How tall was Steve McQueen - Page 2

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Average Guess (79 Votes)
5ft 9.02in (175.3cm)
slope said on 20/Nov/10
Thank you, Antoine, for posting again. You seem to be a voice of sanity. I am perturbed that past posts were deleted, especially those of eyewitnesses. Is there a policy regarding which posts get deleted? Shouldn't posts by eyewitnesses be kept? Is there any way that the post from the guy from Texas (who claimed 5'8" for McQueen) who served McQueen the onion sandwich be re-instated or is it gone forever? At least I am referring to it now so that later viewers of this site will know it existed. Saw Robert Vaughn in person in Hollwood at the Cinerama Dome for the Jules Verne Festival tribute to McQueen. this past Veteran's Day. Jacqueline Bisset was there too, along with McQueen's son Chad and his first wife, Neile McQueen-Toeffel. Vaughn is a bit elderly and may have lost height; he is not tall. He also seems sort of thin boned, not a stocky guy.
Antoine said on 18/Nov/10
I have to say and I think many of you will agree...this site is way off on many actors. Alot of actors wear lifts, and camera angles can make 5'6 look 5'10. Again there are official records out there that state facts. I really dont think that anyone can argue that...but we all do.
anonymous said on 11/Nov/10
exactly 4 inches shorter than 5'5" dustin hoffman in PAPILLON. he was 5'9"
Jeebs said on 9/Nov/10
Watch the scene at the end of Bullitt where McQueen is walking around in a crowded airport. 5'10 is the bare minimum for him, I'd wager 5'11 peak height.
Brad said on 8/Nov/10
As listed. He never did the jump in The Great Escape.
georgeclooneysmum said on 8/Nov/10
Richard Attenborough I guess must be 5'2 or 5'3 which would fit with a 6'1 to 6'2 John Wayne if mcqueen is 5'8. Robert Mitchum must be 5'11 if Yul Bryne 5'6 which fits with a 5'6 Charles bronson and a 5'11 Lee marvin, 6'1 Donald Sutherland, 6'2 Robert Ryan. I think Slope on top something.
georgeclooneysmum said on 8/Nov/10
Well Slope that makes Paul Newman 5'8 and James Dean and Dennis hopper 5'6.
jake 181-183 said on 7/Nov/10
I think Rampage is right actually, 177 is probably closer
slope said on 7/Nov/10
OK, I'll dowgrade the other actors. Yul Brynner, according to McQueen's erstwhile manager Hilly Elkins, was not that tall. See my post below from the Terrill bio, quoting Elkins, "Steve and Yul Brynner weren't that tall." So, yes, I can believe Brynner was only 5'6". But why take my word for anything? What about the Texas guy who had his post deleted? He was an eyewitness and he was adamant that McQueen was only 5'8" ! What about Jonny Pyzer, infra, another eyewitness who says in his post that McQueen was only 5'8"? Are these two guys delusional or are they simply telling the truth? And aint it a coincidence that both these eyewitness --who are both adamant about McQueen being only 5'8"-- just happen to have picked the identical height that is in McQueen's military records, namely 5'8". What about the mugshot that has McQueen at 5'9" in shod feed thereby giving him at least another inch of height? I think the operators of this site are going to have to downgrade McQueen's height based on this evidence. Look at the photo links posted comparing McQueen to the 6'1" Bud Ekins, Those of us (and I am not alone) who have asserted the 5'8" height have some powerful evidence that I believe really cannot be refuted.
georgeclooneysmum said on 7/Nov/10
slope if McQueen is only 5'8 you are going to have to downgrade about 100 actors. 5'8 in the marines at 17 i can buy. I was 5'9 1/2 at 17, by 18 I was an inch taller. At 44 I am 5'10 3/4.

I think the scene of him kicking away Yul Bryner pile of dust in the magificent 7 who was only 5'8 is perhaps better evidence than any of you have given her. Maybe Yul was only 5'6 I guess if mcQueen was 5'8. I can go on with another 100 actors if you like.

Pretty much the same height as Newman, maybe 5'9 1/2 at the shortest, 5'10 1/2 at most.
slope said on 7/Nov/10
What?!? You delete posts?!?! How is that fair? I thought the whole point of this site was to determine the actual height of celebrities. In the case of McQueen, there has been a raging debate for some time. The guy from Texas who had his post deleted was an important eyewitness. He bravely went public saying McQueen was only 5'8". He also gave a lot of detail as to how and when he met McQueen, including the nice touch about the all onion sandwich which gave a large degree of indicia of reliability to his account. And this was an eyewitness: not some schlub with an opinion. Now that eyewitness
account is deleted while other --less reliable-- accounts saying McQueen was 5'10" are left alone. Of course, I know the counter-argument: "Hey, pal, where's your sense of humor? We're all here just to have fun." The trouble with that argument is that this site has now become too prominent. It is the first "go to" place to find the true height of a celebrity. It has become --like it or not -- the gold standard. Taking away eyewitness accounts is a disservice to those who take this site seriously.
slope said on 5/Nov/10
Has this site been edited? I recall a lot more posts than what is up here now. There was a post by an eyewitness in Texas who served McQueen a sandwich with lots of onions --it's gone now. He said McQueen was only 5'8".

Editor Rob
I delete old posts every now and again so the site doesn't get too slow
SAM said on 27/Oct/10
Some people have such a big heart that you can't acurrately judge their physical height, that would be Steve. He was probably between 5'8 and 5'9. The shorter height would enable him to be more gymnastic on a motorcycle and things like that so his athleticism and physicality made him appear bigger than 5'8, what a shame he left early, what a hell of a guy on screen anyway, he may not have had clint eastwood's height but he could out act clint in sensitive roles like the thomas crown affair as one example of many
Antoine said on 6/Jul/09
Slope has has some very interesting and thought provoking comments...I agree completely with what slope said. I have read the book by Minty " the last mile" and she does seem rather defensive when it somes to McQueen's height. Why? I have and read Terrill's bio on McQueen too and realize that there are may excerpts that elude to McQueen being short. Yes both wives' claimed he was 5'10. A bit odd I say. There are many actors out there who have stated that McQueen wasnt tall. Stated that he was downright short. He wore lifts...that is a fact! Why? Frank2 is pretty adamant...for whatever reason. An obsessive fan? Friend? Not sure about that one, but who is to say right! There are way too many sightings, photos, testamonials, and official documents to be ignored. There are only a handful of people who are stating he was 5'10. There is something to be said there. He wasnt 5'10! He wasnt tall...and thats ok. Many top hollywood actors aren't tall, what are you gonna do? I have seen photos of Steves first wife Neile and steve towers over her! Thats probably becuase she was only 4'10...Chad McQueen isnt tall he is my height...5'7. How do I know this? becuase i have met him on more than one occasion most recently this past June at the Steve McQueen charity car show at the Boys Republic in Chino, CA. 5'10? Very unlikely!
Frank2 said on 3/Jul/09
No, Cheney was not as tall as John Wayne. Lon Cheney Jr. was over six feet. Probably near 6'2". By the time of HIGH NOON he looked about an inch and a half shorter than 6'3" Gary Cooper.

In the film OF MICE AND MEN, Cheney wore lifts to make himself appear like a giant.
adam said on 3/Jul/09
Frank2. Was Lon Chaney Jr. as tall as John Wayne? In a film they appear to be the same height!
tubbs said on 2/Jul/09
To make reference to the 5'10" and the 5'7" autopsy discrepencies, there is an English darts player called Shaun Greatbatch who has cancer, in one year of being diagnosed he went from 6'5" to 6'1"......so the 5'7" autopsy height may have no bearing on what he was peak. I think Frank has commented extensively on Steve to prove he was 5'10, maybe a smidgen more. I've been off on peoples heights from just 1 or 2 meetings, but if you have known someone for a number of years it is pretty easy to pinpoint someones height, which Frank has by the sounds of it.
Frank2 said on 2/Jul/09
Met both. Stewart was 6'3" even when he was well into his seventies. Mitchum was 6'1" peak and later packed down to 5'11".
bob said on 2/Jul/09
frank 2, have you ever seen jimmy stewart and robert mitchum?
Frank2 said on 2/Jul/09
That was me. Somehow it switched to anonymous.
Anonymous said on 2/Jul/09
Adam, you have zero idea how tall he was. I met the guy, even knew him slightly. He was no more 5'8" than John Wayne was 6'1". Come on man. Get with it! McQueen was 5'10". He was slightly shorter than me.
adam said on 2/Jul/09
Steve was about 5-8 or slightly more. Michael Caine said that he was very short and that he made Steve look like nothing.
slope said on 29/Jun/09
OK, I'll back off. I am not an eyewitness. Regarding the military records (5'8'') it should be noted that McQueen entered the military at quite a young age, while still a teenager. It is certainly possible for a man to continue to grow into his early twenties. So he might have picked up a couple of inches from when he was initially measured by the Marines as a teenager. Certainly the photo of him with Ali makes him appear to be 5'10''. Regarding the autopsy measurement of 5'7'', as others on this thread have mentioned, he suffered from horrific cancer. Who knows what that did to him? He might well have shrunk from his illness. McQueen remains a mystery; perhaps that accounts for his enduring appeal. He never revealed too much of himself, right down to his height.
Frank2 said on 27/Jun/09
Well, the military isn't always the last word. Like I've said, I met him, knew him well enough that he called me by my name. He was 5'10".
slope said on 27/Jun/09
I am with Antoine on this: the military records show McQueen at 5'8''.
Six points:
1. These military records were made public and are no longer protected from scrutiny. Check this website: Click Here

His biographer, Marshall Terrill, made the interesting comment that "according to my research" McQueen was 5'10'' (which is what Barbara Minty claims) but Terrill hastens to add that McQueen's military records list him at 5'8''. See the interview at this website:

Click Here

Obviously, Terrill has seen the military records. Could the military be off a full two inches when they measured McQueen? It seems unlikely. Seems to me Mr. Terrill wants Steve McQueen to be 5'10'' but he does not want to lose his credibility as a biographer so he adds the disclaimer about the military records which showed McQueen to be 5'8'. Why not just say 5
slope said on 26/Jun/09
Re: question of Antoine --Barbara Minty in her book "The Last Mile" claims that she and Steve McQueen were the same height, namely 5 feet 10 inches. Interestingly, she goes out of her way in that book to mention that McQueen was that tall. It seems somewhat defensive.
Antoine said on 25/Jun/09
Does anyone know how tall Barbara Minty was when Steve and her were together?
mcfan said on 24/Jun/09
Steve has that classic build where he looks shorter than he is. A big head and big features with bad posture. Always looked average to me.
tubbs said on 17/Jun/09
Hi Frank, I was wondering if you could explain something seeing as you have worked in the film industry. I've just watched a movie where in one shot 2 actors were walking down a corridor in sync, from a long full body shot the one guy looked atleast 4 inches taller, by the time they were close to the camera there was only 1 inch between them, is this to do with camera trickery, or am I being naive, and it is purely down to perspective?
TELLEM said on 17/Jun/09
nice pic risingforce, yea mcqueen definetly was 5'10 and he looked it w/ dustin hoffman in papillon
Frank2 said on 17/Jun/09
All I can tell you is when I met Wallach I could easily look over the top of his head. He was quite short.
tom said on 17/Jun/09
I always thought steve was around 6 feet... I guess it was his persona 5 10 is not short anyway. im 5 9. Steve is one of my heroes. Saved those marines in the sinking tank!
tubbs said on 17/Jun/09
That picture from Risingforce pretty much confirms the 5'10 for Steve, maybe even a touch taller. It looks like it was taken during the filming of Papillon, where barefoot for most of the movie he has atleast 5 inches on Dustin Hoffmann. Frank, to your knowledge do you know if Eli Wallach wore lifts in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? He looks about 5'9" in that movie. I thought the Hunter was pretty poignant, with Steve holding a newborn baby at the end, when he was months from the end of his own life.
Frank2 said on 17/Jun/09
Amen RisingForce! Amen!
Brad said on 16/Jun/09
I've met Solo and he's 5' 8" and a jerk. T.H.R.U.S.H. ought to destroy him. Wanted $50 an autograph. Great photo with Ali. I'm going to 5' 10" on McQueen now.
RisingForce said on 16/Jun/09
Now that we've established that Ali McGraw is 5'7", 5'8" we can put this 5'8" nonsense to rest for McQueen. Click Here You can see that Steve is in sandals with no lifts and he's about 2 inches taller than Ali who looks like she could be on slightly higher ground.
Frank2 said on 16/Jun/09
Robert Vaughn was at his peak about 5'9". I met him one day on the Fox lot in 1982. I was three inches taller.

To my knowledge, McQueen never wore lifts.

In THE TOWERING INFERNO, Newman wore cowboy boots with two inch heels while McQueen wore regular shoes.
Sam said on 16/Jun/09
In the photo with Poitier and Streisand, Newman is further away from the camera. In The Towering Inferno, Newman and McQueen seemed roughly the same height.
Mr T-Cakes said on 16/Jun/09
He was taller than Robert Vaughn in Bullit by a couple of inches, if I remember rightly.This site has Vaughn down as 5ft10-ish.But did they use lifts back in '68? And what's the possibility McQueen wore them?
Frank2 said on 15/Jun/09
"Steve was 5'8" tops and that's being generous. Ali was just barely 5'6"."

Nope. Ali who I met was at minimum 5'7", perhaps even 5'8." Add heels and she was at minimum, 5'10", even 5'11" depending on the heel height.

Here's Ali with 5'11" Ryan O'Neill and 5'5" Arthur Hiller:

Click Here

And Ali with 5'9" Robert Evans:

Click Here

And with Evans and Hiller:

Click Here

And Ali towering over Hiller:

Click Here

5'7" Billy Crystal and Hiller:

Click Here
Frank2 said on 15/Jun/09
"Maybe he wore Stallone NYC sandals with Frank2."

No lifts in these sandals: Click Here
Frank2 said on 15/Jun/09
McQueen with 5'7" Faye Dunaway:

Click Here
Frank2 said on 15/Jun/09
McQueen, Newman, 5'5" Streisand and 6' 2.5" Sidney Poitier:

Click Here
Frank2 said on 15/Jun/09
Wagner always had better posture. I never saw him slouch. Whereas McQueen slouched all the time. Like I said, the first time I met him I thought Steve was about 5'7" and then he suddenly stood up straight and was I surprised!

Recently I watched some newsreel footage shot at a party for THE TOWERING INFERNO that shows McQueen and Paul Newman standing next to each other. Both are about the same height. Newman was also 5'10". I know since I worked on the edited version of SLAPSHOT and saw him when he'd come in to do replacement lines for TV and airline versions. In fact, it's my voice you hear on the soundtrack when Newman's on the phone with his ex-wife and she hangs up on him and he says "Nuts!" It was changed from "****!" Newman refused to say "nuts" so since I sounded somewhat like him on the temp track, he laughed and said "Go ahead and use it."
Brad said on 14/Jun/09
3/11/06 Glenn: "Steve was 5' 7"". Maybe he wore Stallone NYC sandals with Frank2. I've met Culp. I'll go with 5' 9.5" on McQueen. Wagner said 5' 9".
Frank2 said on 13/Jun/09
Go to 5:30 of this clip from WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE and you'll notice McQueen is two inches shorter than 6' Robert Culp:

Click Here

Here's McQueen with 5'11" Robert Wagner and British actress Shirley Ann Field:

Click Here

And here's McQueen next to Wagner: Click Here

McQueen with 5'7" Norman Jewison: Click Here

Jewison and Harry Belafonte: Click Here

Belafonte in his prime was 6'1" and is now about 6'. Jewison is now about 5'6".
Slope said on 6/Jun/09
Have you seen "Wanted Dead or Alive" on DVD? Steve is wearing cowboy boots yet
seems short.
tubbs said on 5/Jun/09
Steve is one of my favourite actors, i can't recall a bad film i've seen him in. Frank, he looked pretty well in the Hunter, which was made the year he died, it seems the cancer took a hold of him pretty quickly then? I've read he went to a special clinic in Mexico for pioneering treatment, but according to some sources it did more harm than good. Did you ever meet Eli Wallach? What height would he have been in 1980?
RisingForce said on 5/Jun/09
Great post, I'm a big fan of Steve's movies so it's interesting hearing more about him.
Frank2 said on 5/Jun/09
Steve liked to slouch a lot which tended to make him appear shorter than he was. He was also very thin. I mean he probably didn't weigh more than 150 lbs. He did get fat towards the end. That was when he grew a beard and let his hair grow long and generally looked unkempt. After that the cancer started up and quickly killed him.

Steve reportedly became quite spiritual towards the end. He had taken up flying and owned a Stearman that he kept at the Santa Paula Airport in a private hanger where he'd hold court with close friends. He was a genuine, nice guy. Nothing phony about him. He was somewhat intimidated by anyone who he felt had a better education. But for those people who came off as knowing their stuff and were the genuine article, not some sycophant stooge, he could be a terrific person. I only wish I had gotten to know him better. I probably saw him a half dozen times over the period of a year. One thing I noticed was he was totally deaf in one ear. If I spoke on this wrong side he'd ignore me. At first I thought he was a jerk, but soon discovered his hearing impairment was the cause. I also suspect he was slightly hard of hearing in his good ear from the loud motorcycles he rode. I mean some of them were so loud that when he'd start them up I found myself covering my ears! In that regard he probably thought I was a wuss!

In his prime, James Garner was 6'1'. Today he's not much over 5'10".
RisingForce said on 5/Jun/09
By fairly close to Garner's height I mean no more than a 3 inch difference between the 2, perhaps less.
RisingForce said on 5/Jun/09
You're probably right, Steve does look like a 5'10" guy in movies like Bullitt and The Great Escape. In fact he looked fairly close to James Garner's height and he towered over Richard Attenborough in The Great Escape.
tubbs said on 4/Jun/09
watching the Hunter.....looks to have 3 inches on Eli Wallach,even with a hunch and wearing trainers.....5'10 seems spot on.
Rick Harle said on 1/Jun/09
I live in Athens, GA and in the late seventies, at Road Atlanta, I saw Paul Newman in the pits. I took several pics of him and stood within, maybe 10 feet of him. I am 6'3" tall and I would put him right at 5'10". At the time he looked, *skinny* to me. Is there a way to post my shots here? I was/am a huge McQueen fan, bought some stuff at his estate auction, best I can tell he was about 5'10". His posture and average overall build probably has him looking a little shorter. When he moved he has been described as moving, *cat like*. He was naturally athletic, but never played sports growing up. Watch. "Hell is For Heroes", he does look compact and, *cat like" in his movements.

Rick
Antoine said on 29/May/09
Thats an open ended question! Can anyone prove he died at 5'7? Its what his death certificate stated! 5'8 is what his military records stated! Can you prove he was 5'10? I'd believe two official documents before I'd believe his wife. My wife swears im 5'9...I'm actually 5'7! Trying to judge a persons height by photographs or movie shots is almost impossible. There are far too many factors that play into it. Footwear is one of them. Steve was notoriously known for wearing lifts...and cowboy boots. Boots offer up 1.5" in height. So yes Neile Toffel and Barbara Minty both stated he was 5'10! There are far more sightings/meetings/run-ins with people who have claimed that Steve Mcqueen was shorter than believed to be. His own friend stated that steve was five inches shorter than he. Bud Ekins is 6'1". Can anyone discount that statement?
RisingForce said on 29/May/09
Steve could be 5'9" or 5'10" in my opinion, but anything out of that range is unlikely.
Parker said on 21/May/09
I wouldn't take any note of military records Rising. Alan Ladd, who was notoriously short (although not as short as the media made out aka Tom Cruise), army discharge papers listed him at 5'9 - NEVER was he close to 5'9.
RisingForce said on 20/May/09
can you prove military records had him at 5-8?
Antoine said on 19/May/09
I find it odd that his military records had him at 5'8 and his death certificate had him at 5'7! Something one shouldnt discount. Both of those measurements are pretty concise...
Andy said on 23/Apr/09
5'9 1/2 max. 5'10 no more..
TELLEM said on 13/Apr/09
it looks like towering because "BUD" is in the front of the picture.
Antoine said on 13/Apr/09
Micheal D...thatwas a great photo! Proof! Bud towers over Steve. What more do people want?
Michael D said on 9/Apr/09
Some time ago it was commented on that Bud Ekins was 5'11" and that he stated that he was 5" taller than Steve. I recently saw photos from the 64 ISDT that showed this height discrepancy. The were facing each other toe to toe on level ground and the height difference is huge.
RisingForce said on 22/Mar/09
I'm not saying that Robert Wagner would lie, but not everyone can accurately estimate height. Steve's bad posture could have made him appear shorter. I think McQueen could have been 5'9", but 5'10" wouldn't surprise me either.
TELLEM said on 22/Mar/09
robert wagner said 5'9 in his bio...thats more accurate than anything.
Brad said on 22/Mar/09
5' 9". Robert Wagner wouldn't lie. Steve's wife put out a book that leaves much to be desired in accuracy. He wore big cycle boots. I ran into a guy who worked with him and said he didn't care about anything except getting kitty, being on his cycles & slamming Jack....and this was in '62!. He said he had an exposive temper second only to the garbage on the Hawaii Five-O set by Jack Lord.
RisingForce said on 21/Mar/09
Nice rare picture Tellem, but ae there any other pictures of them? That picture doesn't tell as much about their heights because they're mid-stride and Wagner is closer to the camera.
TELLEM said on 20/Mar/09
5'11 robert wagner and steve mcqueen: Click Here
RisingForce said on 20/Mar/09
Steve's wife claims that he's 5'10.5" or 5'11".
Click Here

I have Hoffman at 5'5.75", so McQueen would defintley look shorter than he did if he were 5'8". I agree that 5'9", 5'10" range is most likely. He was taller than Charles Bronson in The Great Escape.
glenn said on 19/Mar/09
your all forgetting how tall he looked next to dustin hoffman barefoot.he looked 5-9 to 5-10 easy.
RisingForce said on 19/Mar/09
In the Great Escape he did look over 5'10". He had around 4" on Richard Attenborough who gets listed here at 5'7" peak. He certainly didn't have less than 3" on Richard. He consistently looked 5'10"-5'11" comparing him in that film to other celebrities. He had boots on that weren't huge, but I guess lifts in them were possible.

Steve was really an enigma. Sometimes I could see him anywhere from 5'8" to 5'10.5".
Doug said on 8/Mar/09
Yeah I think it clear he was nothing more than 5'8" barefoot. He wore lifts and seemd to have a complex about his height because of some of the towering western actors of this period. 5'10" would have been an absolute maximum in lifts.
RisingForce said on 7/Mar/09
Antoine there are lots of reasons that 5'10"+ guys wear lifts. Just ask Brad Pitt, John Wayne, Burt Reynolds ect. They're all know lift wearers and widely acknowledged to be atleast 5'10".

That's not why I'm starting to doubt Steve was 6'10". The reason is how short he looked in the Magnificent Seven. Everyone was in cowboy boots and he looked around 5'8". The cast wasn't tall either. Bronson was about 5'7" and Yul Brynner was about 5'8".
TELLEM said on 7/Mar/09
well robert wagner did say that steve mcqueen was 5'9...so 5'10 could be out the question
Antoine said on 6/Mar/09
So it now seems Risingforce has a change of heart...Steve was infamously known for wearing lifts. He was ultra-sensitive about his height. Why would a
5'10-5'10.5 man wear lifts? Why would height even be an issue at that point? What people are failing to acknowledge is that there are factual and irrefutable medical and military records stating that he was 5'7-5'8. He was 5'8 when he was in the marines and he was 5'7 when he passed away. It is almost impossible to judge what a person's height is on tv or on the big screen. It is dependant on camera angles, footwear/lifts ect ect. Take for instance Daniel Craig. Not a tall guy by any means...he is known to be sensitive about his height. He is listed at 5'10. Why would a 5'10 guy be sensitive about his height? So the question that needs to be asked, is he really 5'10 and not 5'9?. Neile Toffel stated Steve was 5'10'5! You figure a wife would know how tall her husband was, right? My wife tells her friends I'm 5'9. I'm actually 5'7. Bud Ekins said that Steve was five inches shorter than he...Bud is 6'1. Below Risingforce states that the line in the mugshot that Steve is in is the 5'11 mark! Really? Is that really believable? So there Steve is just one inch shy of 6 feet tall now? Hmmm...there is something that doesn't add up. The line above his head is in fact the 5'9 mark, and I doubt he took that photo barefoot either. Steve's wife is short...and I mean short. She would be lucky to crack 5'0. Chad is 5'7. I have met him on several occasions. The Papillon jail outfit was on diplay in Hawaii a couple of years back and I tell you it was tiny. A lot of info to think about...but the info that tends to hold more weight than any sightings, photos or speculation are that of the med/military records. I believe those without a doubt...and that to the truth seeker should end all inquiries should it not?
Josh said on 3/Mar/09
In the towering inferno newman was in 2 inch cowboy boots while mcqueen was in flat shoes with newman looking a touch taller. Really i would give both mcqueen and newman the same height both about 5ft 9 or slightly under.
RisingForce said on 27/Feb/09
Well 5'7" is too low, but I'd buy anything as low as 5'8". Unless Yul Brynner was standing on something or he's taller than we think. In the movie there was a great side by side shot of Charles Bronson and Yul Brynner. If Bronson is 5'7" then Brynner at 5'8" sounds right. But Bronson is another enigma.
glenn said on 27/Feb/09
mcqueen is the mel gibson of yesteryear.5-7 to 5-10.5 claims.
Nate said on 26/Feb/09
Steve was 5'8" tops and that's being generous. Ali was just barely 5'6". Check out this picture of them during a Papillon shooting break. Who gives a **** how tall he was anyway? Some people here same to take it as a personal affront that Steve might have been shorter than his listed 5'10". Does his height make him any less a silver screen badass? Get over it, the dude wasn't that tall. Who cares???!!!
Click Here
RisingForce said on 26/Feb/09
I might have to change my mind on Steve. He may have been 5'9" max. Watch the Magnificent Seven. He seems about the same height as Yul Brynner who is 5'8". Brynner in the movie was barely taller than 5'7", 5'7.5" Charles Bronson. Everyone obviously wore cowboy boots in the movie.
RisingForce said on 26/Jan/09
I pretty much agree with you on Newman. Maybe not a full 5'10", but over 5'9" flat. McQueen was defintley a bit taller than Newman was you said. Rob's listings for the 2 perfectly match up.
TELLEM said on 23/Jan/09
thats true risingforce, it makes sense since he was a bit taller than paul newman who i think was 5'9.5 peak!
RisingForce said on 22/Jan/09
McQueen didn't have great posture though. A 5'10" guy with poor posture could look more 5'9". Maybe he was 5'9", but I'd bet he was 5'10".
TELLEM said on 19/Jan/09
in robert wagner's book "pieces of my heart" he stated that steve mcqueen was shorter than him and that mcqueen was about 5'9.
Big T said on 15/Jan/09
Antoine, I'm 5'10 1/2" and wear a size 10US dress shoes, and size 10US Onitsuka Tiger casuals. That means size 9UK. I assume you were referring to size 9.5US, which is certainly possible for a 5' 10 1/2" guy. If you were referring to size 9.5UK, well that's bigger than what I wear.

My Dad is 5' 11 1/2" and wears size 9.5US/8.5UK, so there you go.

By the way, although I wear size 10US in dress and casuals, I have been either a size 11US or size 11.5US Nike since I was 17 and not even fully grown. Nike makes their shoes between 1 and 1.5 sizes smaller than most other shoes. It seems like they are playing on the male ego, making us believe we have bigger feet than we do!
RisingForce said on 15/Jan/09
Steve was not 5'7". Barry Norman also said Kurt Russell was 5'8" so he seems to like to downgrade celebrities heights. Russell is solid 5'9" and McQueen was 5'10".
TELLEM said on 15/Jan/09
frank2 seemed accurate on the man's height. he was around 5'10.
TELLEM said on 15/Jan/09
wow. something isn't quite right w/ his height if you get ppl saying 5'10 , then 5'7.
Steve said on 15/Jan/09
Check out what Barry Norman said on Wikepedia, who worked with McQueen. He said McQueen was no more then 5'7". I don't believe it though. You never know because how these actors are always wearing lifts.
Lmeister said on 15/Jan/09
The problem estimating his height is that most of the pics of him are from the 60s and 70s when a lot of guys wore big boots adding more than 2 inches to their height on the contrary a lot of guys wore sneakers a la Converse. He never looked short in the movies, but in some candid photos he looks somewhat short.
GUK said on 14/Jan/09
Shoe size means nothing, I'm size 9 (UK) and 5ft 10.5, my father is 5ft 7 and size 10
Antoine said on 14/Jan/09
It appears to me the RisingForce is a bit delusional. To claim that Steve McQueen was just 1.5 inches short of 6 feet tall??? In the mugshot RisingForce claims that the line at the top of his head is the 5'11 mark! C'mon man! Really! I understand there are many people who would liek to believe he was tall but thats just not the case! He was infamously known to wear lifts. Why would that be if he were tall to begin with? Logic should take precedence here. 5'8 tops! Does a 5'10.5 individual wear a 9.5 size shoe! Possible but unlikely. His foot and hand prints are at the Hollywood Chinese theatre and i find it very hard to believe that Steve McQueen was 5'10.5. I'm 5'7 and my shoe size and hand size were identical. Doesnt add up. The papillon prison wear in Hawaii suggests Steve was a very small guy. People have confused me for being 5'9.
justagirl said on 10/Jan/09
met Mr McQueen on the street in CA about 1966 or 67. He had a terrific sense of humor, I didn't measure him, but he wasn't much taller then I was at 5 feet, so I think those saying he was about 5'7" would be more correct then the taller remarks.
RisingForce said on 27/Dec/08
5-7, yeah right. McQueen was not 5-7. If he was 5-7 then Paul Newman was 5-6 and that's BS.
Nugget said on 23/Dec/08
i just found this info on his height..

"McQueen's height is disputed. He was officially listed as 5'10", but some people, including film critic Barry Norman, have said McQueen's height was in fact only 5'7"."

how do you know he wasnt standin on a phone book in that pic below haha
Antoine said on 22/Dec/08
5'11 mark? I highly doubt that! So thats why he is taller than Paul Newman Right? Not so brother!!!
RisingForce said on 7/Dec/08
Antoine that line at the top of his head is 5-11.
Click Here

I circled the 6ft mark and then 1 line below it is exactly where McQueen's head is, not counting his hair. 5'11" afternoon height minus 1" prison shoes is 5'10".

When McQueen woke up he was probably 5'10.5" as he claimed so he wasn't lying.
Guillermo said on 7/Dec/08
Regarding military records: The army said I was 5'8" but I'm only 5'7 1/2"
Antoine said on 4/Dec/08
Rising force...the line above his head is the 5'10 marker and he is below it! He isn't in prison shoes...he is in cowboy boots. Steve McQueen is no taller than 5'8. Read his biographies...he was infamously known for wearing lifts, and his military records state he was 5'8 and his death certificate stated he was 5'7 when he died. Military records do not lie!
E W Lawrence said on 14/Nov/08
Kevin's 27/Mar/08 answer to Steve McQueen's height is correct. I met him while I was working in a Magic Chef hamburger stand while he was in Austin filming the Getaway. I'm 5'8" and he was definitely shorter than me. He ordered an onion burger with lots of onions and nothing else. Just a bun with a ton of onions. He had two body guards with him that night.
RisingForce said on 29/Oct/08
This should settle this.
Click Here

Nearly 5'11" in standard 1" prison shoes(probably at night). So just under 5'10" at night and 5'10.5" when he wakes up.

So the 5'10.5" figure was correct.
RisingForce said on 26/Oct/08
In that mugshot he's just about 5'11" but he's obviously wearing shoes. So probably he was 5'10" evening and 5'10.5" in the morning.
steve said on 15/Oct/08
there is a book on steve macqueen writen by people who knew him and in one part it says he hated his height he was only 5 feet 7 inch
adam said on 11/Oct/08
5-10 seems to be correct.
Antoine said on 7/Oct/08
Ok So in the mugshot he is 5'9!? i'm sure he isnt barefoot either. Cowboy boots? 1.5 inches right there!
kramer said on 3/Jul/08
Click Here

I'm guessing the borad line he is in front of is 5ft 9" mark
Lego said on 28/Jun/08
Mcqueen wasn't really a proper 5'10 - 178cm man (perhaps in the morning) let alone 5'10.5, his height imo was 5'9.5 to 5'9.75 and stayed so till the end, didnt seem that he lost any height at all, was an excellent timeless actor. :)
Antoine said on 16/Jun/08
Hello again! I was an a Steve McQueen charity car this past weekend
(Sat 6.16.2008) at the Boys Republic in Chino Hills California. Chad McQueen was present sighing autographs and talking to the fans...nice guy. I have met him before numerous times at the race track. Chad McQueen is not a tall fellow! I'm 5'7 and standing next to him we were identical in height! His mother is pretty short...5'1 if I remember correctly. There are those whow would like to believe that Steve McQueen was as tall as 5'10! The evidence does not support this claim! They had the one of the Bullit mustangs uzsed in the movie Bullit there on diplay. I stood next to it and I seem to tower over it...that was for the gentleman that suggests that standing next to the mustang made him look a decent 5'0. Not so! People have mistaken me for being 5'9. Not so! Public perception is everything! Facts are irrefutable! Military records are accurate!
John said on 31/May/08
his wife said he was 5 10 and a half inches
glenn said on 31/May/08
duvall is 5-10.i see him often.in dress shoes too.5-9 with bad posture.
Ed said on 29/May/08
We all think of Steve McQueen as being larger than life... actually he is about 5.9 or so. For example, was watching Bullit last night and the scene where he and Robert Duvall are together, they are exactly the same height face to face...if not Duvall a cm or two taller by a hair. You can see Duvall walking and his footwear appears normal, and Steve walks up to meet him in that turtlneck and coat gear that he was wearing just before the chase. Anyway he and Duvall were about the same height.
Antoine said on 7/May/08
I just came back from Hawaii and saw a Papillon exhibit...they had the jail outfit that Mcqueen used in the movie and it was tiny!!! I'm 5'7 and it almost looked too small for me!
glenn said on 27/Apr/08
frank2 knew him.i believe him.5-10.5 for steve.
glenn said on 27/Apr/08
kevin-maybe.but tupac was the reverse.6ft.when he is 5-9.
ed said on 27/Apr/08
after seeing all of his films and countless photos...Steve looks like a 5.9 guy
Kevin said on 27/Mar/08
I had an uncle who died and he was 5'10" and I was shocked when his death certificate listed him at 5
Sid said on 18/Mar/08
How tall is son chad? he looks 5-10 can pull off 5-11 in some movies, but in one of my favourite films FIREPOWER with GARY DANIELS who is billed at 6'0" and 5'11" in places had about 3-3.5inches on him.
glenn said on 7/Feb/08
tupac who was around 5-9, was measured at 6ft on the table.the opposite effect.
Mark said on 6/Feb/08
Hard to believe a 3" loss in height from illness with the 5'7" death certificate. Unless the body and muscles contract. But you would think a body properly measured lying down might even yield a slightly taller height due to lack of gravity effects (similar to morning height).

In the movie Bullitt compare him when he is next to and inside his Mustang in which he seems an average/tall (solid 5'9"-10") man. A height of 5'7" or less would give a more stumpy appearance next to his car and things. Also as someone mentioned, he did look a bit taller then 5'9" Robert Vaughn.
Lmeister said on 6/Feb/08
Like Another Mac said he probably lost a great deal of height, cause his severe illness.
glenn said on 5/Feb/08
i agree.why the autopsy at 5-7? shrunk with illness?
dmeyer said on 4/Feb/08
i am watching bullit and i think he has the built of a 5'10 guy ,rob is right
Antoine said on 22/Jan/08
There is a photo by Drooperdoo all the way at the bottom of this page...Sydney Poitier, Babs, Paule Newman, and none other than Steve Mcqueen! Sydney Poitier is listed to be 6'1...it seems to me that he is towering over Mcqueen and Newman! More than 4 inches by the looks of things...McQueen definitely in boots! 1.5" right there! Newman who knows! There are official documents and records out there that state McQueen was 5'7-5'8! Military and death certificates! His Bios state that McQueen was as egotistical and insecure as they came...especially when it came to other leading men! McQueen was not a tall individual! Im a 5'7 guy! I race cars and am pretty aware of things...I have spoken to his son Chad on a few occasions at the track! Also the Hollywood Chinese Theatre there are many celebrities hand/foot prints in cement...I went down and put my hand into mcqueens hand and it was bigger than and same with my feet! I wear a 9.5 medium and my hands arent big!!! My point! He was a small guy in stature and frame but not in presence! A guy 5'10 with small hands and small feet...there are alot of things not adding up here!
clint said on 3/Nov/07
In papillon mcqueen was in barefeet in some scenes and he still towered dustin hoffman a good 5 inches so he was never below five foot nine in height. He was alittle bit taller than his 5ft 8 wife ali macgraw in the getaway.
Lmeister said on 2/Nov/07
Like "Another Mac" said he could have lost 2-3 inches due to his cancer. He does look 5ft10ish in his movies. He had a really bad posture which made him look shorter.
al said on 30/Oct/07
Mcqueens height was given a few inches taller than 5ft 7 richard bright in the getaway which it said in his biography.
B28 said on 28/Oct/07
His usual publicised height of 5'9" was probably correct. At least 5'8" and no less though.
al said on 20/Oct/07
No way in the world was mcqueen 5ft 7 which on one page someone said that was his height through his career. Even in his last two films he looked 5ft 9-10.
marlon said on 20/Oct/07
He never looked under 5ft 9 or above 5ft 10 so I say smack inbetween 5ft 9 .5 inches. Whe he was fighting cancer at the end of his career he could have lost a touch of height mind which i ve heard from some reports.
Viper said on 4/Oct/07
Then Frank 2 is still wrong about his height.
Another Mac said on 2/Oct/07
I knew Steve McQueen from 1964 until his death in 1980. He stood about five nine and a half (in his barefeet) until he started to deteriorate from cancer.
Anonymous said on 15/Sep/07
Theres one person saying on this site that steve was in the marines before becoming an actor. Where did he get that dull claim from.
glenn said on 7/Sep/07
true marlon.
marlon said on 6/Sep/07
He could have been taller than 5ft 7 because the illness trouble he had at the end of his career could have made him dip a few iches.
glenn said on 4/Sep/07
antoine is right about the 5-7 certificate.anonymous was me.
anony said on 3/Sep/07
IF his death certificate says 5'7" then he was 5'7".
If there are people who were in the military with him and can corroborate this, then that's the truth. If you met him in public or watched him on screen, he could be wearing lifts or standing on something. Just proves that if you have "it" as a movie star, it doesn't matter how tall you are.
Cagney was 5'6".
Anonymous said on 27/Jul/07
he is a mystery.i read 5-7 too.but he did look 5-10 at times
in the flatest of shoes,ankles in place.in the blob he looked 5-9 to me.
Lmeister said on 26/Jul/07
The problem with these records is that it is illegal to put them to ones website or distribute them. So there is no way to prove his real height unless Rob pays the access to his military records.
Antoine said on 25/Jul/07
There are very credible sources out there that say Steve MCqueen was as tall as 5'10! There are a couple of bios of him that claim he was as short as 5'6! Military records do not lie! I should know, I was in the military! His death certificate stated he was 5'7! Now is there any more proof needed than that? He wasn't tall!!! I'm sure the general population would liek to believe he is tall but sorry that just wasnt the case! He is known to have worn lifts in movies! Hmmm...there are at least 2 inches right there depending on the lift! Plus jsut about all actors lie about their height! This we all know! 5'10 when they really are 5'9! He was no taller than 5'8! There are irefutable records to show this! Being tall are part of the public perception. Who would have thought that Tom Cruise was 5'7! Hell he has even stated he was 5'9...Steve Mcqueen was not tall!
kiefer said on 11/Jul/07
I think he was a good 5foot 10 because in the sand pebbles he looked nearly as tall as 6ft 1 richard crenna. He has never looked short in movies but he wernt taller than that.
Brian said on 8/Jun/07
Once more again, McQueen-at least to me, looks taller with MORE weight on him for some reason; the exact opposite of the 'leaner-looks-taller theory', which I usually agree with. I too am 5'10"(235 lbs.-big gut), yet when I talk to taller people than myself-say 6'2"-who are much thinner,they really seem to look only 6'0".
Brian said on 8/Jun/07
I want to add to my Apr.13th post: The photo of him with Newman, Steisand, and Poitier really does suggest to me he was 5'10". Also, after seeing McQueen in Papillon next to Hoffman a bunch of times (and isn't he barefoot anyway in most of that movie?)I'm convinced SM was 70 inches.
Editor Rob said on 16/May/07
Barbara McQueen: "In walks this grizzly, gruff man and the first thing he said was, ‘My, you’re tall.’ I’m 5ft 10in and we looked eye to eye"
Joe said on 16/Apr/07
Military records are extremely accurate, and taken without shoes (as well as without everything else on except underwear!). They don't let people slouch. The mug shot confirms his MR as the bold line in the back of his head is the 69-inch mark.
Brian said on 13/Apr/07
In a few photographs where Steve has more weight on him, I think he does look 5-10 or a little extra.
MHouillon said on 12/Mar/07
From what i've seen, Robert Vaughn is the classic 5'9 (175cm), Steve McQueen was about 5'9.5 (177cm).
brando said on 28/Feb/07
In bullitt mcqueen looked a touch taller than robert vaughn.
I would say he s about 5ft 10 inches tall.
Glenn said on 30/Jan/07
When there are too many rumors,sometimes there is truth in them.maybe not in this case.I respect your estimates and they could be right.but being as I met them repeatedly over a 17 year period,all you mention I give 5-10.except for Kennedy,who I obviously never met.I heard absurd claims of 5-4 for him! serious.by dumb potheads that actually saw him in the flesh.there goes a classic example of Stallone syndrome.the autopsy claim was 5-7,not 5-6,for the great Mcqueen.
Glenn said on 29/Jan/07
Robert Kennedy? wasnt he short?
Glenn said on 29/Jan/07
well the reason I thought it might be true,and I still think its a possibility,is cause Ive heard rumors of his bi-sexuality and promiscuous ways for years.you make a good point about deceased actors not being able to defend themselves.I thought others handeled that.yeah Clint shrunk.I witnessed him at 6-4, 14 years ago.
Glenn said on 29/Jan/07
Greg,Im a fan too.but a popular book said he died of AIDS.and was never sued.I never said I believe everything I read.but you never know.I think he was 5-9.
Antoine said on 26/Jan/07
Steve McQueen 5'10...Absolutely not! He was no taller than 5'8 and even thats pushing it!!!
DonD said on 21/Jan/07
A friend of mine was in the Marines with him and says he was his height, 5'8".
talker said on 5/Nov/06
The trick is to see stars in their early movies when they were not stars yet and nobody cared to make them look taller.After they are stars,i wont believe anything i see.
I too have read that Steve was short,which means not 5'10"probably 5'7" like
Glenn says.Bronson was 5'7",i know that,and they made those two big movies with Steve,i'll check it out.Both these stars were made to look much taller.
Brad said on 20/Oct/06
I met Ali McGraw way back around '71. She was my height 5' 9". I'd put him at 5' 9".
Glenn said on 4/Sep/06
Frank was defiant about alot.

Editor Rob
there's a military record, anybody know which book this is mentioned in?
Viper652 said on 4/Sep/06
Interesting. Frank was pretty defiant on him being 5-10 though.
Lmeister said on 4/Sep/06
He was 5'8'' according to his military records.
Glenn said on 4/Sep/06
See.another at 5-7.
sean said on 31/Aug/06
He's 5'9 or 6'0. Why? In his mugshot by tsg: Mugshots/mcqueenmug1.html" target="_blank">Click Here

You'll see that his head (adjusted for perspective) is right around one of the bold hash marks, in increments of 3-inches. Unfortunately, we don't have the numbers in the photo frame.

So he's either 5'9 or 6'0 - I'm betting 5'9, since 6-foot looks pretty tall on screen, and accounts of him being closer to 5'9.

Viper652 said on 7/Jul/06
I think this listing is correct. He looked between 5-9 and 5-11 in his movies at least.
Drooperdoo said on 6/Jul/06
Wow! You guys may have stumbled on the very first time in Hollywood history when publicists lied to make a star shorter. You see: McQueen's official height is 5'9''. Yet all his advocates in here are claiming he was 5'10'', 5'11'', etc. Bw-ha-ha-ha-ha
Glenn said on 6/Jul/06
So John,how did the 5-7 rumors start? he did look 5-9 at times,and at other times over 5-10.there are some weird photos out there were he does look really short.a mystery to me.
John Quade said on 5/Jul/06
Just for the record, I did "Papillon" with Steve McQueen and I also know Bud Ekins and am currently working on a project about Bud. I am 5'10.5 and McQueen was just a bit taller than I am and Bud is about the same height as I. As to whatBud says about Steve, I have ore than 90 minutes of video interviews of Bud Ekins on DVD and with all due respect to great stuntman, co-ordinator, etc., Bud does not always give the same answers to the same question. it's part of his character and always has been.
Frank2 said on 13/Jun/06
Except that he was 178.
MHouillon said on 13/Jun/06
I think, that a 176-177 fits Mr. McQueen just right.
Frank2 said on 3/Jun/06
Arthur Kennedy was about 5'10". Fine actor. Very underrated. He could take on just about any role and do it so as it was hard to tell he was acting.
Larry said on 3/Jun/06
HOLY MOLEY!!! That's a pretty scary face on Robert Evans! He PAID someone to DO this too him?! YIKES! Think I'll just keep my regular ole, big-nosed Scots mug and my well-earned wrinkles. McQueen was about 1/2 foot taller than Edward G. Robinson in THE CINCINATTI KID. He's the SAME height as Arthur Kennedy in NEVADA SMITH. He was in a LOT of action movies & did many stunts himself; can't SEE that being done in lifts or high heels.
Larry said on 2/Jun/06
Just rented THE CINNCINATTI KID (uh, sp) and Steve was about 2" less than Karl Malden. Malden was always listed as 6'0.5" and looked it. I watched THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN a couple of weeks ago and McQueen is no more than 3 inches shorter than James Coburn. I can't think of a movie he looked less than 5'9.5" in or more than about 5'10.5". His height was consistent, which is usually a good sign of no "tricks". :-)
Virgil said on 1/Jun/06
I am all for having Steve McQueen at 5'10" I am just letting you know that his friend (Bud) is stating that he was 5" taller than Steve. I have copied the transcript below and the URL is as follows. Click Here

Bud: McQueen wanted me to double for him. For that Great Escape jump, they just bleached my hair and cut it like his. I was a good five inches taller than Steve, but when you're wearing the same clothes and you have the same kind of build and hair style, it works.

Glenn said on 31/May/06
Steve is a tricky one.I believe Frank on this one 90%.however,I do see those same crazy pics Harvey saw.but I see him looking 5-11 in Bullit.
Virgil said on 29/May/06
I read an interview with Bud Ekins discussing the Great Escape and he states that he was at least 5" to 6" taller than Steve. If Bud is 5'11" what height did that make Steve? If you wish I will find the website and you can read it for yourself.
Frank2 said on 23/Apr/06
McQueen was at least five inches taller than 5'5" Dustin Hoffman: Click Here

And here: Click Here

Bud Ekins is my height or 5'11". Here he is with Steve: Click Here

Steve was an inch taller than 5'9" Robert Vaughn in Bullet: Click Here
Watch the movie and you'll see this to be the case as well as notice that Steve isn't wearing height-enhancing footware.

Frank2 said on 23/Apr/06
I was around Steve on several occasions and not once was he 5'7". Come on. Get a life!
Frank2 said on 22/Apr/06
If Barry was correct, then I'm only 5'8". Better go back an measure myself. That means Elvis was only 5'8.5"! Tiger isn't going to like it!

The first time I met McQueen he was slumped over and looked 5'7". Then he stood up erect and I was totally surprised since he was only slightly shorter than me.
Perhaps when Norman met him, McQueen was not standing erect.

At a party I attended back in the 1960's where I saw and met a lot of stars, Danny Kaye walked by me with his wife and he looked about 5'8". Then when he got to the bar and stood up and was my height! At that same party, Kirk Douglas was always standing as erect as possible and even with his huge lifts he was still shorter than me. Douglas claimed he was 5'11" which is nonsense. More like 5'8".
Frank2 said on 21/Apr/06
Attenborough is quite short, about 5'6". McQueen was a good four inches taller so he didn't need to stand on a box.
Mikex said on 17/Apr/06
I always thought he looked short on screen under 5'10'', unlike most Hollywood stars even small men who always look gigantic on film. But I think he had quite a large head for his size and that may have made him look smaller.
Frank2 said on 12/Apr/06
Steve with 5'6" Richard Attenborough: Click Here
Frank2 said on 11/Apr/06
5'10" Bob Hope with 5'10" Steve McQueen: Click Here
Explain that one!
Frank2 said on 3/Apr/06
And compare how tall Bob Wagner is next to Natelie and then look at the shot of her with McQueen: Click Here
That's diminutive guy on the left is famed playwrite Tennessee Williams.

Drooperdoo said on 1/Apr/06
I'm curious about the magazine interview where McQueen allegedly claimed to be 5'10''. I just watched a documentary on the famous McQueen-Newman rivalry, and they said that both men claimed to be 5'9''. (A photo they produced, however, showed McQueen looking a little shorter than Newman.) My point: If McQueen's publicists are giving out 5'9'', in what magazine interview did he allegedly claim 5'10''?
Frank2 said on 27/Mar/06
Say what you will. I met him, even knew him and no way was he just 5'9".
Anonymous said on 27/Mar/06
In Bullit, the bald villian was 5'10" and taller than him. I say he's only 5'9"
Frank2 said on 21/Mar/06
And he left his wife for another woman. If you're talking about Neile I can understand her anger. What's the old saying? "Hell hath no furry like a woman scorned." And look pal, I knew McQueen well-enough that he recognized me the last time I saw him and spoke with him which was when he was dining with his then wife Ali MacGraw at the old Cirano restaurant on the Sunset Strip. At the time he was selling his tricked out Mini Cooper and we talked about it. He wanted $5,000 for it which I thought at the time was absolutely ridiculous. If I only had bought that car! He would race it up on Mulholland Drive which is where I first met him. Also there was James Garner. Of course I didn't discuss lifts with him. Good God! Have you no common sense? I based my observations on a lot of criteria, Steve's attitude being one of them. You need to stop acting like a petulant child. Try to purge yourself of your excessive anger. Trust me, you'll live longer.
Drooperdoo said on 21/Mar/06
Frank, those comments and the quote come directly from McQueen's wife. I watched her mouth the words on a documentary of McQueen on "Biography". It's sad, watching you pretend to have known the man better than his wife. McQueen was insecure as hell--and his own wife admits it openly. You need to stop acting like you knew the man intimately, and discussed shoe-lifts with him. You didn't.
Frank2 said on 20/Mar/06
What's really funny is hearing from someone who didn't know Steve making inane comments that proves byond a shadow of a doubt that he doesn't have a clue as to what the man was all about. Just keep reading The Enquirer that we see at the checkout stands at supermarkets and at news stands. I'm sure you get most of your distorted "facts" from tabloids. I said Steve was insecure about not having been well-educated or can't you read? And both men had big-enough egos that they had to work out a special arrangement as to how their names appeared in the advertising for Towering Inferno as well as in the film's opening main title. Believe me, Newman didn't take a "I could care less" attitude when it came to his career. Neither did McQueen.
Drooperdoo said on 20/Mar/06
Steve McQueen allergic to lifts? --Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! (His own wife said that he was insecure as hell, and--with regard to Newman--he was obsessive and competitive, where his wife said, "Newman wasn't as insecure. He couldn't care less." --So Frank's distorted picture of McQueen as "secure" and Newman as wearing lifts is worth a laugh.
Frank2 said on 19/Mar/06
I never met Lon Cheney, only saw him one day at a distance. He was huge and at the time quite drunk. Peter Lorre was no more than 5'3".
Glenn said on 19/Mar/06
You did meet lon chaney,correct? thanks for the info on the others! how about Peter Lorre?
Frank2 said on 19/Mar/06
In The Blob, Steve was around some quite tall actors such as the fellow who played the Sheriff.

Unfortunately I never got to meet Bruce Lee, Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff. Most estimates of 6'1" for Lugosi in his prime seem to be true. Karloff is a mystery. He's been listed anywhere from 5'10" to 6". In all the films he did with Lugosi he was shorter by at least two if not three inches. In The Raven he wore shoes with two inch heels and looked two inches shorter than Bela. I'd say Karloff was about 5'10" when he stood up straight. He suffered from curvature of the spine which by the time he was an old man made him stoop over. I understand it was mainly brought on by many years of heavy lifting when he worked as a day laborer before he got into acting.
Glenn said on 16/Mar/06
He looked 5-9 in the Blob,but does look taller,even 5-11 in other movies.5-10 1/2 explains that.ever met Bruce lee,Bela lugosi or Karloff?
Frank2 said on 15/Mar/06
Steve wasn't bisexual. And the rumors of him being short, well, I have no idea except that there was a lot of envy back then. Steve wasn't that well-educated. I believe he was a high school dropout. And he was always somewhat embarrased about his lack of education. But no finer person ever worked in Hollywood. As he got older Steve became very religious, even spiritual. He learned to fly and bought himself an old Steerman airplane which he kept at a hanger near his home in Santa Paula, California. He also kept his cars and his bikes in the hanger and he'd sit there drinking beer and other people would walk up and say hello and Steve would offer them a beer and they'd chat with him, sometimes for hours. He was that sort of guy. I sure miss him and I really didn't get to know him that well.
Glenn said on 14/Mar/06
This book claims he was he was bi-sexual.a popular book at that.Im surprised they wernt sued.but again,please answer this one question frank 2.how did the 5-7 rumors start?
Frank2 said on 14/Mar/06
The heavy black line going through his neck is the five foot mark. Just count upward and you'll see he's about 5'11" in his shoes. And Steve didn't die from AIDS. He had lung cancer brought on by years of heavy smoking as well as being exposed to a lot of asbestos when he worked in a brake shop as a teen. Steve died in 1980. AIDS really didn't start killing off famous people in Hollywood until Rock Hudson and Liberace got the dreaded disease and died. Rock died in 1985 and Liberace died in 1987. Both men were gay and extremely promiscuous. Steve was as straight as they come.
Stiffelio said on 13/Mar/06
Frank2, I just don't get your reading of Steve's mugshot. Are you looking at the right black line for 5ft mark? To me Steve looks slightly under 5ft10in in that mugshot, whereas you would place him at under 6ft1in. No way. That said, I always believed Steve was approximately 5ft10in.
Frank2 said on 13/Mar/06
Steve never wore lifts. He hated the very idea of them. His attitude was if they don't like my height then screw 'em! On the other hand, Paul Newman started wearing them in his later films. That shot from Towering Inferno showing all the actors walking together was taken on the Fox lot. I've seen several shots taken from that series. The reason why OJ looks so huge is he was lifting up in his stride while others were going down. A person's head goes up and down when they walk and all of them were walking towards the person shooting the picture. OJ was just over 6'. In the film when Newman and McQueen are together, Steve is just as tall as Newman, but Newman is wearing cowboy boots with two inch heels. One perosn who knew Steve told me that when steve was measured it showed he was about 5'10 1/2" in his bare feet. That might be the case. I know he was slightly shorter than me and I'm a solid 5'11". The mug shot of Steve seems to prove he was at least 5'10". In Towering Inferno, Steve is the same height as Bill Holden. I met Holden when he was about to go to Hawaii to co-star in When Time Ran Out and by then he was about 5'10".
Glenn said on 13/Mar/06
So I guess steve was a no lifts guy for sure? Rob,that other email wasnt good either.maybe something on my end.but other email destinations sucseeded.

Editor Rob
hmm, they both appeared working just now, so I've no idea...I'll give you another to try
larry said on 13/Mar/06
Wow! In the group photo from The Towering Inferno, OJ looks 6'8"! :-) Isn't he really 6'2"? :-) McQueen always looked 5'10" to me. Saw him in Hell is For Heroes just today. Love that flick. 6'5" Fess Parker who comes to San Antonio every March the 6th is in that movie too and McQueen looks 5'10" or 11" beside him. James Coburn was in at least 3 movies with Steve and never seemed more than 3-4" taller than him. I think McQueen AND Paul Newman both attracted rumors they were much shorter than they looked (claimed). Not sure why that is? The one photo with Newman looks odd, like perhaps Steve is standing sort of in front? Not sure. They weren't in many movies together, so it's hard to compare, but newman always looked 5'9 - 9.5" and McQueen looked 5'10 - 10.5" to me (in movies).
Glenn said on 12/Mar/06
Frank 2- you know everyone and everything.You sure have some TALL stories and alot of us think YOU ARE immature and arrogant. For the most part,I believe your stories.so before you look bigger headed than you are,read the other comments before you attack me.at least one other person backs my claim.could steve be 5-10? Sure.but alot is hinting he is not.

Editor Rob
time-out here. Glenn, I hope you understand (about changing your comment) - I didn't want this page to descend and end up a back and forth slagging match were you both end up leaving the site!

I think Frank2 is merely trying to say that having met McQueen in person that he estimated he was an inch shorter, so a notion of Steve being 5ft 7, would to him sound outrageous.
Frank2 said on 12/Mar/06
This is a better frame blow up from Towering Inferno: Click Here
Here's a mug shot of Steve: Click Here
The solid black line at his neck level is the five foot mark. Count upward and you can see with his shoes on he's just under six feet.
Here's McQueen with 5'11" Bob Wagner in the film The War Lover: Click Here
Frank2 said on 12/Mar/06
Steve with Paul Newman: Click Here
Frank2 said on 12/Mar/06
Here's the entire cast: Click Here
Notice the cowboy boots on Newman and the flat shoes on McQueen. Also notice that Steve is just about an inch shorter than Bob Wagner.
Frank2 said on 12/Mar/06
Here's a frame from Towering Inferno: Click Here
Frank2 said on 12/Mar/06
Typing on a cellphone? That excuses what he said? Not in my book. Look, I knew Steve on a first name casual bases, saw him many times, the last being when he was at a restaurant on the Sunset Strip with Ali and he was most definitely 5'10"! If he had been a little guy I would have said so. In Towering Inferno McQueen didn't wear lifts. Newman wore cowboy boots with two inch heels. Somewhere there are shots taken on the set of the film. When I find them I'll post them. Several have Newman, Wagner, McQueen, Holden, the entire cast standing together.
Frank2 said on 11/Mar/06
Glenn, are you insane? Or is that an attempt at humor? well, if that's what you're trying to accomplish it's not appreciated, not at least by me. It's people like you who give a bad name to the word "fan."
Steve was 5'10". I knew him. Did you? Steve hardly ever stood up straight. But when he did he usually surprised those who saw him for the first time. His ex-wife Neile said he was 5'10 1/2". So did many of his close friends. AIDS? Steve died from complications caused by lung cancer brought on by a combination of smoking heavily since he was a teen and working around asbestos.

Editor Rob
to be fair, Glenn is typing on a cellphone, a nightmare of a thing to use, especially on this site.

There was one other guy, a bloke who done those recent McQueen commercials who said "Just for the records, maybe... I'm 5ft 7.5, McQueen was 5ft 6.5".

Maybe this 5ft 7 figure has been mentioned a bit in the past and some people picked up on it...without watching towering inferno!
Glenn said on 11/Mar/06
Steve Was 5-7! Newman Is 5-9.steves Autopsy Had Him At 5-7,and Possibly Died Of AIDS!
bill said on 10/Mar/06
Joanna Lumley lost out in a role in Grand Prix because she was too tall, and I always thought that Paul Newman is 5-7
Frank2 said on 26/Feb/06
I knew Steve and he was exactly five feet ten inches in his stocking feet. Next time you watch The Towering Inferno notice that Steve is about an inch taller than Paul Newman who was wearing boots with lifts. Steve refused to wear lifts. Although he wasn't that tall, he wasn't as short as some people say he was.
Evaristo said on 1/Feb/06
http://members.tripod.com/~stvmcqueen/interview1.html
Lmeister said on 24/Dec/05
I doubt that he was 5'9''. I think he was closer to 5'7''. Does Charles "5'10''" Bronson ring a bell. Both guys used to wear a lot of cowboy boots...
evaristo said on 4/Aug/05
In this picture Newman seems to be a bit taller than Mcqueen http://www.norcalmovies.com/TheToweringInferno/towering17.jpg
evaristo said on 5/May/05
What do you think about this mugshot? http://www. Mugshots.com/Celebrity/Steve+McQueen.htm

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