BRET McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast.

Performance is by the actor Steve McQueen in classic films like The Great Escape and Bullet

earned him the nickname The King of Cool.

But behind the scenes, McQueen's character is complex in nature.

He can be both difficult and demanding and kind and generous.

Someone who could act aloof, but care about things deeply.

My guest has traced both sides of the coin and McQueen's coolness for decades.

His name is Marshall Terrell and he's the author of multiple biographies on McQueen,

including his latest Steve McQueen in his own words.

Today on the show, Marshall had discussed McQueen's enduring influence on popular culture,

in terms of everything from style to motorcycles, the code McQueen lived both on and offscreen,

and whether after years of studying McQueen's life, Marshall has figured out what made him

so cool.

We then talk about McQueen's deprived childhood, which left him ever craving affirmation

in his youthful stints and in a reform school in the Marines.

We get into how he found his way into acting in the Super Stardom, despite the fact that

he could be very difficult to work with.

Marshall explains McQueen's relationships with women and the role race car driving

played in his life.

We also discuss why McQueen had a hermit phase and how, in a lesser known aspect of his

life, he had a literal come to Jesus moment in which became a born-again Christian.

And we end our conversation with McQueen's untimely, tabloid, exploited death at age 50.

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