Steve McQueen: In His Own Words

Drawn from more than five decades of media coverage, memorabilia and detailed research, Steve McQueen: In His Own Words, serves up the most credible and thought-provoking insights spoken by Steve McQueen: more than 450 quotations directly from ‘The King of Cool.’ McQueen, the global superstar and box office champion of the 1960s and 1970s, remains an enduring figure of alpha-male coolness and has left behind a body of work that only a few will attain in motion picture history. His hell-bent-for-leather take on life and pitch-perfect performances are legendary, and he is arguably more popular in death than he was in life. Surprisingly, the laconic actor who was known for his economy of words on the screen had plenty to say in real life. He spoke freely regarding topics such as fame, cinema, money, sex, racing, popular culture, and had a forward-thinking approach on the environment. In Steve McQueen: In His Own Words, we hear directly from McQueen through the widest array of sources: interviews, published articles, personal letters and audiotapes, creating the most intimate picture yet available of McQueen as an actor, filmmaker, racer, pilot, husband and family man in his own words and from his own perspective. The portrait that emerges is not a saint, not a sinner, nor a martyr, but a complex, contradictory man who became one of the greatest icons of cinema. Accompanying the 450 quotes are more than 500 photographs, personal documents and memorabilia, many of which are seen here for the first time. They illustrate McQueen’s early life and movie career, as well as his passion for automobiles, motorcycles and antique planes.