Steve McQueen’s Grandson Followed In His Footsteps & Grew Up To Be His Carbon Copy

Aug 30, 2023 by apost team

In the Hollywood industry, it is common for celebrities' family members to follow in their footsteps as their talents would often be passed down from one generation to another. This is what happened to the McQueen family, whose career started with the patriarch of the family, Steve McQueen.

It appears that his descendants looked up to him as one of his two children, Chad McQueen, and his grandson, Steven R. McQueen, also made a name in the field of film and television.

Steve was the first person in the McQueen family to land a big opportunity in Hollywood, so it wasn't surprising to see the blossoming careers of his family members later on.

The actor started off as a part of the United States Marine Corps in the 1940s. Since he was still a teenager at the time, he managed to get permission from his mother.

Steve was later honorably discharged from his duties in 1950.

Two years later, he went on to study acting at Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, established by renowned actor Sanford Meisner, as well as at HB Studio. Steve got a chance to have a formal education when it came to acting, as he was assisted under the G.I. Bill.

Since his name was not that known at the time, the actor earned money on the side by competing in motorcycle races during weekends. 

According to Britannica, Steve's career skyrocketed in the 1960s after appearing in the movies "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape." Following this, he became one of the most notable actors in Hollywood.

In 1956, Steve married his first wife, Neile Adams, and they were blessed with two lovely children, Terry McQueen and Chad McQueen and the latter also pursued a career in acting.

Steve was born as Terrence Stephen McQueen on March 24, 1930, in Beech Grove, Indiana. He was given the moniker the king of cool due to his anti-hero persona, and at one point, he used the alias Harvey Mushman during motor races. It wasn’t surprising to see that he was a huge draw for audiences with his films during the 1960s and 1970s.

The actor went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for his part in “The Sand Pebbles.” Some of his other popular films included “The Cincinnati Kid,” “The Thomas Crown Affair,” “The Great Escape” and “The Magnificent Seven.”

Steve went on to become the highest-paid movie star in 1974, although he ended up not acting in films for a few years afterward due to his active military service.

Afterward, Steve returned to acting and even studied the profession with Stella Adler. He made his Broadway debut in 1955 with the play “A Hatful of Rain,” which also starred Ben Gazzara. On top of that, Steve began competing in weekend motorcycle races at Long Island City Raceway in order to earn some extra money. However, he eventually left New York to move to Los Angeles to seek more job opportunities in Hollywood.

During his career, Steve also worked alongside some of the greats, including Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra. Steve went on to appear in films all the way up until the year of his death in 1980. Some of his final films included “An Enemy of the People,” “Tom Horn” and “The Hunter.”

apost.com

Steve’s youngest son, Chad McQueen, was born on Dec. 28, 1960. He followed in his footsteps not just in acting but also in his love of riding bikes and collecting cars.

In an interview with Car and Driver published in 2016, the actor shared the influence of his father on him as he told the outlet, "Growing up, there were always my dad's cars and motorcycles around… I started riding motorcycles when I was six and racing at nine, and he came to every race, just as he made sure my sister and I were with him whenever he'd be on location."

Although it appeared that he loved his racing career compared to his work in the film industry, Chad had several acting credits before retiring from Hollywood in 2001. His first appearance was only a minor role in the movie "Skateboard" released in 1978.

He later starred in big movies like "The Karate Kid" and its sequel, "Red Line," "Martial Law," and many more. 

The former actor later focused on his love for racing, but in an unfortunate incident that happened in January 2006, he reportedly suffered several injuries after practicing for the 24 Hours of Daytona Sports Car race.

In the interview, Chad confirmed that the shocking accident left him comatose for three and a half weeks, and it was the end of his racing career.

"Yeah. I had something like nine surgeries," he told the outlet and added, "My right eye is slightly toed-in as the result of the accident, so I have a little trouble with right apexes."

He also recalled the tragedy in an interview with Sunday Times Driving as he noted that he "broke about everything" in his body and he was still lucky to drive other people's collections.

Chad got married to actress Stacey Toten, but they got divorced in 1993. They had one son together named Steven R. McQueen, who had a career in Hollywood, and he seemed to have continued his grandfather's legacy.

Steven started his career in 2005 at the young age of 17 years old. He debuted in the TV show "Threshold" as a guest star, but his most notable appearance was in the series "The Vampire Diaries" as Jeremy Gilbert in 2009. He lasted on the series for six seasons until his departure in 2015.

His other TV credits include "Chicago Fire" from 2015 to 2016, "Legacies" in 2018, "The Warrant" in 2020, and many more.

In a campaign for Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014, Steven opened up about his inspiration when it comes to acting, and it appeared that his grandfather made a big contribution to his passion.

As reported by TooFab, Steven said, "I started watching movies my grandpa (Steve McQueen) did, and I saw what an impact they made on the world. That's when I said, 'Hey, I want to do that too.'"

In a 2010 interview with Dave FM to promote the movie "Piranha 3D," Steven opened up that although he never got the chance to meet his grandfather as he died eight years before he was born in 1988, he still credited him as one of his inspirations in acting.

"Unfortunately, I never got to meet him, but watching all his movies and stuff definitely inspired certain dreams of mine and put a little competitive spirit," he said on the radio show.

What do you think of Steve McQueen's grandson? Do you think he's as handsome as his legendary grandfather? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.