| Movie Legend. Super Star. | | | | celebrities. McQueen arrived promptly on his cycle. He |
| He was a Rebel, an Outsider, and The King of Cool, | | | | was the only star to show. I call that the act of a |
| but beneath the bad boy image lay a heart of gold, | | | | good man".When Nicaragua was devastated by a |
| as Steve McQueen supported needy children all over | | | | massive earthquake in the early 1970's he bought |
| the world.While in Taiwan in 1966 filming The Sand | | | | $50,000 worth of food and medical supplies and had |
| Pebbles, Steve and his first wife Neile came across | | | | it flown in to the victims.While filming The Hunter in |
| an orphanage for young girls (most of whom were | | | | 1979, Steve was so struck by the poverty in some |
| prostitutes). It was run by a catholic priest called | | | | of the areas they were filming in that he asked close |
| Edward Wojniak. Steve donated $12,500 then and | | | | friend Pat Johnson to go down to the local catholic |
| there, and continued to support the mission until | | | | church and ask the priest what he (McQueen) could |
| Wojniak died in the late 1970's.Over the years Steve | | | | do to help. The priest made a list, and Steve pulled |
| constantly visited the boys home (Boys Republic) | | | | out a check book and paid for it all. According to |
| which he himself had spent time in while growing up. | | | | Johnson it was a large amount of money. Steve also |
| Each year in the holiday seasons (when their spirits | | | | gave his stuntman and friend Lauren Janes some |
| could be lowest because they had no family to visit | | | | money, and sent him out to buy 100 baseballs, mitts |
| them) he appeared with Christmas toys, Easter | | | | and bats, and 100 footballs, and had him put them in |
| baskets and Thanksgiving turkeys. So these boys | | | | a local field for all the kids to find. According to Janes, |
| without a family of their own got to see a real movie | | | | he did that many times, in many different |
| star each Christmas and on other festive occasions. | | | | areas.Steve would eat with and talk to all the cast |
| It wasn't just a quick publicity walkthrough either. | | | | and crew on his films, and while talking to one of the |
| Steve would actually just sit with them and talk for | | | | extras on The Hunter (a young 15 year old girl |
| long periods of time. On one occasion, when he heard | | | | named Karen) he discovered that her mother was in |
| that two teenage boys had been sent to an adult | | | | hospital and dying of alcoholic poisoning. Steve went |
| prison, he offered to pay for them to be sent to a | | | | to the hospital with her to meet her mother (who |
| less severe BOYS institution. Over the years Steve | | | | was a big fan). "What can I do to help"?, he asked. |
| donated large amounts of money to Boys | | | | "All my life I wanted my daughter to go to school. I |
| Republic.He said, "Somewhere, right now, there are | | | | could die a happy woman knowing my daughter had |
| kids going through what I went through. Maybe if | | | | a way out of this slum", was her reply. Steve and his |
| they know I survived, they can find hope. I can't | | | | third wife Barbara took 15 year old Karen in, |
| promise they'll ever forget what happened to them. | | | | eventually enrolling her in a private boarding school |
| But if they hold out, they'll get through okay and | | | | close to where they lived, so that she could come |
| learn to live with the bad memories...and still learn to | | | | and spend weekends with them. That young girl |
| love."During the filming of Le Mans in 1970, Steve | | | | went from the ghetto to studying to become a |
| made a brief stopover in London, where he toured | | | | veterinarian. She still remembers the McQueen's with |
| the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, | | | | a great deal of love.Almost all of these things he did |
| moving from bed to bed, talking with each child. At | | | | anonymously, and they were only made public after |
| this time he also arranged an auction of one of his | | | | his death. |
| antique guns, with all the proceeds going to the | | | | Sources McQueen by William F Nolan, |
| French Childrens Fund for orphans.Los Angeles Times | | | | Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel by |
| columnist Joyce Haber wrote an article on Steve in | | | | Marshall Terrill, |
| 1971, in which she reported: | | | | McQueen: The Untold Story of a Bad Boy in |
| "A few seasons ago the owners of Four Oakes, a | | | | Hollywood by Penina Spiegel and |
| local restaurant, invited fifty black orphans for a free | | | | My Husband, My Friend by Neile McQueen Toffel. |
| Thanksgiving Day dinner. They also invited several | | | | |