Steve Mc Queen, Tribute to the King of Kool

By Marshall Terrill

It's simply a celebration of Steve McQueen's life in photos, memorabilia and remembrances. What makes it unique is that it's written entirely through the eyes of the people who knew him, worked with him, had an encounter with him, or simply have an appreciation for him. It's different and original. I think McQueen fans will love it.

The photographs are a compilation of private, unseen, rarely seen, widely seen, candid and movie stills combined with movie memorabilia, documents and personal possessions.

Lee Majors was the very first person who contributed a passage, and then it snowballed from there. Some of the celebrities have submitted a passage expressly for this book (Jack Garfein, Bud Elkins, Martin Landau, Sharon Farrell, Chris Noel and Nancy Malone) while others are excerpts from their books and magazine articles with their publisher's permission (Faye Dunaway, Norman Jewison, Alec Baldwin, Eli Wallach, Ernest Borgnine, retired Boston Police Officer Ed Donovan who is now a SAG Actor in Orlando, Florida). But some of the most fascinating passages are written by McQueen's friends who weren't necessarily celebrities, but had better insight into the man than most. I've also solicited McQueen fans from around the world because I've always wanted to know why McQueen was so big in other countries. I've got some very compelling passages from fans in England, Japan, France and Germany, who explain why McQueen appeals to them.

So, in order of how it appears in the book: Robert McNamara (Boys Republic roommate); Cliff Anderson (McQueen's buddy in the Marines); Richard Martin (great insight into McQueen in New York during the 1950s); Howard Fishlove (great stories about The Blob); Sir Stirling Moss (he's a legend and McQueen's racing idol); Elisabeth Osborn (McQueen's secretary in England when he filmed The War Lover); Chris Noel (McQueen's co-star in Soldier in the Rain); Sharon Farrell (co-star in The Reivers); Anthony Zerbe (co-star in Papillon); Gary Davis (stunt director on Dixie Dynamite and his section includes awesome photos); Christopher Keane (author of The Hunter) and Dr. Cesar Santos Vargas (the man who operated on McQueen in Mexico) and Mike Jugan (the pilot who brought McQueen home from Mexico to California). It's a book about life and death...I think I deal with the subject of his passing in a very classy manner. Ultimately, it's an uplifting experience because once you've finished reading the passages you say to yourself, This man lived a very full life.