Steve McQueen Movies
Some people have a screen charisma that is hard to define. Steve McQueen movies made McQueen a star, giving him a long career and cult status. Fans love to see him in his anti-hero roles, something that he was particularly good at and was naturally attracted to. However, he would come to show a versatile acting range and he could be a very subtle actor when the part demanded it.
McQueen trained at the famous Actor's Studio in New York. After appearing on TV and in bit parts in film, he graduated to starring roles. His first lead was in the horror movie, The Blob from 1958. This has become something of a cult classic amongst horror fans. His next big break came in 1959 when he was asked to appear in Never So Few, in which he starred alongside Frank Sinatra. The following year brought the release of the western, The Magnificent Seven. This was a big box office success and counts as one of his most memorable performances in Steve McQueen movies. He more than held his own with Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson and James Coburn.
One of the films most associated with him is the true World War II story of The Great Escape. This film, set in a POW camp, is one of the movies of Steve McQueen that is repeated constantly on TV. He plays the part of a baseball obsessed prisoner who tries to escape on a motorcycle. McQueen did some of the stunt riding himself. He gave another terrific performance in Bullet, playing an embittered police detective. The film is famous for its lengthy car chase on the hilly streets of San Francisco.
McQueen only received one American Academy award nomination and that was for The Sand Pebbles in 1966. Many critics felt that he should have been nominated for his portrayal of Henri Charriere in Papillon. Steve McQueen movies don't get any better than this. There wasn't a dry eye in the house as McQueen's character battled to escape the penal colony of Devil's Island. His health was failing but he managed to make two final films, which were released in 1980. The western, Tom Horn, also starred Linda Evans and Billy Green Bush. The other film was The Hunter, in which he played a bounty hunter, and it featured Eli Wallach and Ben Johnson. Steve McQueen always brought something special to a movie and he made a valuable contribution to cinema.
