American actor Terrence Stephen (Steve) McQueen was BOTD in 1930. Born in Beech Grove, Indiana, his father abandoned his mother while she was still pregnant, and he was raised by his maternal grandparents and his uncle in rural Montana. He had a turbulent childhood, shuffled between his grandparents and his mother, running away from home to escape abusive step-fathers and two years in a boys’ reform school. He worked a series of transient jobs in his teens, including a stint in a brothel in the Dominican Republic, before he was arrested for vagrancy and sentenced to 30 days in a chain-gang. He joined the Merchant Navy when he was 17, serving for three years until he was honorably discharged. In 1952, he moved to New York to study acting, working with famed teachers Stanford Meisner, Uta Hagen and Stella Adler, making his Broadway debut in 1955. He relocated to Los Angeles, taking roles in television, becoming a household name as a bounty hunter in the series Wanted Dead or Alive. He became a major star in the films The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape, trading on his charisma, physical prowess and old-school machismo. He became one of Hollywood’s most popular and profitable stars, with tough-guy roles in The Cincinnati Kid, Bullitt, The Getaway, Papillon and The Towering Inferno. He also burned up the screen with Faye Dunaway in the romantic thriller The Thomas Crown Affair, featuring a now-famous scene where the lovers play an erotically-charged game of chess. A keen racing car driver and motorcyclist, he frequently performed his own stunts, and became a brand ambassador for Tag Heuer and Rolex watches, earning him the nickname “The King of Cool”. His career faltered in the late 1970s, losing a number of major roles due to his famously erratic temper. McQueen was married three times, to the actress Neile Adams, with whom he had two children; his Getaway co-star Ali McGraw, with whom he became one of Hollywood’s most glamorous couples; and to the model Barbara Minty, He also pursued affairs with Mamie Van Doren, Lauren Hutton and Barbara Leigh, and is thought to have had a sexual relationship with fellow actor and rival Paul Newman, reputedly quipping “I thought Newman was arrogant. When I finally got him into bed, I taught him who the man was.” Diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1979, McQueen sought alternative treatment from quack doctor William Kelley, which worsened his condition. He died during emergency surgery in 1980, aged 50. Now considered one of Hollywood’s greatest leading men, his onscreen presence and style has been imitated by actors including Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender.