Dyslexic and partially deaf due to a childhood ear infection, McQueen was also plagued by a stepfather who beat him so harshly that at age nine he left home to run with a street gang. He worked as a roughneck, a carnival barker, and a lumberjack but joined the Marines where he embraced the discipline.

McQueen studied acting under the GI Bill earning money on weekends by competing in motorcycle races at Long Island City Raceway. He landed his first film role in Somebody Up There Likes Me starring Paul Newman followed by Never Love a Stranger, The Blob, The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery, a starring role in the TV series Wanted: Dead or Alive, Never So Few, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles ( Academy Award nomination), Bullitt, The Getaway, Papillon, and The Towering Inferno.

It IS possible to find meaningful work, even later in life. It’s just a matter of how bad you want it, how much work you’re willing to put in, and how persistent you’re going to be to reach your goal. What road are you on?

I am honored to have been featured in the AMA’s MotoStars: Celebrities + Motorcycles exhibit and book with Steve.