Over the years, Hollywood has had some great and memorable actors. Some of them were badasses, some were rebels, and some performed their own stunts on screen. Steve McQueen was one of these actors. Known as "the King of Cool", he performed most of his own stunts in his films and competed in car and motorcycle races. Steve McQueen was born Terence Stephen McQueen on March 24, 1930 in Indianapolis, Indiana (Encyclopedia Britannica). His father was a stunt pilot for a flying circus who left McQueen and his mother at a young age (Turner Classic Movies). Due to his mother's alcoholism, McQueen was sent to live with his grandparents in Slater, Missouri on a farm until he was returned to his mother at age 8 . Due to this unfortunate change, McQueen joined a street gang and committed petty crimes. . As a result, his mother sent him back to Slater until he was 12. Because of his abusive stepfather in Los Angeles, McQueen began becoming a petty thief again and was arrested for stealing car hubcaps. Due to his poor decisions and his status as a juvenile delinquent, McQueen's mother sent him to California Junior Boys Republic, a reform school in Chino Hills, California (Turner Classic Movies). During this time, McQueen was reluctant to live in this house, which led to beatings from other boys. However, some time later, McQueen left the reform school for Greenwich Village with his mother. Although he joined the Merchant Marine, he moved to Texas where he worked many different jobs on an oil rig, a carnival, and as a lumberjack. In 1947, McQueen joined the United States Marine Corps, but he still had problems with authority. For example, he was sent to prison for not returning from a weekend pass. After serving...... middle of paper ...... entered the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. In 2002, Sheryl Crow recorded "Steve McQueen" and three years later, Ford Motor Company used his likeness in an advertisement using a stunt double for their new Mustang. Hollywood was known for many years for having great and memorable actors. Plus, Hollywood had tough guys, rebellious characters and some decide to perform their own stunts. Steve McQueen, the “King of Cool,” was known to have been part of this experiment. While McQueen was also known for performing his own stunts in his films, he also competed in car and motorcycle races. Work Cited “Steve McQueen”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. February 2, 2014 Classic Turner films. Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc., 2014. web. February 2. 2014.