I don't think there is one particular role played by Steve McQueen which embodied all of his work, or his total persona. Enigmatic has been used to describe him. I beg to differ. Papillon became Steve McQueen, as did Bullitt, as did The Great Escape, as did Thomas Crown, as did the Magnificent Seven. It was always he who devoured the screen. Like any great portraitist, there was no escaping his own likeness in all of his portrayals. His art mirrored his life. Fast, minimal. Who wouldn't have wanted to have been McQueen for a day?
The wound-up time bomb of a perfect balance between tension and cool. Unassuming. The benevolent devil if you will.
The Demon of Speed.
48x40, Coast Gallery, Laguna Beach California