10 Things You Didn't Know About Steve McQueen

5. He Was Mistakenly Thought To Be Extremely Cheap

Despite being the highest paid actor in the world following 1974's The Towering Inferno, McQueen had a reputation for being notoriously tight-fisted. To the confusion of many, he would often demand large amounts of free items before agreeing to take part in any movies. He would request the likes of electric razors and pairs of jeans in bulk, leading many to believe he was simply a cheapskate. In fact, it was later discovered that he would donate these items to the Boy's Republic Reformatory School, an institution that he had spent a number of years at himself during his troubled younger years. Later, after becoming a famous movie star, McQueen would make frequent visits to the school to talk with the boys, share experiences, and play pool. Following the release of Bullitt, in which he starred as an anti-hero police detective, he was amused by the fact that so many youngsters considered him to be the coolest celebrity of the time, despite the fact that he was approaching forty years of age.