Claim: Steve McQueen was an actor in The Great Escape.

Terence Steven `` Steve '' McQueen -LRB- March 24 , 1930 -- November 7 , 1980 -RRB- was an American actor . Called `` The King of Cool , '' his `` anti-hero '' persona developed at the height of the counterculture of the 1960s and made him a top box-office draw of the 1960s and 1970s . McQueen received an Academy Award nomination for his role in The Sand Pebbles . His other popular films include The Cincinnati Kid , The Thomas Crown Affair , Bullitt , The Getaway , and Papillon , as well as the all-star ensemble films The Magnificent Seven , The Great Escape , and The Towering Inferno . In 1974 , he became the highest-paid movie star in the world , although he did not act in films again for four years . McQueen was combative with directors and producers , but his popularity placed him in high demand and enabled him to command large salaries .