Popularly known as the King of Cool, Steve McQueen was an American actor who rose to fame during the decade of 1960s and 70s. McQueen had a troubled childhood. Whatever happy days that he remembered from his childhood were those spent with his uncle Claude at the latter’s farm in Missouri. Growing up in reform schools, McQueen spent three years in the United States Marine before plunging into the world of glamour. During his early days, McQueen juggled between acting and racing, his first love. He soon set forth to make a career in acting, first appearing on stage shows and later taking the big screen by storm with his anti-hero gimmicks. What gave him the edge was that despite his anti-hero persona which was developed through his projects in 1960s, he gained the status of ‘King of Cool’. He was mostly seen donning roles of tough and hard-to-beat police officers or military personnel in action and war flicks. Film after film, he gave hits scaling himself as one of the top box-office draws. Some of his noteworthy films include, ‘The Sand Pebbles’, ‘Bullitt’, ‘The Getaway’, ‘The Great Escape’ and so on. His box office success gave him an iconic status in popular culture.
