Steve McQueen: How the King of Cool Met the King of Kings
A popular men’s magazine recently asked a classic pop culture question: “Who was cooler: Steve McQueen or James Dean?”
The magazine dived into both legendary actors’ lives and careers, comparing everything from their style to their tough-guy appeal and professional achievements.
James Dean became famous as the ultimate symbol of teenage rebellion, especially after his iconic role in *Rebel Without a Cause*. With his intense looks, tousled hair, and classic jeans-and-T-shirt style, Dean set a trend that never faded. His tragic death at 24 froze him in the public’s memory as a youthful rebel, making him an unforgettable icon.
Interestingly, Dean and McQueen were nearly the same age and acted during the same period. However, while McQueen struggled early in his career, Dean found fast fame. McQueen even worked on Dean’s motorcycle as a mechanic at one point, though Dean didn’t know who McQueen was at the time.
The magazine points out that McQueen took what Dean started in the ’50s and brought it to new heights in the ’60s. He made rebellion both a personal and on-screen trademark, clashing with directors, dating glamorous women, driving fast cars, and surviving countless motorcycle stunts. Though he lived boldly, he kept a quiet personal life behind his larger-than-life public persona.
So, it’s no surprise that the magazine ultimately crowned McQueen as the “King of Cool.” Decades after his death, his unique image and style still have a lasting influence, proving he was in a league of his own—well beyond James Dean.
Steve McQueen Before Christ
What was Steve McQueen really like when the cameras weren’t rolling? That’s harder to pin down, as McQueen remains one of Hollywood’s most complicated figures.
As Winston Churchill once said, he was “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,” and that perfectly describes McQueen.
Stories about him are often full of contradictions. He was both a devoted family man and a notorious womanizer. Despite being famously frugal, he gave generously to charity—always anonymously. He could be fiercely loyal to friends but trusted few people. He was tough and sometimes downright harsh on set, yet he had a soft spot for kids and the elderly.
McQueen had a rough start in life. His father was absent, his mother repeatedly abandoned him, and he spent time in reform school. Though he only had a ninth-grade education, he rose above his tough beginnings with sheer grit. Despite his success, he was uneasy around well-educated, polished people, seeing them as a reminder of what he lacked.
On set, McQueen was both disciplined and unpredictable, making movie sets tense places to work. While he disliked authority, he volunteered at the Boys Republic in Chino, California, offering guidance to young men with troubled pasts like his own.
He disliked politics but still ended up on President Nixon’s “Enemies List” and under FBI surveillance. He even narrowly missed being at Sharon Tate’s house the night the Manson Family struck, having been invited but deciding not to go.
McQueen never planned to become an actor—he saw it as a way to avoid dull, 9-to-5 jobs. To him, acting wasn’t a “real man’s job”; he was far more passionate about cars and motorcycles, and he had a real knack for mechanics. Known for pushing vehicles to their limits, he wrecked several rental cars on the set of *Hell Is for Heroes* and even laughed off an incident where he jumped from a burning car. Off-screen, he raced competitively, earning the respect of professional drivers.
In the ’60s and ’70s, McQueen was Hollywood’s biggest star, a true alpha male who captivated audiences in films like *The Magnificent Seven*, *The Great Escape*, *Bullitt*, and *The Towering Inferno*. His screen presence was a unique mix of strength, defiance, and a hint of vulnerability.
But in 1979, everything changed when McQueen was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare cancer linked to asbestos exposure. By the end of the following year, he was gone.
He lived the way he drove—at full speed, fearless to the end.
King of Cool Meets the King of Kings
But there’s another side to Steve McQueen’s final years that many fans and followers tend to overlook, deny, or dismiss. Yet, it’s an undeniable part of his story. The rebellious star reached out to faith, seeking the peace that had always eluded him despite his fast-paced, adventurous life.
Six months before he was diagnosed with cancer—and well before he knew his time was limited—McQueen made the quiet decision to turn to God. It happened on the balcony of a small church in Ventura, California, where he privately committed to faith. This wasn’t a last-minute change on his deathbed; it was a choice he made while still living life on his terms.
What could have driven him to make such a choice, one that seems so different from the fearless, hard-edged McQueen we all know?
For me, it’s a personal question worth exploring.
Unraveling McQueen’s Journey to Christ
I’ve always admired Steve McQueen as an actor and a classic “guy’s guy.” But while researching for my book, I was surprised to find that he and I had similar early struggles—not that I mean to flatter myself by comparison. We both faced rough starts and dealt with many of the same challenges along the way.
Turning my life over to Christ changed everything for me, steering me away from a path that wasn’t leading anywhere good. Learning that McQueen, someone I looked up to, went through a similar transformation was thrilling and motivated me to dig deeper into his journey. Like me, he eventually found what he’d been searching for all along—the most important thing we could ever have in common.
I shared the story of Steve McQueen’s unexpected turn to faith with a crowd of 45,000 at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium during the “SoCal Harvest” event on a warm summer night.
The audience—young and old—was captivated by the story of a troubled boy who rose to become Hollywood’s biggest star, only to find himself unfulfilled by his fame and fortune. In the end, the “King of Cool” found his way to the King of Kings.
