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For anyone knowledgeable about American film, actor Steve McQueen continues to be heralded as the consummate bad boy and definition of cool. Featured in movie classics like The Great Escape, Bullit, The Thomas Crown Affair and many more, McQueen played tough, streetwise personas that women adored and men wanted to emulate. But what made this Hollywood hero tick? Plainly there was a lot more to this man than his robust good looks and the powerful people that he portrayed on the big screen. Steve McQueen was a complicated man whose lifetime comprised many diverse parts, so let's take a look at several of the most important areas of his life that made him the King of Cool.

Rebel from an Early Age

Probably the biggest element of what made Steve McQueen into the man he became was a rough early childhood. Born to a young alcoholic mother, McQueen had a rough early beginning which started when his father abandoned the family when he was just six months old. Discovering it tough to deal with a child, McQueen's mother left him with her parents and he would constantly move among relatives through his early life. Ultimately finding his way to Los Angeles California in his early teens, Steve McQueen was beaten by his stepfather and shortly found his way into a street gang. Consequently, he served 18 months in a juvenile detention facility that resulted in developing a strength and maturity that would be the key of his tough guy image later in life.

From Soldier to Actor

Upon completion of his military service in the late 1940s, Steve McQueen made a decision to pursue acting with the help of the GI Bill. After having held a variety of different jobs including sailor, oil rigger and brothel janitor, McQueen had found something in performing that appealed to him and started his acting career playing modest rolls in a variety of productions. Having landed a number of TV roles, the actor's first big break occurred when he received the starring role in the low budget horror film The Blob and was later chosen by Frank Sinatra for the film Never So Few. Subsequently, Steve McQueen took on roles that highlighted his rugged good looks and affinity for speed which manifested into his reputation as the quintessential anti-hero. As there is little doubt that his position as an actor was the driving force behind his status as an American King of Cool, it certainly wasn't the only one.

Car Racing

There's no doubt that an element of danger must be present to make someone truly cool and Steve McQueen hand a penchant for driving fast. Starting with a love of motorcycles, McQueen took part in off-road races that included well-known events like The Baja 1000, The Mint 400 and The Elsinore Grand Prix., not forgetting representing the United States in the International Six Days Trial - a form of off-road motorcycle Olympics. This need for speed later developed into a passion for auto racing for McQueen, who had considered becoming a professional racecar driver. A winner in the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring race, Steve McQueen had partnered with Peter Revson to win the 3 liter class and later considered driving in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year. Definitely, McQueen had an edge and relished taking risks which cultivated an image of cool.

Bad Boy

Among the many components that contributed to Steve McQueen's cool factor, his track record of a chaotic personal life and his popularity among the Hollywood's leading actresses was substantial. Seemingly willing to pursue a risky way of life, McQueen reportedly used drugs regularly and had periodic run-ins with the law, as proven by his 1972 arrest for DUI in Alaska. Moreover, Steve McQueen had a series of relationships that put him squarely among Hollywood's elite leading ladies like Ali McGraw and Barbara Leigh, let alone quite a few less popular actresses. Moreover, his continual philandering exaggerated his image as a bad boy for both men and women alike and recorded his image as a cool character.

Shaped through his tough early years, as well as his pursuits as an actor, racing lover and Hollywood bad boy, it's no real shock that Steve McQueen was an American original and the King of Cool.