This week Steve McQueen fans have cause to celebrate. Author Marshall Terrill is no stranger to biographies, having written 14 so far on wide-ranging subjects including Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, basketball great Pete Maravich, and boxing champion Ken Norton.
His first book was the 1993 definitive bestseller Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel, & the author continues his fascination with McQueen by releasing two projects this year: out now, the coffee-table Steve McQueen: A Tribute to the King of Cool & an all-new biography entitled Steve McQueen: The Life & Legacy of a Hollywood Icon, available in time for the 30th anniversary of McQueen's passing in November.
Recently Terrill graciously took time to elaborate on the multi-faceted, forever cool Steve McQueen. To read more about McQueen's legacy, please go here. Part one of The Marshall Terrill chat appears below:
Why is Steve McQueen still a major pop culture force?
Besides the fact that his look and his talent are timeless, the reason why any artist lives on after they die is because of their cult of personality. When someone see’s McQueen’s work, they become fascinated with the man and want to know more about him.
When they learn about his life, his painful childhood, his inner struggle to reach the top, his approach to acting and how he put his heart and soul into every project, he becomes much more than just a movie star. His life takes on much more meaning – his movies, the motorcycles, the racing, the aviation, the women, his insecurities, and his hell-bent-for-leather take on life.
He was an American original and marched to the beat of his own drummer. How many people can we say that about today? The era of the 1960s and 1970s minted some of the greatest artists of the millennium, and McQueen is definitely in this group.
For the non McQueen fan, what film(s) would you direct them to see?
The Magnificent Seven; The Great Escape; Love with the Proper Stranger; The Cincinnati Kid; The Sand Pebbles; The Thomas Crown Affair; Bullitt; The Reivers; Junior Bonner; The Getaway; Papillon & Tom Horn. This roster of films gives a good sampling of McQueen’s range as an actor & demonstrates why he was so popular with audiences.
What is the most difficult part about undergoing a McQueen project?
For me personally it’s when to stop. Because I find McQueen so fascinating, I must know everything about him. No stone goes unturned. I originally envisioned Steve McQueen: A Tribute to the King of Cool as maybe 100 passages…it’s about 215 passages, and I could have kept going.
The editor of Steve McQueen: The Life & Legend of a Hollywood Icon said he wanted a 300-page book – I turned in a manuscript double that length – and thankfully, he didn’t cut a thing. McQueen’s story is epic and to give an abbreviated version of his life would be to cheat readers. That’s something I can proudly say I’ve never been accused of.
Let’s go back to 1993: Steve McQueen: Portrait Of An American Rebel was your first book. What was that experience like?
It was a wonderfully new & exciting process. Today I have written approximately 15 books, & Portrait was my first. It was a grand adventure as I embarked on a new chapter in my life, & going to Hollywood to meet all my favorite actors & people associated with McQueen’s movies was thrilling beyond belief. At that time, McQueen’s legend was just starting to surface and everyone was willing to talk to me. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Has Portrait been your most successful book?
“Portrait” is by far the most successful book I’ve written, although I’ve subsequently written two other best-selling books. It was reviewed worldwide, has gone through five printings and was revised in 2005. I’m hoping that Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon will be even more successful because it is a much better book than Portrait.
To continue reading Part II of Marshall Terrill's interview concerning the legendary Steve McQueen, please go here.
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