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Steve McQueen

A Biography
by Marc Eliot
Steve McQueen: A Biography. Crown Archetype. Oct. 2011. c.384p. photogs. filmog. index. ISBN 9780307453211. $26. FILM
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Eliot has authored several celebrity bios, including American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood. Here he focuses on Steve McQueen, whom he can't help but compare to Eastwood. They were both born in 1940, and their careers began at about the same time. But unlike Eastwood, whose acting style is instinctive and who has essentially played the same character to great commercial success, McQueen was a product of the Method; Eliot asserts his career was hampered by less-than-inspiring directors and his early death at 50, when Eastwood was just hitting his stride. Still, McQueen starred in iconic films (The Magnificent Seven; The Great Escape). Eliot covers McQueen's lonely and angry early life and the juicy details of his marriages, most famously to Ali MacGraw.
VERDICT Eliot's penchant for portraying the thoughts of McQueen and others ("From the moment Steven arrived in New York City, nothing felt right") is annoying, but McQueen's life and the cultural context Eliot explores make for a good read. Several McQueen biographies have appeared over the last few years; purchase for need and demand.
Reviewed by Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA , Aug 01, 2011
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