Ultimate Behind-the-Scene Look At Steve McQueen, King Of Cool

Was Steve McQueen a Playboy?

Steve McQueen may have been the “King of Cool,” but it’s unlikely his wives saw him that way after their tumultuous relationships came to a screeching end. He was a chronic cheater, with a list of lovers that reportedly included Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, James Dean, and Paul Newman. But, that wasn’t all. The list goes on, with Ava Gardner, Mae West, Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, and Bette Davis. He bragged, saying that he’d slept with all of his leading ladies, which appeared to be mostly true.

Biographer Darwin Porter called him a “sad, lonely man.” Director Henry Hathaway said: “He hated women. He used them for relief and discarded them quickly.”