subject: Steve McQueen Autographs [print this page] Steve McQueen autographs are hot! Despite the passage of years since his early demise in 1980, Steve McQueen autographs have remained a Hollywood favorite. McQueens image of a brazen young man searching for meaning in life mirrors those of other icons including James Dean and Marlon Brando. McQueen came from inauspicious surroundings. He was born in small town in Indiana and lived with his maternal grandparents after being abandoned by his father and his alcoholic mother. McQueen attended a reform school known as California Junior Boys Republic in Chino Hills, California. McQueen maintained a relationship with the school for the rest his life, and autographed letters he sent to students of the school occasionally surface on the autograph marketplace. His letters to students of the school almost always have statements of support and encouragement. McQueens career took a turn for the better when he took acting classes at Sanford Meisners Neighborhood Playhouse. His first onstage role came in 1954 when he starred opposite Margaret OBrien in Peg O My Heart. McQueens signature on the playbill have appeared on the autograph market and are among the earliest McQueen autographs known to be available to collectors. The year 1956 was a momentous one in the life of Steve McQueen; he married actress Neile Adams, the first of his three marriages, and had a small uncredited role in Somebody Up There Likes Me. Neile Adams and her agent Hille Elkins helped McQueen obtain a starring role in the 1958 cult classic The Blob, and ignited McQueens television career as Josh Randall the bounty hunter in the CBS series Wanted: Dead of Alive. McQueen signed publicity photos from the television series for his growing list of admirers. From 1959 on, McQueen had memorable roles in classic films such as The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Papillion, The Towering Inferno, and The Thomas Crown Affair. McQueens most memorable role was as a police lieutenant in Bullitt in which McQueen performed almost all of his own stunt driving. McQueens autograph became a highly desired item by a legion of fans. Steve McQueens signatures on slips of paper, the back of receipts, and vintage photographs occasionally appear on the autograph marketplace. Of importance to collectors is the great variability in the way McQueen signed his name. McQueen usually signed his first name with a loop at the bottom of the letter S. However, the size and shape of the loop varied considerably. Another variable feature was a paraph used to underline his signature; sometimes his paraph would begin after the Q in his last name, other times it would begin with the n in his last name. McQueens signature is notoriously difficult to verify unless it is on checks, contracts and other types of legal documents. McQueen remains one of the most popular Hollywood stars and his estate is ranked within the highest earnings among deceased celebrities. McQueens status as a Hollywood icon is secure and Steve McQueen autographs are as popular now as they ever were.
