Thee Weeks In Steve McQueen's World
"In the spring of 1963, Steve McQueen was on the brink of superstardom, already popular from his big-screen breakout as one of The Magnificent Seven and just a couple months away from entering the Badass Hall of Fame with the release of The Great Escape. Intrigued by his dramatic backstory and his off-screen exploits — McQueen was a reformed delinquent who got his thrills racing cars and motorcycles — LIFE sent photographer John Dominis to California to hang out with the 33-year-old actor and see what he could get. Three weeks and more than 40 rolls of film later, Dominis had captured some astonishingly intimate and iconic images, photos impossible to imagine in today's restricted-access celebrity world. Only a handful of those photos have ever been published… but now, in celebration of what would have been McQueen's 80th birthday (March 24), LIFE.com presents these never-before-seen gems from that legendary assignment, along with insights from Dominis about the time he spent with the man who would become known as the King of Cool. Pictured: At his home in Palm Springs, McQueen practices his aim before heading out for a shooting session in the desert."
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Absolutely amazing images. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMcQueen is an inspiration. They just don't make them like that any more. The Monocle Man post you wanted people to comment on yesterday had something right. I think now a days authenticity extremely contrived. What McQueen is doing here is effortless. He wasn't looking for what bran and materials were most authentic. He just wore what he liked, and people admire him for that decades later.
ReplyDeleteI love this. Makes me dislike the current way of things though...
ReplyDeleteI like the white sneakers in the first picture. where do you get something like that?
ReplyDeleteJames- White canvas sneaks are easy to come by and while I do not know the exact brand being worn in the photo you should check out Jack Purcell's, Suprega, Spring Court and, of course, Vans.
ReplyDeleteThat Land Rover is legit; I'm less sure about the cowboy hat.
ReplyDelete@ Luis Valdizon, totally agree with you. nothing to add.. greetings from Umbria!
ReplyDeleteYum Yum Yum......he was the sexiest and truly cool. No airbrushing or computerizing there!
ReplyDeleteNina
I saw McQueen in the original (and in my opinion the best) "The Thomas Crown Affair" last week on STARZ/Encore. His smooth cool and enigmatic character, smartly dressed in the trim look of the late 60's American male at his best was refreshing. Those were great days to be out and about, and with the means to do so with class.
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