For 28 years, legendary movie star Steve McQueen had a list of awards and nominations millions could only dream of presenting.
By 1961, thanks to “The Magnificent Seven,” he walked around with the movie star title. However, “Seven Samurai” helped turn the actor into a well-known action hero. But a successful career in movies didn’t stop McQueen from acting on television.
The Western television series, “Wanted: Dead or Alive” made McQueen known as the first television star to cross over to the big screen. The series ran on CBS for three seasons between 1958 to 1961. The black-and-white television series was also a spin-off of an episode of another Western series called “Trackdown.”
In “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” McQueen played bounty hunter Josh Randall. The show also premiered during the same week of “The Blob,” another movie McQueen starred in.
By the time the Western series made it to its finale, some argued that McQueen was too big for the small screen. During these times, television series were seen as step-downs in fame from movies. Because of this, McQueen’s final television role was “Barney’s Bounty.”
Steve McQueen Praised Wright King as the Perfect Addition to ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’
As Steve McQueen’s acting career continued to grow, he became known as the “King of Cool.” These days, the late actor is known for his portrayal of Josh Randall in “Wanted: Dead or Alive.”
Though he was the star of the show, he had nothing but praise for his co-star Wright King. He even called King the perfect addition to the show.
The actor might’ve been the “King of Cool,” but that didn’t stop him from acknowledging other talented stars. In an interview with The Daily Capital News in 1960, the “The Blob” actor discussed King, saying his talent brought the character he portrayed to life.
“Wright King brings to our series an unusual ability to portray in full dimension a young man seeking to find the delicate balance between financial satisfaction, the reaping of a bounty, and the upholding of law and order by bringing criminals to justice.”
Steve McQueen and His ‘Magnificent Seven’ Co-Stars’ Rocky Relationships
Although Steve McQueen’s acting career continued taking off in the 1960s, he wasn’t popular with everyone.
As a matter of fact, his relationship with his “Magnificent Seven” co-star Yul Brynner got pretty bad. The conflict wielded from Brynner’s odd working conditions to his perspective on being the best bald person. Apparently, McQueen refused to honor Brynner’s conditions.
According to an article on Express, things got pretty bad between McQueen and his co-stars.
“We didn’t get along,” McQueen once admitted. “Brynner came up to me in front of a lot of people and grabbed me by the shoulder. He was mad about something. He doesn’t ride well and knows nothing about guns, so maybe he thought I represented a threat. I was in my element. He wasn’t. When you work in a scene with Yul, you’re supposed to stand perfectly still, 10 feet away. Well, I don’t work that way.”
Steve McQueen and his “Magnificent Seven” co-stars might not have had good relationships, but it never stopped him from furthering his acting career.
