SPORTS QUOTES \ TRIVIA
CELEBRITY FOCUS: Steve McQueen . Motion Picture Actor
Sports Interests: Motorcycles, Dirt Bikes, Martial Arts
Jack Linkletter: I flew to Munich during my Here's Hollyood show to do interviews with Steve and the cast while they were making The Great Escape. On a free night, Steve got a hold of three Harleys for him, me and Jim Garner to go to Obermensing for a folk fest. Neither Garner nor I had many cycle hours and the narrow streets, humped in the middle and made of cobble stones would have been scary enough, but then to have cars flying by within inches, made Garner and I think it was our last trip anywhere.
In 1999, he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
In his collection Steve owned 210 motorcycles, 55 cars, 5 airplanes and over 10,000 miscellaneous items. Most of which was auctioned off by his family in 1984.
He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on August 23, 1971. He was pictured riding a motorcycle barechested.
He was good enough to be considered a class three Black Belt in martial arts. However, he never had his skills tested for fear of being sued if he actually hurt someone. His personal instructors included Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.
Steve McQueen made a brief appearance as a dirt-bike rider in the 1976 film Dixie Dynamite. He was a stuntman, not an actor.
Director Peter Yates was thankful for Steve's proficiency at the wheel during the filming of "Bullitt". When Yates was shooting close-ups with the camera attached to the outside of the car, and he was on the back-seat floor, running it by remote control. During the chase sequence he ran out of film and called to Steve to slow down, but Steve shouted that we had run out of more than just film - they had also run out of brakes. He proceeded with great skill to downshift the car and although the engine strained the vehicle began to slow up and weaved from side to side finally slowing down enough to bring it to a stop. What a time to run out of film!
While working in a New York City garage in the early 1950s, he repaired a motorcycle that belonged to James Dean.
According to military records released by the Pentagon in 2005, was confined to base for being absent without leave. McQueen as confined for 30 days and fined $90 after being AWOL from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He joined the Marines Corps at 17 and worked as a tank driver and mechanic, which the documents indicated may have spurred a lifelong interest in vehicles, especially motorcycles.
Steve McQueen: "When a horse learns to buy martinis, I'll learn to like horses."
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