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He was nominated only once for an Oscar - Best Actor in the film The Sand Pebbles. The incredibly confident Frank Sinatra asked director John Sturges to "Give the newcomer a break" in the movie Never So Few. The newcomer was Steve McQueen and Sturges, recognizing his enormous talent, would go on to direct him in The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. Frank Bullitt was Steve's favorite role. Steve was voted the most iconic biker of all time in February 2007. Steve was thrilled when he got top billing over actor Paul Newman in The Towering Inferno. While the staggered billing had Paul's name higher, Steve's name was first. He was offered the role of Paul Varjak in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" but could not accept because of his contract with Wanted: Dead or Alive. The role went to George Peppard instead. He turned down roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Dirty Harry and Ocean's Eleven. He was scheduled to star in Quigley, Down Under but was unable to because of his illness. It was filmed a decade later with Tom Selleck as Quigley. In the film Le Mans, Steve McQueen, himself a championship racer, did most of his own driving on the harrowing 8.5 mile Le Mans course - often at speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour. His favorite TV Show in the late '70s was The Love Boat. The Blob was the first movie in which Steve had the starring role. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. He had two children, daughter Terry and son Chad with first wife, Neile. Though Steve married twice after their divorce, he and Neile remained great friends and lovers for the rest of his life. He was trained in Tang Soo Do by blackbelt Pat Johnson. His son Chad, was trained in martial arts by Chuck Norris and the late, great Bruce Lee. He was a pallbearer at his friend Bruce Lee's funeral. His second marriage was to the beautiful Ali MacGraw whom he met on the set of The Getaway. Robert Vaughn co-starred in three of Steve movies - The Magnificent Seven, Bullitt and The Towering Inferno Ridiculously, it took until 1986 for him to receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His last movie was The Hunter. He died on November 7, 1980 in Mexico. Steve was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
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