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Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel
Rough around the edges, driven by passion, at once a leader and a loner, Steve McQueen embodied the rebel image. As Hollywood insiders quickly learned that McQueen’s hard edge was no act, the former street kid earned the respect of his fellow artists. This book, the result of over three years of research and interviews with more than 60 of McQueen’s friends and associates, paints a riveting portrait of a man whose power both on- and off-camera is legendary.
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 26, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 2, 2014
An enjoyable if imperfect look at the life and death of Steve McQueen, who was at one time the biggest movie star in America before his death at age 50 in 1980.
March 15, 2022
I've pondered about whether I drop in a review of this book. But, I decided that what I put here may be of some assistance in guiding someone's reading choices.
On the surface, this seems like a reasonable biography of an actor who starred in several block buster movies, was nominated for an Oscar, and who successfully crossed over between film and television in an age when you were either a film star OR a television star.
However, as you read the book it becomes clear that the author is seriously crushing on Steve McQueen and is oblivious to his faults as an actor or a human being. Other biographies of McQueen, as well as biographies of actors who worked with McQueen, will say that McQueen could be a spoiled brat and bully on set, and was known to force changes to the script to meet his ego driven self-view of always having to be the hero. Much of this behaviour is brushed over by Marshall Terrill as inconsequential acts of a brilliant man and actor. Even some of McQueen's more egregious acts of bullying and temper tantrums were waved off as the acts of a perfectionist seeking perfection.
But, I could excuse most of that as I had read other books that dealt with Steve McQueen that balanced off what Terrill was writing. And I accept that when you write a biography of someone it can be difficult to maintain a level road.
But, what I really had problems with were the blatant inaccuracies in the first part of the book which meant I really couldn't trust what the author was putting in front of me for the rest of it.
When providing background to the filming of The Great Escape, Marshall Terrill states that only 3 men survived the escape attempt. This is not correct. 3 men successfully made it out of Germany. 50 men were shot. However most of the remaining 23 escapees were returned to the camp. Now, this could simply be down to poor explanation skills rather than an error in research.
However, Marshall Terrill also states that Paul Brickhill, the author of the non-fiction book, The Great Escape was one of the escapees. That is also not correct. Paul Brickhill was one of the tunnellers, but did not take part in the escape.
And then there was this one. Terrill stated that James Dean was killed in a motorcycle accident. I would think that just about everyone knows that James Dean was killed in a motor vehicle accident. Was this an error in nomencalture - you say motorcycle, I say motor vehicle? Was this a lack of research? Was it a typo? Regardless, it is an error and a big one.
There were likely more errors that I didn't pick up because I don't know the subject matter, but the several I did pick up on meant that I couldn't take on faith was I was being told. The errors and the sycophantic approach meant that by the first quarter of the book I was really just going through the motions of reading the biography, rather than being swept up by it.
Overall a somewhat interesting read, but really rather disappointing.
On the surface, this seems like a reasonable biography of an actor who starred in several block buster movies, was nominated for an Oscar, and who successfully crossed over between film and television in an age when you were either a film star OR a television star.
However, as you read the book it becomes clear that the author is seriously crushing on Steve McQueen and is oblivious to his faults as an actor or a human being. Other biographies of McQueen, as well as biographies of actors who worked with McQueen, will say that McQueen could be a spoiled brat and bully on set, and was known to force changes to the script to meet his ego driven self-view of always having to be the hero. Much of this behaviour is brushed over by Marshall Terrill as inconsequential acts of a brilliant man and actor. Even some of McQueen's more egregious acts of bullying and temper tantrums were waved off as the acts of a perfectionist seeking perfection.
But, I could excuse most of that as I had read other books that dealt with Steve McQueen that balanced off what Terrill was writing. And I accept that when you write a biography of someone it can be difficult to maintain a level road.
But, what I really had problems with were the blatant inaccuracies in the first part of the book which meant I really couldn't trust what the author was putting in front of me for the rest of it.
When providing background to the filming of The Great Escape, Marshall Terrill states that only 3 men survived the escape attempt. This is not correct. 3 men successfully made it out of Germany. 50 men were shot. However most of the remaining 23 escapees were returned to the camp. Now, this could simply be down to poor explanation skills rather than an error in research.
However, Marshall Terrill also states that Paul Brickhill, the author of the non-fiction book, The Great Escape was one of the escapees. That is also not correct. Paul Brickhill was one of the tunnellers, but did not take part in the escape.
And then there was this one. Terrill stated that James Dean was killed in a motorcycle accident. I would think that just about everyone knows that James Dean was killed in a motor vehicle accident. Was this an error in nomencalture - you say motorcycle, I say motor vehicle? Was this a lack of research? Was it a typo? Regardless, it is an error and a big one.
There were likely more errors that I didn't pick up because I don't know the subject matter, but the several I did pick up on meant that I couldn't take on faith was I was being told. The errors and the sycophantic approach meant that by the first quarter of the book I was really just going through the motions of reading the biography, rather than being swept up by it.
Overall a somewhat interesting read, but really rather disappointing.
February 5, 2011
I got this book for my husband for Christmas since he is a huge McQueen fan. In all honesty the only movie I had seen with Steve McQueen in it was The Thomas Crown Affair which I loved and only bits and pieces of Bullitt. So once he was done with reading the book I was quick to snag it to read for myself.
Quite interesting.
Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel chronicles his life from childhood to shortly after his untimely death. McQueen, in my mind, started his life as a "punk" - came from poverty, no self esteem, a fighter, and a "take no prisoners" sort of mind-set. However, as he mastered his art in show business you got to see a gentler side of him that proved his punk days were long gone. Though, never one to forget his past, he was a generous man with those who were most loyal to him.
As the story continued I couldn't help but have a fondness for McQueen, his craft, his ability, and his personality. His life was cut short, but I often wonder, for those who are truly great and at a status that he was, would he have survived this long and would we want to see him old? I can't imagine Marilyn Monroe nor Elvis Presley aged - is that what keeps them iconic; an early death?
Quite interesting.
Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel chronicles his life from childhood to shortly after his untimely death. McQueen, in my mind, started his life as a "punk" - came from poverty, no self esteem, a fighter, and a "take no prisoners" sort of mind-set. However, as he mastered his art in show business you got to see a gentler side of him that proved his punk days were long gone. Though, never one to forget his past, he was a generous man with those who were most loyal to him.
As the story continued I couldn't help but have a fondness for McQueen, his craft, his ability, and his personality. His life was cut short, but I often wonder, for those who are truly great and at a status that he was, would he have survived this long and would we want to see him old? I can't imagine Marilyn Monroe nor Elvis Presley aged - is that what keeps them iconic; an early death?
October 13, 2022
This is definitely one of the better biographies I’ve read on Steve McQueen, but it isn’t perfect. Marshall Terrill is McQueen’s best biographer but this was his first book on The King of Cool and there were some factual errors and gaps in the story that his later books address more fully. These flaws are are not crucial and my only major complaint is that he hardly addressed McQueen’s childhood, talking about his youth for a total of 12 pages. That being said there were some really interesting anecdotes and McQueen quotes from later in his life that I found very enlightening.
May 5, 2021
A simply written biography by a Steve McQueen megafan who wants us readers to think that he is giving us an objective picture of an iconic actor while assiduously recasting the many warts on Steve's personality as peccadilloes that were evidence of his unique take on a driven life.
At some point I decided that Terrill writing in the decadence of the late-1980s was a blessing in disguise since it encouraged remarkable candor without apologies when it came to McQueen's drug use, his sexual adventures, his homophobia, and his relentless machismo. In 1987 these were all normal and expected man things, so McQueen's utter commitment to being a selfish @$$h*le was expected if not downright admirable. What Terrill does get gets defensive about instead is McQueen's reputation as an actor. McQueen's on-set tantrums, his bullying of 'lesser talents', and how his insecurities, reckless behavior, and chaotic personal life frequently ruined his relationships with directors and producers are too well-documented to overlook, so Terrill does his best to bury us in spoonfuls of sugar in the form of testimonials from friends and family about Steve's peerless professionalism. This seems at odds with the regular admissions that unless bullied back or overawed by their reputation, he would drive his colleagues to insanity on set. His antics drove one legendary director out of the business for example.
What this book does exceptionally well is to put McQueen into context. Here is a guy who literally ran away with the circus, went into acting because of a casual suggestion that it would suit him better than being a tile setter, and who devoted his fame and fortune to sponsoring the juvenile hall that changed his life. I can forgive McQueen a lot for knowing these things about him and the circumstances of his early life. There are also amazing bits of color about his onscreen life. I will enjoy watching The Magnificent Seven so much more knowing why McQueen consistently fidgets and upstages everyone and that he taught Brenner a slow draw so that he would be faster.
At some point I decided that Terrill writing in the decadence of the late-1980s was a blessing in disguise since it encouraged remarkable candor without apologies when it came to McQueen's drug use, his sexual adventures, his homophobia, and his relentless machismo. In 1987 these were all normal and expected man things, so McQueen's utter commitment to being a selfish @$$h*le was expected if not downright admirable. What Terrill does get gets defensive about instead is McQueen's reputation as an actor. McQueen's on-set tantrums, his bullying of 'lesser talents', and how his insecurities, reckless behavior, and chaotic personal life frequently ruined his relationships with directors and producers are too well-documented to overlook, so Terrill does his best to bury us in spoonfuls of sugar in the form of testimonials from friends and family about Steve's peerless professionalism. This seems at odds with the regular admissions that unless bullied back or overawed by their reputation, he would drive his colleagues to insanity on set. His antics drove one legendary director out of the business for example.
What this book does exceptionally well is to put McQueen into context. Here is a guy who literally ran away with the circus, went into acting because of a casual suggestion that it would suit him better than being a tile setter, and who devoted his fame and fortune to sponsoring the juvenile hall that changed his life. I can forgive McQueen a lot for knowing these things about him and the circumstances of his early life. There are also amazing bits of color about his onscreen life. I will enjoy watching The Magnificent Seven so much more knowing why McQueen consistently fidgets and upstages everyone and that he taught Brenner a slow draw so that he would be faster.
July 4, 2017
An exhaustive and detailed biography of the late actor. Full of quotes from McQueen and those who knew him best, the author did a lot of research to paint a full picture of the man beyond his celebrity. McQueen drove fast, slept with countless beautiful women and consumed a lot of drugs - but this biography shows that he was much more than all that. Maybe a little longer than it needs to be, this book has me wanting to go on a McQueen film-watching spree.
October 9, 2025
Full disclosure, I skimmed through a lot of this book. It could have been shorter, in my opinion. I didn't find McQueen more interesting from having read about his life. I found him distasteful mostly.
Though the author works hard to point out his hard working qualities, and an innate goodness...somewhere, mostly I saw a self absorbed, inconsiderate, unhappy man.
Though the author works hard to point out his hard working qualities, and an innate goodness...somewhere, mostly I saw a self absorbed, inconsiderate, unhappy man.
May 14, 2019
No longer in print folks. I had to buy used copy.
September 12, 2012
While McQueen wasn't the best actor of his generation, he surely was one of the most memorable. His ice-blue glare, his reckless abandon with both automobiles and women, his Aries-fueled 'who gives a flying fuck' attitude. Author Marshall Terrill paints a vivid picture of McQueen through many of his friends, peers, ex-wives, and while at times flourishes like a fan-boy, keeps things moving along as a proper bio should. McQueen went from short-tempered orphan, to Greenwich Village moocher, to TV superstar and then, cinematic idol. He did drugs, slept around, drove motorcycles, lived fast without the bullshit - but what I didn't know about 'the king of cool' was that he was on the death list of Charles Manson's cult - that he was supposed to be at Sharon Tate's house the very night she and her friends were murdered - and that towards the end of his life, he found God and avoided cancer treatment to go to a holistic center in Mexico. And man, the roles he turned down - 'Apocalypse Now' (he'd have been a great Kurtz, or even Martin Sheen's role - both which Coppola offered him), 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', 'Dirty Harry', and 'Sorcerer' (which could have been HIS film - Roy Schieder was good as the lead, but McQueen would have carried this underrated film into new territory -- it was perfect for him, little dialogue and much physical energy). At times, the book doesn't go into the making of his movies with much detail, and instead focuses on long-winded quotes from his friends - all praise with no sense of painting his character more vividly. But overall, this big book inspired me to re-watch many of his films, and appreciate ones I've never seen, for example, 'Tom Horn', an eloquent swan song to the Western and a fine, understated performance by the man himself. They don't make em' like McQueen anymore, that's for sure.
October 14, 2011
I bought this at a charity shop just before moving b/c it was huge & looked emminently readable. It lasted me a long time, right through the move, but I finally got sick of it before finishing & exchanged it for another book on a pass-it-on bookshelf at the train station. I just got too tired of him; this bio is "exhaustively" researched & written. It tells you more about SM than you really want to know--or than I did anyway. Interesting guy if you like troubled brooders who struggle with success & eventually die, though some things WERE fascinating, like his childhood, his early blind ambition, & his perhaps (?) illness-related conversion to born-again Christianity. He was ultimately not very likeable, but who among us is?
April 15, 2013
As a long time Steve McQueen fan I was a bit dubious about picking this book up. I usually stay away from books about actors that I like - more often than not you can come away from a book about your favorite actor disliking them.
I found this book to be a real page turner offering insight into Steve McQueen's life. It was honest and revealing but not judgmental.
Do I still like Steve McQueen? Absolutely, this is a great book.
I found this book to be a real page turner offering insight into Steve McQueen's life. It was honest and revealing but not judgmental.
Do I still like Steve McQueen? Absolutely, this is a great book.
January 5, 2013
What an interesting book and to read about his struggle with cancer (the same cancer that my father died from) was heartbreaking and touching as well. He was a true fighther in the sense and now i will see all his movies! Love him!
August 8, 2013
Honest , revealing-a page turner- get McQueen's Machines to see his incredible car and motorcycle collection
November 25, 2014
Mr. Cool! Devoured this book, great photos too.
June 12, 2015
While I enjoyed reading the McQueen Roller Coaster I kind of regret it. I had no business dissecting the enigma.
October 8, 2015
one of my idols, the original badass.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews