOTHING can replace that! No video, NOTHING!
Still on that note, I am grateful that there is the internet but with many caveats,
(((Michael)))
-Gel
i can't imagine romance free of ego.
i cast myself as the central character ('leading role') of every romantic fantasy i ever had.
unfortunately, most of them ended up being comedies rather than romances.
Gel: I updated your Blog on my roll. Perfect timing. Like minds! I hope texting falls by the wayside. Let's go rent some go carts! :D)
Seraphine: Check out Steve with Faye Dunaway in "The Thomas Crown Affair"--longest kiss ever filmed! :D)
29 years seems like a long time but thanks to his movies and people as yourself who keep him alive it doesn't seem that long
Walker: So many of us appreciate Steve, and given the times in which we are living I must say. He is missed.
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