Claim: Steve McQueen was in a film.

Bullitt is a 1968 American drama -- thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni . It stars Steve McQueen , Robert Vaughn , and Jacqueline Bisset . The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner was based on the 1963 novel , Mute Witness , by Robert L. Fish , writing under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike . Lalo Schifrin wrote the original jazz-inspired score , arranged for brass and percussion . Robert Duvall has a small part as a cab driver who provides information to McQueen .   The film was made by McQueen 's Solar Productions company , with his then-partner Robert E. Relyea as executive producer . Released by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts on October 17 , 1968 , the film was a critical and box-office smash , later winning the Academy Award for Best Film Editing -LRB- Frank P. Keller -RRB- and receiving a nomination for Best Sound . Writers Trustman and Kleiner won a 1969 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay . Bullitt is also notable for its car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco , regarded as one of the most influential in movie history .   In 2007 , Bullitt was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress , as `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' .