1001 Steve McQueen Facts. Tyler Greenblatt

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      100. One of Steve’s co-actors on stage in the Truckline Café production was Al Hedison. After the performance, Steve told him, “Al, you and I are going to be stars!” About seven years later, the two of them attained stardom when Steve took the lead in The Blob and Hedison took the lead in The Fly. Marquees displayed both titles along with the names of the actors. Steve was right again!

      101. McQueen began his second attempt at drama school with a low-key operation run by Herbert Berghof and Uta Hagen. The $3 daily fee was simply collected by one of the students, although oftentimes students who couldn’t afford the fee were allowed in anyway. The school focused on stage acting and heavy drama rather than big-screen cinema acting. Steve struggled in this setting, and with his instructors, who didn’t find his antics or attitude very amusing.

      102. Until his death in 1954, Steve considered James Dean his biggest competition when it came to scoring parts. They were similarly method actors with a one-year age difference and they were born 80 miles apart. They even dated the same woman at one point! Oftentimes, Steve stared at the mirror trying to emulate James Dean or Marlon Brando in an attempt to nail down their personas. Steve considered Dean’s death an opportunity to take some of his roles.

      103. After his “resignation” from Time Out For Ginger, Steve had a tough time landing paying jobs. To stay in the entertainment industry, and make some rent money, he posed for popular pulp magazines such as Crime Detective and Homicide Detective. Even though he was just about on the bottom of the acting business, he still insisted on choosing his own photographer for the shoots: Roy Schatt, who had previously done well-known pop-culture shoots with James Dean and Marilyn Monroe.

      104. When Steve earned his part in Two Fingers of Pride, he was unable to produce an Actor’s Equity Card, which is required for working actors. The producer and director were shocked upon hearing this news, and even more shocked when Steve asked for the money so that he could go get one. They each pitched in $17.50 to the worthy cause, after which Steve informed them that he also needed an agent, which is another requirement for getting an Actor’s Equity Card. He even asked them to find him one. Because an agent represents the actor’s interests against the executives, the request was a peculiar one, but necessary to continue production of the show.

      105. MCA agent John Foreman agreed to represent Steve McQueen so he could get his card and continue his role in the play. Afterward, Foreman dropped him as a client. Whoops!

      106. McQueen’s role in Two Fingers of Pride was that of an Italian longshoreman working on the docks of New York City. To get a proper feel for the part, an arrangement was made to put Steve to work on the Mafia-run docks in the rough Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn. He stacked wooden crates for a few weeks, and at one point was worried that the crew had forgotten he was only an actor because they had been working him so hard. He asked the play’s producer to call his contact who orchestrated the experience and confirm that the other workers knew that Steve was an actor studying for a role.

      107. Two Fingers of Pride was shut down after only a week, but to Steve, it was a huge success. Although the play received harsh criticism, McQueen’s performance was regarded as “truly excellent” by The Village Voice. Producer Jack Garfein was also impressed with his work, and he continued as a mentor to Steve, helping him to harness his talent and navigate a difficult industry.

      108. In 1955, McQueen tried out for and successfully gained entry into Lee Strasberg’s The Actor’s Studio. In his final audition, and with Jack Garfein there for support, Steve delivered an incredible performance and was accepted on his first attempt, a rare feat. Only he and actor Martin Landau were accepted into The Actor’s Studio that year out of the 2,000 actors who applied.

      109. Although any direct evidence has yet to come to light, it’s believed that a young Steve McQueen first appeared on camera in some Viktor Lukens films as early as 1951. Steve’s application to acting school not only listed Lukens as his stepfather, but cites previous acting experience in his films.

      110. At one point early in his acting career, McQueen began following James Dean around New York City. He took notes and copied his every move, trying to match and understand that special factor that made James Dean a Hollywood star. Steve’s friends even called him “the shadow,” because it was so obvious what he was doing. Dean knew what McQueen was up to, but never said anything, perhaps enjoying someone looking up to him like that.

      111. Even though Steve played the second lead in the play Two Fingers of Pride, and excelled in the role according to critics, his name wasn’t listed on advertising posters or billboards outside the theater. All the other actors in the play had more experience, and were represented by their own agents fighting for them. Although Steve had an agent, he was of little importance and therefore had nobody looking out for his best interests.

      112. Rather than wait in the cold as an extra on Somebody Up There Likes Me, Steve decided to rest in a parked limo where he ended up falling asleep. It turned out to be Pier Angeli’s limo, and her husband, Vic Damone, was irate to find the young man sleeping in it. Steve was briskly kicked back out into the cold.

      113. Steve McQueen and his Actor’s Studio partner, Peggy Feury, chose a scene to perform in which a catholic nun falls in love with one of her students and leaves the convent. To prepare their characters, Feury, dressed as a nun, and McQueen strolled the streets of New York, often taking breaks to show their affection for one another. According to Peggy Feury, Steve was in a panic throughout the walk thanks to his strong catholic upbringing. He thought that somebody, or somebody up there, would forcibly put a stop to their portrayal.

      114. When McQueen and Feury finally performed the scene in front of Lee Strasberg, a nervous Steve couldn’t take it anymore when Feury slipped out of her habit to reveal sexy lace lingerie underneath. He burst into tears at the sight and couldn’t continue the scene.

      115. While struggling to find work as an actor in New York City in the early 1950s, Steve, and many other actors and actresses, posed for detective and crime magazines. Photographers proved to be a wonderful resource for unemployed actors, as the work guaranteed a couple of bucks and could be done only when needed.

      116. Steve’s future wife, Neile, posed for the same kinds of magazines when she was a young up-and-comer. Chances are they crossed paths at some point or another before actually meeting.

      117. Although most critics of A Hatful of Rain disliked Steve’s performance, Variety made the important distinction that it was a very difficult role for anyone to play and that McQueen did fine for his Broadway debut. In her memoir, Neile mentions that his youth, compared to on-stage wife Vivian Blaine, hurt the performance since it didn’t appear real for him to be with the more mature actress.

MOVIE AUTOMOBILE FACTS

      118. Although Time Out For Ginger didn’t feature any cars or motorcycles, the playbill relayed McQueen’s love of riding and racing motorcycles. It reads, “Steve McQueen (Eddie Davis) was born in Los Angeles and when he is not acting he races motorcycles. He prefers the stage, which he considers only a little less hazardous. When questioned he said, ‘Well, motorcycles may break your bones, but the theatre can break your heart.’”

      119. Steve McQueen worked as a motorcycle mechanic while he attended acting school and was beginning his career. James Dean was out riding his motorcycle one day when it started acting up, so he limped it to the nearest shop in the area, which just happened to be where Steve was working that day. At the time, he was still under the belief that James Dean was taking all the roles that were otherwise meant for him. Although Dean likely had no idea who the young man working on his motorcycle was, Steve definitely knew who James Dean was!

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