How tall was Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen's Height

5ft 9 ½ (176.5 cm)

American actor, best remembered for roles in films such as The Great Escape, The Cincinnati Kid, The Magnificent Seven, The Thomas Crown Affair, Papillon, Bullitt, The Getaway, The Towering Inferno, The Sand Pebbles and The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery. The Times newspaper quoted - from a book about his wife - Barbara saying "In walks this grizzly, gruff man and the first thing he said was, 'My, you're tall.' I'm 5ft 10in and we looked eye to eye". She also commented that Danny Kaye suggested wearing Murray space shoes to him to help with his feet/knee pain, "They looked a little odd...and also gave the mistaken impression that he wore lifts. Not true. At five feet ten and a half there was no reason to."
On His 1979 Pilot licence he had himself listed as 71 inches and Weight 181 pounds.

Steve-McQueen-1968 (cropped)
I'm no damn six-foot cowboy! All cowboys on TV have to be six feet tall. Does Fennelly know I'm only five ten?
-- McQueen (William Nolan, 1984)

How tall is Steve McQueen

How tall is Steve McQueen
McQueen reported as 5ft 6.5 and 5ft 7.5, Weighing 135, 140lbs

How tall is Steve McQueen
McQueen (age 20) measured 5ft 9.5, weighing 162.5 lbs

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Add a Comment461 comments

Average Guess (76 Votes)
5ft 9.01in (175.3cm)
Gerald S said on 7/May/23
@ Celebheights visitors

What height do you think Raf Vallone peaked at? 5'10"?

Fractionally taller than a heeled Sophia Loren, but booted 5'9.5" Steve McQueen had about two inches on Vallone (wearing flat sandals) in Nevada Smith (when Vallone was still in his forties)! Michael Caine also had several inches on Vallone in The Italian Job. Vallone looked a good 5'10" range in El Cid.

Click Here
Rich Paul said on 29/Mar/23
71 inches is 5-11, not 5-9.
Jawilder said on 29/Mar/23
One of the most bad ass dudes ever. Absolute legend.
Rich Paul said on 27/Mar/23
If you Google image ‘Steve McQueen Robert Vaughn,’ there are a couple of wide shots showing both men standing next to each other. Both appear to be the same height. But on closer inspection I noticed Vaughn’s heels on his shoes are twice as thick as McQueen’s. Perhaps adding at least half an inch to Vaughn’s 5-9. Check them out for yourself. By the way, in The Young Philadelphians, Paul Newman appears to be an inch taller than Vaughn.
John Norris said on 24/Mar/23
I was Steve’s photo-double and stand-in for The Sand Pebbles and, The Getaway. I’m close to 6’2” and looked at some photos of us side by side. I have to agree with the booking sheet when Steve was arrested in Anchorage and listed his height at 71” (I’m not sure but he was probably wearing his shoes when they filled in his sheet). 71” computes to 5’91666666” or just a hair over 5’9” sorry I can’t post a few photos of us where one can see the height differences! Happy Birthday today Steve! John
Sandy Cowell said on 17/Nov/22
That rhythmic noise Steve makes bouncing that ball against the wall in ‘The Great Escape’ is positively funny! I first saw the movie as an under-10, and whenever Steve was thrown into the cooler, we knew EXACTLY what to expect!

🏀🤣👌🏼

Five nine.
Sandy C said on 31/Jul/22
Oh dear! I thought I’d read 5ft8.5, so that’s what I gave him!

Next time I see The Great Escape, it will be my absolute pleasure to take in his height…… when he finally gets off that motorbike! 🏍👍🏼 That has to be one of the most exciting chases film has to offer.
Sandy C said on 31/Jul/22
In a scene from The Towering Inferno, Paul Newman looked a little taller than Steve, but it might have been down to camera angles.

What a star-studded film that was!

5ft8.5.
Sinclair said on 3/Jun/22
Yes Rob, a well-deserved downgrade from 5’9.75” to 5’9.5”. This icon was a bit like America’s Alain Delon, though a fraction shorter. Surprisingly, if anything, Robert Duvall had the edge on McQueen on Bullitt; neither of them came across as a proper 5’10”. McQueen also only just edged out 5’9” Robert Vaughn. 5’9.25” may even be more believable than 5’9.75” for McQueen.
viper said on 19/Feb/22
I'm sure he was still growing with the earlier measurements
Arch Stanton said on 14/Nov/21
I said years back 5'9.5 seemed right. He was once 5'10.5 on here. Odd that they'd get his height wildly wrong several times though with 5'6.5 and 5'7.5... 33 inch chest, OK he was skinny but that's tiny!
ALEXIZ/180cm said on 6/Apr/21
175 cm max
Rich Paul said on 5/Apr/21
Whatever his true height was, McQueen was perfectly proportioned for it. He only looked short next to actors who we know for certain are tall.
Rich Paul said on 24/Feb/21
McQueen was a heavy smoker so chalk up his cancer to both asbestos and cigarettes. One thing about him was he shunned smoking in movies, whereas Humphrey Bogart, a four pack a day smoker, smoked in just about every movie he appeared in. Both men died from cancer, Bogart at age 57 and McQueen at age 50. Cigarettes do kill. I lost an uncle to lung cancer as well as several good friends. All smoked like chimneys.
Rising174cm said on 24/Dec/20
The downgrade to 5'9.5" is perfect and it's interesting to know that he claimed both 5'10" and 5'11".
Hong said on 28/Oct/20
Click Here Here's Steve with 5ft7.5 listed Frank Sinatra.
Arch Stanton said on 16/Oct/20
Sinatra had a ferocious temper and could get uptight at the slightest thing, a true perfectionist. He meticulously cultivated his cool, immeasurably charismatic image, but in person I don't think at times he'd have been a cool guy to have around. Brando also could be a difficult type of person. I never quite got the appeal of Steve McQueen, he looked more like a plumber than a movie star. Dean Martin was the real deal though, that's who Sinatra wanted to be and emulated in his stage performances.
PapaThorson said on 14/Oct/20
McQueen is nicknamed The King of Cool and so is Dean Martin. I just posted a Youtube video about them asking who is the real King of Cool and I listed 9 legendary stars that might be thought of in that way. Aside from Martin and McQueen were Sinatra, James Dean, Elvis, Brando, Newman, Presley, and Sean Connery. For fun, I decided to find the mean average of the nine cool cats. That height is 5'10. So the, “You have to be 6 feet or over to attract beautiful women“ is a huge myth.
Barry Barman said on 8/Sep/20
Picture of Mcqueen standing on higher ground with 5'9" Robert Vaughn. Mcqueen looks 2" shorter than Vaughn. Click Here
Sinclair said on 22/Aug/20
I’d buy 5’9.75” for McQueen’s peak at the most. McQueen was probably just a hair taller than Paul Newman, even though Newman has the edge in Towering Inferno with his supposedly advantageous footwear. McQueen has about three inches on Richard Attenborough in The Great Escape and The Sand Pebbles. In Bullitt, McQueen and Robert Vaughn are practically eye level, however, I believe McQueen could have been taller than Vaughn.
TPSmith said on 16/Aug/20
Steve McQueen did not die from a “penchant” for booze. He died of mesothelioma. This is a “signature” tumor, caused by one thing, and only one thing: asbestos exposure. Steve was exposed to this while “in the brig” during his military service on a punishment work detail removing asbestos from a Navy ship. Anyone who purports to be a “fan” should know this....
Pierre Agamata said on 4/Aug/20
I watch his TV show "Wanted: Dead or Alive" and there are times he looked about 5'11 but I say more like 5'10". Most of his male co-stars were taller. He would of been 90 years old now...like Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, and Sean Connery.
Arch Stanton said on 10/Jun/20
Nah, 5'8 and 5'7 is clearly too low. I've seen most of his films. He looked a bit above average for his generation, 177 is a good shout. Maybe he could seem smaller at times like Bronson because of a wiry build.
Arch Stanton said on 10/Jun/20
Sandy, he has lung issues due to asbestos exposure when younger, the cancer he had related to it is really what killed him. Though his drinking and fast lifestyle would have killed him off eventually granted. Sad really as I think he was really blossoming as an actor in his final years. I never got the hype about him, but granted he had a cool style and appeared in some great films.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 24/Mar/20
Steve McQueen was born 90 years ago today. Alas, he only lived to 50 due to his penchant for alcohol.

Some quarter of a century after he died, I think he would have been tickled pink that Dr Gregory House named his pet rat after him! 🐀

5ft9.

RIP Steve XX 🕯️
Garth Felske said on 8/Mar/20
Will the real Steve McQueen pls. stand up, not the director who shamelessly took his name for political reasons,..Anyway, McQueen (the real one) was no taller than 5'8" in socks , but a perfect fit for that height, (in the late fifties he had a TV series "Wanted Dead or Alive" & didn't change a lick over the years,.. No bs with him.
ALONZO PICHARDO said on 16/Feb/20
Wrong , his autopsy says he was only 5'8" ...
Pat patune said on 24/Nov/19
5'7" tops bare foot,...Why all the wild guesses & possibility's ?
Rich Paul said on 6/Nov/19
McQueen was the same height as William Holden in The Towering Inferno. No way was he 5’7.5”.
Thaddeus Lovelock said on 28/Aug/19
The Australian, film critic, Bill Collins mentioned that Steve Mcqueen was exactly one inch taller than Bisset, and that they used camera angles to make him look taller. Now Bisset is listed in film magazine as 5.6 1/2 . So that would make steve 5.7 1/2
Click Here
Rich Paul said on 19/Aug/19
In The Towering Inferno, Paul Newman wore cowboy boots with what appeared to be two-inch heels while Steve wore regular looking shoes. I think in reality, Steve was slightly taller. In the movie they both look to be the same height. I believe Newman in his prime was 5’9’’. Steve was possibly closer to 5’10’’.
Rising174cm said on 11/May/19
No more than the 5'9.5" he supposedly measured since we have the rare opportunity of comparing a fairly young star of Steve's generation to someone Rob met in Levar Burton and Steve only looked about 2" taller. Pretty much the same height as Paul Newman in Towering Inferno too and not much taller than 5'9" Robert Vaughn.
Rich Paul said on 18/Sep/18
There’s a photo of Steve on the web showing him next to Peter Sellers. Steve is noticeably taller.
Scoobydoo said on 16/Sep/18
175 cm at most. Maybe 176cm in peak.

Good actor and nice blue eyes
Rising - 174 cm said on 6/Sep/18
@Barry: That still wouldn't make Steve 6'0" in sneakers. His head is a line(inch) below it meaning he LOOKS to be at 5'11" in sneakers, but his head is naturally closer to the camera than the chart making him look taller and his head bigger, especially since the angle is low. So even if the 6' mark was where I thought it looked, he'd still be no more than 5'10.5" in sneakers. I think the mugshot is problematic regardless, I just don't think you're considering that the mugshot will add height. I'm not changing my 5'9.5" guess, but I can see the argument for Steve around 5'9" flat as he could look Robert Vaughn's height, the same height or possibly even slightly shorter than Newman in Towering Inferno, about 2" taller than Levar Burton, shorter than a middle-aged Bob Hope, surprisingly short early in his career with Sinatra and Robert Wagner said Steve was 5'9".
Barry J Barman said on 5/Sep/18
Simple. The thicker lines are every 3 inches. So either his mugshot is at the 5'6", 5'9", or it's at the 6'mark. He was not 5'6" nor 6 feet tall in sneakers. Looking at the mugshot again, I'd say it's at 5'9.5". That would make it about the same as the average guess.
Rising - 174 cm said on 31/Aug/18
@Rob: Yeah, this is especially true with Newman as he had two Mugshots and the other one showed at least 2" shorter at a bit over 5'9"! Of course, both show Newman with a head over a foot long!
Rising - 174 cm said on 28/Aug/18
How do you know that's the 5'9" mark? You can barely make out anything on the chart. Nobody is claiming McQueen is 6' tall or even close to it. If that's the 5'9" mark then McQueen would only be about 5'7.5" IN shoes. I wouldn't give him a mm more than the 5'9.5" he's supposed to have measured, but 5'6.5"-5'7" barefoot McQueen would make Dustin Hoffman about 5'2" since both are barefoot at times in Papillon.
Editor Rob
It was always a tricky backdrop to actually determine what the marks meant...although even if the appropriate number is known, sometimes it doesn't help (i.e. Paul newman's '6ft' mugshot)
Barry J Barman said on 27/Aug/18
That's the 5'9" mark not 6". It's well documented he was not 6' tall. I read he was wearing sneakers when he was arrested and this mugshot is proof he was under 5'9" in his bare feet.
Rising - 174 cm said on 25/Aug/18
@CDS: It's difficult to make out the chart, but I thought that number to his right one line above his head was the 6 ft mark? Click Here Standing in front with a low angle will make him look taller regardless since his eye level would be 5'6" if I'm right about where the 6' mark is, but the photo is too grainy.
CDS said on 14/Aug/18
I was just looking at a mugshot for Steve, and he was right about at the 5'9" mark, presumably in shoes. Wouldn't that mean he's actually closer to the 5'8" the poster below says?
Pedro alliendes said on 23/Jun/18
Steve is between 5.8 5.85 no more.
Tony L. said on 23/Jun/18
When I was 16 I worked at 555 California Street in San Francisco (The B of A building) and they were filming the movie "The Towering Inferno" I met Steve and Ali McGraw and I stood eye to eye with him and I was 5'6" at the time.
ewald vopel said on 13/Jun/18
I just watched " The Thomas Crown Affair ". In several shots Steve was slightly shorter than Faye Dunaway who was not wearing heels and is listed at 1.70 m. go figure.
Rising - 174 cm said on 25/May/18
@Tunman: I watched the film not too long ago and I thought Newman surprisingly looked slightly taller at times as well, though Newman wore boots in the film. Both were probably close enough to 5'9.5" barefoot.
Tunman said on 23/May/18
I could swear at times Newman edged him although I'm not sure Newman hasn't wore lifts at times.
The Sand Pebbles was a great film,I felt he was over 5'9 but not really 5'10 if Crenna was 6'1.Anyways he didn't seem to tower exactly over Attenborough.5'9.5" may be very fair anyways somewhere around that mark.
Funny how the average guess is under 5'9,he just seems too tall for that
Rising - 174 cm said on 21/May/18
The options for guesses are a range of 2" shorter and 2" taller than Rob's listings. I would say that's more than fair and a good policy. McQueen was NOT 5'7", much less shorter. As mentioned, Steve is with Levar Burton in "The Hunter" and is clearly taller. Not much more than 2" taller, but certainly not the same height and you can see Burton standing next to Rob looking around the 5'7" range himself. Eli Wallach was also near 5'7" and while he may have shrunk slightly by 1980, not so much to make it plausible that McQueen would only be 5'7" standing next to him in the same film. Speaking of The Great Escape(which is a great film, btw), you can see McQueen standing next to Richard Attenborough, who was in the 5'6"-5'7" range himself and McQueen is significantly taller. There's no way Attenborough and McQueen were about the same height. McQueen was supposedly measured 5'9.5"(presumably without shoes) and also apparently measured consistently 5'10.5" to 5'11" with shoes for his passports, which corroborates 5'9.5" as a measurement without shoes. This makes McQueen pretty much average and almost undoubtedly shorter than some imagine when compared to co-stars in that film alone like James Garner and James Coburn who were both at least 6'1".
Lester said on 19/May/18
Just watched Great Escape for the Nth time. At the end, McQueen returns from the escape, in bare feet I think, and walks to the cooler. In one straight-on shot he is noticeably shorter than a half dozen other actors, the shortest in the shot. I remarked, 5'7", at most (which we can't guess at here -- what's up with that?). For someone who asked to be staged on raised areas to make up for height, it was stunning. Check it out. Regardless -- King of Kuel, Mr. Composed, made complex by all the wreckage he carried around from day one. He knew how to use the wreckage.
Rising - 174 cm said on 8/May/18
@Rob: Thanks for reminding me, I actually meant to post about that here the last time I watched the film because I saw a difference of about 2" between them, iirc, but certainly not 3". "The Hunter" was the name of the film. McQueen looked to be wearing normal sneakers. You can also compare him to Eli Wallach in the film. I think the difference might look a little smaller in the scene in McQueen's character's house because Wallach has a footwear advantage in that scene, but earlier in the film they look about how you'd expect. His measurement still looks believable to me, but his posture might make him look more 5'9" flat at times.
barjbar said on 20/Apr/18
The mug shot is proof. He's at the 5'9" mark in a pair of shoes.
Pedro alliendes said on 13/Apr/18
I see Steve at 5.8 , 5.85 max. Same size that Fred Astaire. There is a photo togather where they are at a identical height and fred is already a hold man. This photo does not deceive, both are without lift and they are very close. We know that Mr Astaire was at 5.8 or 5.85. Only one pic as this proves and attested the height of steve. 5.8 or 5.85 is average height and it does not remove anythink at physical for an actor. Steve was a wonderfull actor who broke away from the others actors and that exceeds its modest size.
Editor Rob
There was a 1980 movie McQueen did and he has some scenes with Levar Burton, I think he looked 5ft 9 range, but maybe not nearly 5ft 10...
Matty72 said on 27/Feb/18
Some of these comments are plain stupid, always the bad gets mentioned but none of his charity ever does, steve was and still is THE icon, king of cool and as for his height..if you think he was only 5'6 or 5'7 then angus lennie must only have been 5'0 in the great escape which he clearly wasnt..steve was 5'9 to 5'10 period....
Darren said on 13/Feb/18
Steve Mcqueen was definately only 5.7 " tall why they state 5.9 and over l dont know. Look at him in wanted dead or alive or any of his Lemans pictures and you can see 5.7. Who cares he's still the king of cool, only just beaten by Mario andretti at seabring. But would be cool if they stated his genuine height.same as Arnie people think he's six foot, more like 5.9 ?
M.J. Leger said on 15/Jan/18
So many Hollywood actors were MUCH shorter than they seemed. Many wore lifts in their shoes, hats, other ways to make them appear taller, including having their co-actors stand on boxes or in ditches, to make them appear the same height. There are LOTS of tricks in Hollywood, real is seldom what you see!
Rising - 174 cm said on 10/Jan/18
@Greg: I didn't say it was a great pic for comparing, but still noteworthy to see these two together. McQueen is certainly taller, but their frames don't look that different to me. McQueen was probably 5'9.5" barefoot and 5'10.5"-5'11" in footwear as he's supposed to have measured both and I'd give Norris about an inch less back then. Chuck still looks at least 5'7.5" at 77 so I can't see how he was less than 5'8", especially seeing him with Bruce Lee.
Russ said on 12/Dec/17
I've told this story before. I'll tell it again. A long time ago, I dated a girl whose mother was an "extra" in "Junior Bonner". I was a fan of Steve McQueen, and so I asked the mother some questions. She said, "He's not very tall. He's shorter than my husband". Well, I met the husband, face-to face, and he was about 5' 11" with shoes (probably 5' 10" or 5 feet 9-and-a-half barefoot). The math is pretty easy. That makes McQueen about 5'9", or maybe 5 feet 9-and--a half barefoot. Again, this was a looong time ago.
Rising - 174 cm said on 1/Sep/17
Well, I have to say, Paul Newman was at least as tall as McQueen in The Towering Inferno, arguably even slightly taller! Just watch this clip: Click Here

You can compare best around the 50 second mark when they're walking and better yet, around the 1 minute mark when they're standing. Newman did wear boots, but the heel really didn't look as big as a cowboy boot or typical Cuban heel. You can see them here: Click Here Maybe they gave Newman a 1/4" advantage or so assuming he wasn't wearing lifts. It's funny, if I were to only judge from this film and The Sting with Redford, I'd say it's McQueen and Redford who are a bit shorter than thought and Newman maybe not 5'10.5", but at least 5'9.5". The only thing that gives me pause with Newman is seeing him shrink down to 5'7" range in his 70's. But it's possible both Newman and McQueen were 5'9.5" and Newman just shrunk more than some.
Truth said on 30/Aug/17
.75in taller than Bruce Lee. He was a short ectomorph and quite insecure about his height. He always made it a point to stand on higher ground during filming. Yul Brinner even gently made fun of it during the shooting of The Magnificent 7
Rising - 174 cm said on 16/Aug/17
He apparently was 176.5 cm late enough to get measured that height, so I'd give him that midday short of any information suggesting he was measured early or in shoes. 4 inches shorter than 6'1.5" James Garner makes sense:

Click Here
Click Here
Click Here

I agree he's similar to Newman and Bronson, but slightly taller than both, imo. 5'9.5" for McQueen, 5'9.25" for Newman(possibly 5'9" flat) and 5'9" flat for Bronson.
Richardspain said on 8/Aug/17
177 cm in the morning out of the bed

175/176cm during the day

Barefoot of course. And very similar than paul newman and Bronson.
Rising - 174 cm said on 28/Jul/17
Rob, do you think Steve's 5'9.5" measurement may be the most probable barefoot guess, particularly since you've dropped Ali Macgraw from 5'8" to 5'7.5"? You've probably seen this, but it seems the measurement was probably accurate as his first wife Neile confirms him as being measured 5'10.5" and 5'11" in shoes for his passport: Click Here And as you quote above, she mentioned 5'10.5" another time, so it seems that would be a pretty typical shoe height for him, which is usually guessed as 1" above barefoot height. Perhaps then he had his cowboy boots for the final passports she mentions, or it was earlier in the day.

Btw, just a small correction: As my post implies, the quote about Steve's shoes being mistaken for lifts and him being 5'10.5" was actually Neile, not Barbara.
Rising - 174 cm said on 28/Jul/17
There were occasions he could look more 5'9" than 5'10".

5'9" Robert Vaughn looked very similar in Bullitt, as you can see in this full photo on set: Click Here Note McQueen is on higher ground

5'10" Bob Hope was taller than McQueen in this video: Click Here Not a lot taller, but then Hope may have not even been a full 5'10" himself.

Robert Wagner did say McQueen was no more than 5'9" as well. Not that I'm saying he was 5'9" flat unless he got the Elvis treatment with a measurement in boots, but 5'9.5" seems about as tall as he'd have been, imo. As it is, growing 3" after 17 is extremely unusual.
Ted said on 17/Jul/17
5' 9'' overall.
RisingForce said on 9/Jul/17
I thought Steve was 5'9.5" even before knowing he measured that height, so needless to say, I'm convinced, but photos like this one with 5'7.5" Sinatra make me able to see where some of the shorter impressions come from: Click Here I do think there's a good chance Sinatra wore lifts in that film(Never So few) and another 1959 film Some Came Running, but it's still surprising.

Then here's Steve and Yul Brynner on set of The Magnificent Seven: Click Here Here you see Steve's cowboy boots gave him a big footwear advantage: Click Here Even considering ground, it's tough to see McQueen at least 4 cm taller than Brynner barefoot as that would make him easily more than 2" taller in their respective footwear. Similarly, even considering McQueen leaning here, seeing their frames, Brynner does not look 4+ cm shorter: Click Here But then I think Brynner may have been more 174 cm peak and McQueen as measured so an inch difference.
Guest66 said on 26/Jun/17
176 cm peak IMO.
Ian C said on 7/Jun/17
I suspect McQueen was shorter than five foot nine, but he was a gifted actor. You can watch his best-acted movies (Bullitt, the Sand Pebbles)with the sound off and know exactly what emotions his character is feeling. He didn't like delivering dialogue and never did a role involving a lot of speaking, but no one could beat him for convincing acting without words.

Look for a little-known war movie he did called Hell if for Heroes, where he played a dangerous psychopath. He is absolutely bang-on. Then you can watch him in The Magnificent Seven, where he plays the most gentle and good-humoured gunsligher imaginable, and doe it well.
RisingForce said on 17/May/17
Not perfect, but cool to see a pre-lift Chuck Norris with Steve: Click Here Steve has his head down, though it looks like Chuck might be in flip flops(would NEVER see that the last 25+ years!) They do generally look pretty similar, including proportionately. With Chuck at 5'8.5", maybe 5'9" max, 5'9.5" does look about right for McQueen, though a 65 year old Charles Bronson actually seemed taller next to Norris than McQueen does.
barjbar said on 10/May/17
Mug shot is at 5'9" mark. I read he was wearing sneakers when arrested and was very friendly with the police.
RisingForce said on 5/May/17
Well, a 5'9.5" guy who slouches may not seem near 5'10"-5'11" and seem "about" 5'9", especially since the girl's mother was probably surprised McQueen was shorter than you expect, but I think that and everything else adds up with the 5'9.5" measurement. I do think think it's about time to take the extra 1/4" off, especially with the average guess just under 175 cm, but I wouldn't go below 5'9.5" either. I think it was simply an honest, accurate measurement.
Ron said on 4/May/17
I have mentioned this before and I'll mention it again. I once dated a girl whose mother was an extra in the movie "Junior Bonner". When I asked the mother about Steve McQueen, she said: "He's about your height...". (At that time, I was 5 foot, 9 inches). I responded by saying something like, "I thought he was around 5' 10" or 5' 11". She (the mother) said, "No way".
RisingForce said on 27/Apr/17
I agree he could look 5'9", which is what I think Bronson was, but Steve slouched a bit at times, while Bronson had great posture. I think standing straight, Steve was the 5'9.5" he apparently measured and 5'10.5"-5'11" in footwear as his wife said depending on the heel of the shoe or boot, which perfectly validates the 5'9.5" barefoot, although obviously, based on the average guess, you're not alone in thinking shorter, but I believe it's posture. As I posted on Paul Newman's page, Steve appeared a bit taller and Newman on the other hand, I do believe was more a flat 5'9", maybe 176 cm at most.
Richardspain said on 27/Apr/17
He seems 175cm in the movies no more. Similar height than Charles Bronson. Before his death he was in peak because still was young, he was 50 years old when he die.

Steve was 177 with footwear and a perfect 175cm.
RisingForce said on 6/Apr/17
I thought the mugshot showed him nearly 5'11" in footwear? That adds up with McQueen's 5'9.5" barefoot measurement and the 5'10.5"-5'11" his wife said he was in footwear depending on how thick it was.
JDRock said on 30/Mar/17
How can you argue with the mugshot? It was taken in 1972 when McQueen was 42 years old. He is clearly below 5'10". He stands around 5'9 1/2" tall but that is with shoes on. The shoes clearly give him at least an inch. Subtract at least an inch and he is 5' 8 1/2" tall , tops. I mean, he's standing up against a police measuring wall! No debate. Under 5'9".
RisingForce said on 23/Mar/17
There's a page about virtually every well known actor's height here! McQueen is pretty well settled. He was measured at 5'9.5", which is exactly what he looked when he stood straight. You could argue feebly the measurement COULD have been in the shoes, but that doesn't make sense since his wife said he was 5'10.5" in shoes or 5'11" with thicker shoes, which adds up perfectly with his 5'9.5" barefoot measurement. He looked slightly taller than Paul Newman who looked about 5'10" in shoes himself for his mugshot. The only thing remaining is whether the measurement was in the morning, but it was almost certainly not first thing out of bed. I think it's fair to call a guy the height they measure at if they can look it and Steve could look it: Click Here That's Steve and his 5'8" ex-wife Ali MacGraw. He doesn't look shorter than his measured height next to her and he's obviously not the 5'6"-5'7" guy some are making him out to be.
Stuart Jacks said on 22/Mar/17
Let's put it THIS way,the fact that there's a Comment board ABOUT the Height of Steve McQueen means that his Height IS in question.No other actor's height is in question. By the way,look at his wife Neil Adams standing next to him in photos,she was MAYBE 5' Flat,he does NOT by ANY means Tower over her at any 5'10".
RisingForce said on 17/Mar/17
Always knew McQueen was 5'9.5" even before knowing he measured it, especially after hearing his wife mention 5'10.5". Chances are when you hear something like that, it's usually a shoe height, unless it looks WAY off. Not a short guy by any stretch for his generation, but for a movie star, especially with loose posture, it's easy to see why McQueen's 5'9.5" could seem short with contemporaries like Eastwood around 6'4".
Alex Cheever said on 1/Mar/17
Been watching "Wanted dead or alive"all week and studying McQueen standing next to doorways and other characters doing the same,the dude is SHORT PERIOD!!!!!!!!! 5'6" at BEST.
Kevin said on 20/Feb/17
I agree with Beth,when they cast Movies and TV a 'Star" usually is set to stand out and most times the tall way is how the producers go. DON GORDON,ROBERT VAUGHN and many others,shared the screen with McQueen.
Both were some 5-5'7" tall. These 2 actors worked with McQueen many times,he appears taller or equal with both.
Beth said on 3/Feb/17
Steve McQueen is NO more than 5'7".watch him on screen and estimate him passing through a doorway,standing next to a car,horse etc. as far as casting goes,a "Star" is the criteria for the OTHER actors height. He worked with Robert Vaughn several times(a shirt actor)friend Don Gordon(another short actor)etc.
A passport and drivers license is what YOU place on the application.
have you ever heard of a passport office or Division of Motor vehicles Measuring the applicants?
barjbar said on 9/Dec/16
Unfortunately, especially when he was a young actor and at his height of fame, he was a total a..h..e. I remember reading the entire crew of "The Blob" hated him. He was extremely difficult to work with and John Sturgess, who's movies really made him world famous, never worked with him again after "The Great Escape". He was a serial womanizer, drug abuser, and he cheated on all his wives. Considering the horrible childhood he endured, his behavior is at least understandable.
James said on 1/Dec/16
He was definitely unlikeable if he really beat Ali McGraw on a daily basis.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 22/Nov/16
I wouldn't say he was unlikeable. He just wanted to live a normal life away from the spot light and be treated like a regular guy. I read his very last interview ever (w/h a high school student!) and comes off as very down to earth and has none of this egotistical nonsense that a lot these other guys from his era had. Coburn sounded Incredibly pompous


Anyway this heighr looks spot on
josh jeffords said on 12/Oct/16
He was the king of cool on and off the screen otherwise not the greatest actor.
He never looked tall and unless john wayne was 6 5 he was short off screen.
No idea why there is very uncool director on this page who ive never heard of btw.
Newman had an unfair advantage of living much longer and he was a much better actor.
If I had one guess he was 5 9 in shoes max, could appear a bit more in cowboy boots.
He is and always will be the cool yard stick in hollywood at least for grown ups.
Barjbar said on 7/Oct/16
Watch the first episode of "Wanted Dead or Alive". It has Nick Adams and Michael Landon in it, both short actors, and Mcqueen is definitely barely taller than Adams. He was unknown then and they made no effort to make him appear tall. He definitely can't be taller than 5'8".
Barjbar said on 17/Sep/16
Probably because he was the cooler king in "The Great Escape" he became known as the king of cool..
Arch Stanton said on 21/Aug/16
Overrated yeah, pretty average looking and at times seemed unlikeable, certainly not Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra level of cool. Definitely had something about him though. a mysterious sort of air.
James said on 12/Aug/16
I never understood why McQueen was ever called "The King of Cool" when there were so many cooler actors like Marvin, Mitchum, Newman etc.
heelshealheight said on 24/Jul/16
Agree with Tony. McQueen was no more than 5ft7-5ft8. As for Barbara, she's not 5ft10; she's barely 5ft7. Gotta love these preposterous height claims..
Tony said on 23/Jun/16
I met him and Ali McGraw when I worked at the Carnelian Room at the B of A Building at 555 California st in San Francisco. I was 16 years old and they were filming a movie called "The Towering Inferno" at the building and my first thought was he is short. Steve could not have been more than 5' 7" maybe 5' 8" because that's how tall I was and we were eye to eye and he seemed even shorter than me. By the way. I love Steve McQueen
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 16/May/16
About 5ft11 in shoes which might explain the passport listing...
Luigi said on 16/May/16
In The Hunter he was face to face with a young LeVar Burton: they look like almost the same height!
barjbar said on 9/May/16
I think the mug shot proves he was slightly over 5'9" in a pair of shoes. His posture looks poor even in those photos so if he stood upright, 5'10 or slightly taller in a pair of shoes which is what Neile Mcqueen stated. Bare feet 5'9" to 5'9" 1/2.
Civman said on 2/May/16
Rob if he was measured 5'9.5 why don't you list him at that?
Editor Rob
there's always a chance of small error with measuring, I think you could argue 5ft 9.5-9.75 for him
Tom said on 18/Apr/16
No way was he 5-8. Minimum, 5-9. But I think he was at least 5-9.5.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 17/Apr/16
Passport had him at 5ft11
Ron said on 16/Apr/16
He was 5'8 T 161 lbs.
James said on 13/Apr/16
McQueen was a popular star but he wasn't a great actor, as he admitted himself several times.
Jeff Frentzel said on 30/Mar/16
One of the greatest men to grace the screen...the real deal. A man's man that the ladies loved. Wish he lived longer with his talent.
Tom said on 22/Mar/16
For what it's worth, watching Soldier in the Rain I noticed Steve was the same height as Jackie Gleason who was reportedly around 5-10.
Paleman said on 25/Feb/16
Strange, for some reason I always thought he looked more like a flat 5'8-5'9", but I guess a weak 5'10" will do too...
charlie said on 26/Jan/16
Another thing everyone is saying he looks 5 foot 9 inches that means his height is 5 foot 7 barefoot. I am 5 foot 10 flat footed. when I wear shoes people think im 6 feet tall. I tell them I am 6 feet tall because that's how tall I am at the present time. What a persons height is and how tall a person looks is 2 completely different things. A persons true height is barefoot but we dont see people barefoot when we go out only at a beach we do and most of the times they wear sandals. In the great Escape he appeared to look 5 foot 8 inches and that's with shoes on. without the shoes he is 5 foot 7
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 6/Jan/16
Weak 5ft10...spot on
Arch Stanton said on 6/Jan/16
Cheers, I think spot on now. There's little chance he was measured 5'10.5 barefoot. Near enough 5 ft 10 but probably rounded up slightly.
Arch Stanton said on 4/Jan/16
In fairness though you could argue a bit over 5ft 10 for Pat Hingle, if he see him with Eastwood in some films he can look taller than 5'10 flat.
Arch Stanton said on 4/Jan/16
Pat Hingle did have the edge in Nevada Smith too I thought.
Arch Stanton said on 4/Jan/16
I do think 5'10.5 might have been a shoe measurement. So if you consider that we're looking at a possible 5'9.5 and his own claim of 5'10, in between makes sense I think and what he looked to me anyway. In some films he could look a comfortable 5 10 range in cowboy boots though.
Arch Stanton said on 4/Jan/16
@Rob, would you consider a wee downgrade to 5'9.75? I think a whisker under the mark. There's a good scene with him wearing flats in the Sand Pebbles with Candice and I think he looked that.
Editor Rob
I will do that, the 9.5 is arguable as he was measured at that, I'll mention it too.
Mat said on 2/Jan/16
I am reading "Steve McQueen" The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon by Marshall Terrill. In the book it says when he joined the marines at the age of 17 he was 5'6.5" and weighed 135 lbs. When he left 3 years later at the age of 20 he was 5'9.5" and weighed 162 lbs. Could he have grown three inches in three years? Doubtful in my opinion. In most of the books I have read he was 5'8" and that is what I believe he was. He only looked about that height in "Wanted Dead or Alive."
[Editor Rob: so the 5ft 9.5 sounds like a plausible measurement of sorts?]

Why don't you give him the 5'9.5 Rob? In the comments below you are certain he wouldn't be 5'10.5 barefoot, so that has to be a shoe measurement. If he was a legit 5'10, the 5'10.5 wouldn't sound impossible. Maybe you should adjust this.
C.I.A. said on 29/Nov/15
@Steve: "Director Steve McQueen is already far more famous"

Not really. The original Steve Mcqueen still reigns supreme. And btw....there's no way he was 5'10"...I'd say 5'9" tops. He benefited from wearing cowboy boots and lifts in many of his roles. If you look at candid home photos of him, it's clear he was shorter than advertised.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Jun/15
Mmm, I dunno, he can look between 3 and 4 inches taller than Attenborough.
He can look anything in 5'9.5-5'10 range, there's a valid case for anything in that range. At times he can really look the full 5ft 10, others looks more 5'9 range. An Alain Delon type listing might be reasonable?
Arch Stanton said on 18/Jun/15
Rob, do you think that age 20 listing might have been an actual measurement? Seems specific. Also the "At five feet ten and a half there was no reason to." could well have been his measured height in shoes. He was also the same height as Paul Newman and looks 177 in The Sand Pebbles in some of the comparisons. I've seen most of his films now and I think he was genuinely near 5 ft 10, but I just think 5'9.5 might be a bit more realistic as to what he might have measured barefoot.
Editor Rob
that mark is possible for shoes, it seems to high for barefeet really.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Jun/15
There's no chance he was only 5 ft 8 Barjbar, even a flat 5 ft 9 is pushing it. He was near 5 ft 10 but I do think though there's a good case for strong 5'9, I'd put him at 177cm. That listing at age 20 might have been his actual measured height you know.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Jun/15
He looked more 5'9.5 I thought next to Candice Bergen and Richard Crenna.
Gx79 said on 18/Jun/15
Rob do you think he was close to 5'11
Editor Rob
that would seem far too much, his wife thought he was around 5ft 10
barjbar said on 18/Feb/15
He didn't refuse conventional medicine. American doctors, correctly, told him the cancer had spread throughout his body and was terminal. Mcqueen decided to be admitted to a clinic in Mexico that offered a sham treatment but it was his only hope. He became a born again Christian because of his wife Barbara Minty, who is religious, and the bleak medical prognosis. He died with a bible on his chest, a Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol on the night stand and, supposedly, a smile on his face.
Oh yeah, I still believe he was 5'8" in his bare feet. He was usually teamed with short actors and actress', death certificate states 5'8", military record has 5'8", police arrest photo from Toronto has him at the 5'9" mark with shoes, and many photos show him as not tall including the photo of him on his tip toes with his fellow motorcycle riders.
littlesue said on 5/Feb/15
Just read a very good biography on him, it states the '5ft 10 plus lifts' when standing next to Maud Adams. Does'nt come across the nicest of men, for such a tough guy persona he was a bit of a baby when it came to his illness, becoming a born again Christian and having Billy Graham at his bedside, also refused conventional medicine till it was too late and relied on spiritual healing and dodgy doctors
Editor Rob
it's believable at times a lot of big named actors may have been in a role or just dabbled with some lifts.
Arch Stanton said on 6/Jan/15
Almost unrecognizable in The Enemy of the People LOL. He can look tallish in some scenes!
SoCalRuss said on 2/Jan/15
I have been watching "Wanted: Dead Or Alive" on TV. Many of the male actors are taller than Steve McQueen. This substantiates my earlier comment that Steve McQueen was not very tall. He was probably around 5' 9" barefoot.
Sam said on 30/Dec/14
Is LESS famous I meant to type!
Arch Stanton said on 30/Dec/14
Charlton Heston I agree Ian that he looked a force of nature during the late 50s and early 60s especially in his prime. In Planet of the Apes he looked very rugged and strong looking, reminded me of one of those big rowers who row across the Atlantic or those rugged guys who climb the high peak of Nepal.
Arch Stanton said on 30/Dec/14
There's a case for 5'9.5, definitely. Ali MacGraw barefoot with Ryan O Neal in Love Story I think was looking near han 5'8" mark, 5'7.5" I think is the worst you could argue and McQueen definitely looked about 2 inches taller I think in The Getaway. You can see in the above photo anyway that he was of reasonable height, 5'6" is utter bunk. Unless Richard Attenborough was 5'3" etc!!
Sam said on 29/Dec/14
I agree with Arch, McQueen could seem graceful but I think he drank and smoke too much to be considered a great athletic actor. McQueen seemed overly self-aggrandizing at times but was likable in his best role. Nonetheless, I never enjoyed watching him as much as Newman.
Lancaster was also a drinker and smoker but was always very strong with big, ropey muscular arms and shoulders. Gregory Peck is an example of a guy who could seem graceful but he seemed kind of slow-moving and never really looked athletic to me but apparently was enormously strong, Robert Mitchum who was more barrel chested was in awe of Peck's strength.
Sam said on 29/Dec/14
Yeah, director Steve McQueen deserves a page, although James's claim that the classic actor McQueen is more famous is inaccurate IMO.
Director McQueen w/ Michael Fassbender: Click Here
Click Here
w/ Chiwetel Ejiofor & Brad Pitt: Click Here
I think he looks 5'9.5" range, I also think that about Steve McQueen the legendary star!
James said on 2/Dec/14
Director Steve McQueen is already far more famous. Not many young people today would know about the actor Steve McQueen, especially as his films tend o be very slow and overlong. McQueen was just under 5'9".
Vibram said on 10/Nov/14
Same as Robert Vaughn (175cm / 5ft9) in Bullitt. Maybe +/- 1cm in difference.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 29/Sep/14
I hope director Steve McQueen doesn't become more well known than this legend.

5ft10 is correct
RisingForce said on 30/Jul/14
I thought he looked taller than just 5'9" flat, but 5'9.5"-5'9.75" is very possible and could have been 5'10.5" to 5'11" in shoes depending on the shoes like his wife said.
Texsputin said on 20/Jul/14
I think it was the very way he moved so nimbly and confidently that makes him appear to be smaller than he already is, as does the fact that although wry, he was slightly built across the shoulders and chest. While he is average, is he 'average' among the people, many action oriented people, who surround him in his films? Many of whom go to great lengths NOT to appear to be short (-er than average - this is Hollywood - image is EVERYTHING!. He was still just too Kool for Skool!
SoCalRuss said on 4/Jul/14
I once dated a girl whose mother was an "extra" in Junior Bonner. The mother had several candid photos that were taken during filming. She said that McQueen was "not very tall...maybe around 5'10 or 11" (with shoes on). I was 5'9" at the time and she said that he (McQueen) was about my height..."maybe slightly taller".
Ian C. said on 4/Jul/14
I think, Arch, if I were going to make a list of athletic actors, McQueen would be right up there. Robert Redford is terrifically fast and graceful in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Jeremiah Johnson. Burt Reynolds did some pretty nimble moving around in 100 Rifles. There are a lot of actors who look athletic, but never seem to do anything athletic Charlton Heston looks terrifically strong, but you rarely see him actually doing anything that requires grace and skill. I'll certainly give you Burt Lancaster, who could do young guy moves when he was over 50. I have yet to see a Douglas Fairbanks movie, but I understand he was an accomplished gymnast.
Who is the least athletic leading man? James Stewart. There is man who never hit a ball out of the infield in his life.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Jun/14
Best I've seen him look is in Junior Bonner. He looked the dogs b******s driving along with that white hat and dark shades, Looks 5'11 in that film but was wearing cowboy boots. I still think he was wildly overrated as an actor though, not as accomplished as Paul Newman I agree Sam, although I've enjoyed every film of McQueen's I've seen and there's some Newman films like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Torn Curtain which I wasn't exactly enamoured with.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Jun/14
McQueen looked a bit shorter than 5'10" Pat Hingle in Nevada Smith. I agree his knife scene was impressive.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Jun/14
Rob can you update it with "American actor, best remembered for roles in films like The Great Escape, The Cincinnati Kid, The Magnificent Seven, The Thomas Crown Affair, Papillon, Bullitt, The Getaway, The Towering Inferno, The Sand Pebbles and The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery."

@Ian c. I didn't think he looked that athletic Ian at all to be honest, wiry, yes, but he looked quite pale at times and looked a heavy drinker and smoker. If you want athletic actor try Douglas Fairbanks in Thief of Baghdad, Cornel Wilde in The Greatest Show on Earth or Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity and Trapeze.
ian c. said on 25/May/14
I can't think of another actor who was more athletic (if you discount actors who really were professional athletes, like Jim Brown). Paul Newman had many gifts (there was an actor who probably really was an I.Q. genius) but McQueen is more fun to watch because of his perfect physical confidence. Watch Nevada Smith, and there is a nasty knife-fighting scene where McQueen jumps nimbly around on the top rail of a stock pen. You can't fake that kind of grace.
tex said on 24/Apr/14
McQueen was 5'9" according to his military records. You have to take "Know-nothing" with a grain of salt. He claims to have "measured" everyone in Hollywood and he doesn't understand that lifts in shoes are on the "INSIDE" of the shoes and not visible to the naked eye. Look at some sights that build lifts. Know-nothing calls these "invisible lifts" and that they are!!
Sam said on 8/Apr/14
There's no way McQueen was under 5'10" here hugging John Wayne, who looks a little uncomfortable at McQueen's affections.
Click Here
Robbie said on 5/Apr/14
Newman was cooler, better looking, and an infinitely better actor and person.
Sam said on 4/Apr/14
Isn't Darwin Porter a disreputable writer who puts a lot of gossip-y, unconfirmed stuff in his books? I think McQueen looks 5'9.5"-5'10" and would wear cowboy boots but I just don't see him in lifts.
Sam said on 3/Apr/14
Arch, how do you think McQueen stacks up next to Paul Newman in terms of career, acting ability and presence/coolness...I've always preferred Newman. IMO, Newman was cool incidentally and a more consistently quality actor, whereas McQueen was trying more deliberately to be perceived as cool. Also, while The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven were solid classics, both were ensemble films. Papillon was his best McQueen-centric movie, The Sand Peebles was strong but flawed & I don't think Bullitt has aged that well. Whereas Newman has The Hustler, Hud, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Verdict and the underrated westerns The Left-Handed Gun, Hombre and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. Neither struck me as lift-wearers.
RisingForce said on 3/Apr/14
One of his wives also claimed 5'10.5" for Steve. It's possible he did actually measure 5'9.5" as mentioned before and the 5'10.5" was in shoes. Either way, 5'6" and 5'7" are nowhere near realistic, and really nothing under 5'9" was realistic, imo. For those that say he was only 5'8" or even less, why not post some pictures or video where he actually looks that height? I think the real argument is whether he was more 5'9" or 5'10" since he was clearly pretty average, but didn't look short. I'd believe either 5'9.5" or 5'10". Nothing more, nothing less.

As for lifts, there was a photo where you could see their entire bodies and Steve in sandals with absolutely no chance of lifts did look about 5'10" next to Ali MacGraw who didn't look less than the 5'8" she's listed at here. Most likely, any variation in his height comes from his often loose posture and some co-stars who may have wore lifts such as Yul Brynner who was known to be sensitive about his height. Anyway, very cool actor who starred in some timeless classics.
Robby D. said on 2/Apr/14
Yes I have to agree with littlesue, knowitall and Arch Stanton. Some of the things Darwin Porter came out with in his book were...outrageous to say the least. I don't think Steve McQueen ever wore lifts. I did think he may have been about 5'8" but looking at a head and shoulders photo of him with Ali MacGraw on the Malibu beach, he looks at least two inches taller than her. Assuming they are barefoot or in sandals that would make him around 5'10" in height, 5'9.5" at the very least.
Knowitall said on 1/Apr/14
Lifts my......

Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 1/Apr/14
I've seen most of his films and never did his footwear look suspicious. If you want suspicious footwear watch a few films with Bing Crosby or Peter Lorre. In a few films in fact McQueen's shoes were quite flat and he looked close to 5 ft 10. See him next to Dustin Hoffman in Papillon, had near 5 inches on him. McQueen wasn't good looking as actors come but he was bad ass and had that aura about him that Frank Sinatra had which led to his success.
Knowitall said on 1/Apr/14
Porter is a liar. McQueen NEVER wore lifts.

Find a photo showing him wearing lifts.

The five-six claim by Porter goes to show he has zero credibility.

I once knew an actress who swore Peter Sellers was over five-ten. That she met him and was surprised how tall he was. When I proved to her he was more like five-eight, she admitted she never met him.

A lot of people are full of it.
littlesue said on 1/Apr/14
I would'nt believe anything that Darwin Porter publishes, he just writes rubbish about people who are not alive to answer back
Robby D. said on 31/Mar/14
An extract from the book, "Steve McQueen King Of Cool" by Darwin Porter, states that Steve refused to have Maude Adams as his leading lady because she was, "too tall even when he wore lifts." For the record, Maude Adams is listed on the internet as 5'9" tall. Also in the same book it mentions that for his last film, "The Hunter" he played the part of real life bounty hunter, Ralph (Papa) Thorson and that Thorson in real life stood 6'2" and weighed 310 lbs, whereas at the time, Steve McQueen (who was fifty years old) stood, 5'6" and weighed 150 lbs. Could his illness have decreased his height?
Mike said on 27/Mar/14
McQueen wore lifts in all his films. Never understood what anyone ever saw in him, he was just a one-note actor as well as short.
Knowitall said on 25/Mar/14
Lifts?

Click Here

He never, ever wore lifts in any film he appeared in.

I never saw him in person wearing lifts.
Knowitall said on 24/Mar/14
Shane, he never wore lifts. You make a statement when you don't know what you're talking about.

This infuriates me about the internet. So many 'experts' who in reality don't have a clue.
Shane said on 23/Mar/14
McQueen was 5'9". He was well known for wearing lifts.
Dave618 said on 15/Mar/14
Also, for my money, McQueen epitomized what cool was all about. Five Ten back when he was in his prime would be considerd upper/average-lower/tall. My Dad is 5'11" and a few years younger than McQueen and he states he was the second tallest player on his high school basketball team. And he grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, which was a fairly populated city in late 40's, early 50's. Now probably the shortest kid on his Alma Matter's school BB team is five eleven.
Dave618 said on 15/Mar/14
Frank2 used to post here. Haven't heard from him in a while, hope he is OK. He was the most realistic and reliable poster on celebheights--ever. That man did not exagerrate and he met half of Hollywood circa 50's to 80's. He stated McQueen was about five ten barefoot. Take it to the bank, as Baretta says.
Knowitall said on 14/Mar/14
I don't know who this Frank2 is people keep mentioning. But I do know Steve was taller than five-nine.

Robert Vaughn probably wore lifts.

Lots of actors wore them including Glenn Ford. Check out his shoes in this photo taken with Brando:

Click Here
annon said on 8/Mar/14
I agree mcqueen was a 5'9 man. Watched bullitt last night. Roughly the same height as robert vaughn. Sorry frank2, but you cant and will not convince us that mcqueen was 5'10.
Robby D said on 1/Mar/14
In an interview, Steve McQueen's ex-wife, Neile Adams, said he was 5'10" and that was on his passport but she then said on his last two passports he was 5'11" and she added, "It depended on what shoes he wore." I would assume from that remark he was measured in footwear. He was conscious about his height and 5'10" is not short even for a movie star. When Robert Wagner acted with him in "The War Lover". he said, "Steve was no more than 5'9", shorter than me and it was on his mine." I cannot see how he could have been 5'10" barefoot. Personally I think his height should be reduced on here.
Editor Rob
the 5ft 9.5 could be a measurement, it is believable
Robby D said on 26/Feb/14
I am reading "Steve McQueen" The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon by Marshall Terrill. In the book it says when he joined the marines at the age of 17 he was 5'6.5" and weighed 135 lbs. When he left 3 years later at the age of 20 he was 5'9.5" and weighed 162 lbs. Could he have grown three inches in three years? Doubtful in my opinion. In most of the books I have read he was 5'8" and that is what I believe he was. He only looked about that height in "Wanted Dead or Alive."
Editor Rob
so the 5ft 9.5 sounds like a plausible measurement of sorts?
EugeOne said on 23/Feb/14
A former lady colleague of mine, now sadly deceased, worked for Triumph in Meriden, England. One day there was a swarm of people in the reception area and when she asked the reason she was told 'Steve McQueen is here to collect his new Bonneville' she replied 'what that little bloke'! The thing though is that her husband was well over 6' tall and weighed 20 odd stones, so I think that her judgement was 'compromised'!
Knowitall said on 20/Jan/14
Kid, you partied WAY too much.

I knew Steve. If he was five-eight I would have towered over him. I didn't. At best I has an inch taller.

He just had bad posture. But when he stood up straight he was five-ten. Had he been five-eight and slumped, he would have really looked short.
kid said on 12/Jan/14
McQueen was 5'8. I know we partied together.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Dec/13
Yeah I agree on a flat 5'10" now for McQueen. His hair definitely looked bleached in the Thomas Crown Affair though I agree.
Arch Stanton said on 13/Dec/13
McQueen was about the same height as a heeled Faye Dunaway and he looks an easy 5'10 next to Dustin Hoffman in Papillon.
Arch Stanton said on 13/Dec/13
@Ian

He was, it's just his hair was very short in Bullitt, which always makes it look darker. McQueen had natural mousy colouring, probably sun bleached when longer. Redford on the other hand like Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black etc he had a helping hand, but still naturally a blondish guy like Pitt, just not "yellow" blond.
Arch Stanton said on 13/Dec/13
Looks a solid 5'10 in the Thomas Crown Affair.
Knowitall said on 27/Nov/13
Newman was about an inch shorter than McQueen. Which is why Newman wore cowboy boots in The Towering Inferno. That made him the same height as McQueen.

Click Here

Click Here

Click Here

Here's McQueen next to five foot eleven Robert Wagner:

Click Here

Click Here

Click Here
Sam said on 27/Nov/13
I admit upon review that he could have been 5'10"...although if he was this height, Paul Newman would be around the same. Both were right around average height but had looks, were cool and acting talent.
ian c. said on 26/Nov/13
I just watched Bullit again, and McQueen has several standing and walking scenes with Robert Vaughn, who is listed at five foot nine. Sure enough, McQueen seems about in inch taller than Vaughn. An interesting point is that McQueen has dark hair in Bullit. I mention this because I have always suspected that he was not a real blonde. Or Robert Redford either, now that I'm on the subject.
Knowitall said on 25/Nov/13
Arch,

Watch the film again. Newman and McQueen are exactly the same height. Notice their footwear. McQueen wore regular shoes with one-inch heels while Newman wore cowboy boots with two-inch heels. Newman wore the same type boots in When Time Ran Out.

FM,

McQueen did not always wear cowboy boots.

Where do you come up with such bogus info?

That photo from The Great Escape shows him wearing combat boots. And without lifts.

I knew Steve. I never saw him wearing lifts or cowboy boots. I'm sure he did at some time in his life put on a regular pair of cowboy boots. Just not on film. Or in my presence.
FM said on 24/Nov/13
I think he needs a downgrade - I found this mug shot pic of him. There aren't any numbers next to the tick marks, but I think we can assume that the dark color ticks are even three inches. So 5'0, 5'3", 5'6", and so on. This pic shows that he doesn't stand taller than 5'9" tall!

Click Here
FM said on 22/Nov/13
Okay, if Robert Wagner was 5'11" (as he stated in his book) then McQueen isn't more than 5'9". Click Here

He always wore boots with a heel - like cowboy boots. Look at this pic with 6'2" James Garner: Click Here This does not look like a solid 5'10" guy to me.
Arch Stanton said on 21/Nov/13
Pretty sure Paul Newman had about an inch on him in the Towering Inferno, yet Rob has Newman as shorter than McQueen. I don't think McQueen looked as low as 5 ft 8, but I think 5'9" range would be more likely barefoot.
barjbar said on 19/Nov/13
Army record 5'8". Death certificate 5'8". Mug shot 5'9" with sneakers. He did slouch so I assume if he stood perfectly upright he hit 5'9".
Arch Stanton said on 19/Nov/13
Attenborough is badly slouching in that photo. Watch the scene in the bedroom, Mcqueen looks max 2 inches taller. He was also an inch shorter than Paul Newman in The Towering Inferno. McQueen did look 1.5-2 inches taller than 5'8 Ali Macgraw in The Getaway though.
Knowitall said on 18/Nov/13
"He only looks about 1.5 inches taller than Richard Attenborough in The Great Escape."


Utter nonsense:

Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 17/Nov/13
Looks more 5'9" range in The Getaway too.
Arch Stanton said on 16/Nov/13
He only looks about 1.5 inches taller than Richard Attenborough in The Great Escape.
Arch Stanton said on 16/Nov/13
Looks a weak 5'10" in the Great Escape, looks about the same as Newman and Redford on screen,
Ian C. said on 13/Nov/13
I have a DVD set of the TV show Cheyenne, Sam, and James Garner was a frequent supporting player in the first season of that show. Garner can be seen more than once standing with six foot-six star Clint Walker, and he does look to be six foot-three.
Sam said on 12/Nov/13
Sorry, McQueen was a cool actor but I think with Garner (and COburn) he looks 5'9"-5'10" range. Garner, BTW, claimed 6'3" but was really more like a strong 6'1" (6'1.5" or so) at peak IMO:
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Knowitall said on 11/Nov/13
I'm probably the only one posting on this forum who met McQueen. I even knew him casually enough that he'd recognized me. He was not five eight. At the very minimum he was five nine and a half. But I believe he was closer to five ten. He'd slouch a lot. But when he'd stand erect he was very close to my height. I never saw him wear anything except regular shoes. Not even cowboy boots.
ian c. said on 10/Nov/13
I'd be willing to bet quite a bit that the estimates of people's heights on this website are almost all accurate to within half an inch, because of the obsessive interest in heights displayed by its founder. But I would have guessed McQueen to be shorter, because he is so quick. I watch him running and bounding around in The Magnificent Seven, and I think, that's a short guy. On the other hand, you can see him standing full figure with tall James Garner in The Great Escape, and he's clearly quite tall.
Knowitall said on 10/Nov/13
I've watched Bullit many times and no way is Robert Vaughn taller. In most angles the two men appear to be the same height. But again remember that McQueen would slouch. And that he never, ever wore lifts while Vaughn most assuredly did.

Bob Hope's height varied over the years. In his prime he was five ten. But once he past age 70 he began to rapidly lose height. The last time I saw him in person was when he was nearing age 90. He looked to be about five seven, maybe even five six.
colombian_cannon said on 7/Nov/13
I met Bob Hope at Clark Air force base in the Philippines during one of his shows in 1987. I'm 5ft 7 inches and Bob Hope looked like he was 5ft 10, even though he was older than. I was wearing my issued military boots but he looked tall for his age. He was also wearing sneakers.
colombian_cannon said on 6/Nov/13
In the movie BULLIT, Robert Vaughn who stands at 5FT 9 inches is walking side by side next to Steve McQueen. He looks taller than McQueen.
Knowitall said on 2/Nov/13
Sam, when McQueen stands up straight, he's just as tall. Hope is always standing erect. Balancing back and forth. Even occasionally standing on his tiptoes. Watch it again.
Sam said on 28/Oct/13
I watched the video, Knowitall, and to me McQueen never looks as tall as Bob Hope in it, not much shorter considering angles but definitely shorter IMO.
Knowitall said on 22/Oct/13
Bob Hope was five ten in his prime. Here's Steve with him looking about the same height. That is, when he's not slouching:

Click Here
slopes said on 20/Oct/13
Recall that many, many posts have been deleted. The mugshot has McQueen at five feet nine inches in shod feet (perhaps lifts?) Too many eyewitnesses have said McQueen is five feet eight inches tall. Deleted posts from the guy in Texas who served him an all onion sandwich during filming of The Getaway. Deleted post of a guy who went motorcycle-biking with him prior to film The Great Escape. Both said five feet eight inches for McQueen. No reason for these guys to lie. Other posts, below, from eyewitnesses stating the guy was only five feet eight inches tall. The Perry Como show has him not much taller than Como.
Knowitall said on 17/Sep/13
Hunter was not six inches shorter than Wayne in The Searchers. At best around three inches. He was the exact same height as Harry Carey Jr. Who was six one.

McQueen never looked bulky. He was quite lean.
JimMorrison said on 13/Sep/13
Jeffrey Hunter was half a foot shorter than six four John Wayne. 6-1 my ass!!!

McQueen? About five eight or five nine. Never looked average. Shortish and bulky.
Knowitall said on 11/Sep/13
If I had a dollar for every single time someone on this forum dismissed any photos I posted, I could afford a really nice dinner.

Not on solid ground? What are they on? Uneven pavement? The kind that always favors McQueen over Wagner?

Please!
juju said on 5/Sep/13
Im done arguing though. If u think hes 5'10 thats fine. I wont change your mind.
juju said on 5/Sep/13
Those pics from THE WAR LOVER arent good. They arent on solid ground and mcqueen has the camera advantage. Although on the other pic wagner is closer to the camera and looks an inch taller than mcqueen.so something funny is going on under one of those twos feet. Well i dont think wagner would have a reason to downgrade his height. Im pretty sure he knows his own height.
Knowitall said on 1/Sep/13
Wagner did a skit on the Tonight Show where he was visibly taller than five foot ten Johnny Carson. If he was just an inch taller he wouldn't have looked that much taller.

Wagner was three inches taller than Paul Newman who supposedly was five ten.

But then Wagner was an inch shorter than six foot Jeffrey Hunter so go figure:

Click Here

Some report Hunter was six one. He could have been. He looked the same height as Harry Carey Jr. In The Searchers. Carey was a solid six one. I know since I met him.
Knowitall said on 31/Aug/13
McQueen with Wagner:

Click Here

Click Here

Click Here
juju said on 29/Aug/13
Wagner in his own book claimed he was 5 11. Was he wrong about his height? I dont think so
juju said on 28/Aug/13
Almost anyone whos 4 inches taller than the next man can look like that seated. Mcqueens posture looks better than hoffmans. Plus u cant see the footwear. Mcqueen could have had his sandles on. I peg 5 ft. 9. I have papillon.
Knowitall said on 27/Aug/13
Check out how big McQueen is next to
Hoffman while both are seated:

Click Here

And check this out:

Click Here
matt hopper said on 27/Aug/13
five-nine range is perfect for him. Who cares an inch, anything from cm 174 to 177 is good for McQueen. In late Tom Horn one can see that wasn't any over that. Most other guys tower him. The big heeled boots didn't help either. Great actor, interesting charater.
Lorne said on 27/Aug/13
Idk where the 5' 8 claims come from, if anything he could actually look a VERY strong average in his day(remember, it was a tad less then). It would shock me if he was 5'9 and change, but I think 5'10 is more than fair- in fact, he could look a tad taller, but then, can't we all???
juju said on 26/Aug/13
he didnt look 5 foot 10 next to 5 foot 5 dustin Hoffman in PAPILLON. there are several stills of both men from head to toe, and McQueen had on sandles. Hoffman didnt. thats another reason why i dont think he was ever 5 foot 10 UNLESS AT THE MOST out of bed.
Knowitall said on 25/Aug/13
Avery, are you serious? Two inches? That's just crazy.

Robert Wagner claimed lots of things in his autobiography, many which aren't true. I won't go into details here, but trust me on this. McQueen was five ten. I knew him. He was an inch shorter than me and I'm five eleven on the button.

Wagner was closer to being six feet in his prime. I'd judge him to have stood around five eleven and a half to three-quarters. Now he's packed down to just over five ten due to being heavy.
avery_t said on 24/Aug/13
in stills with Dustin Hoffman he loosk two inches taller than Hoffman
juju said on 23/Aug/13
He wasnt five ten. Robert wagner in his book claimed mcqueen was shorter than him. Five foot nine he said.
Knowitall said on 12/Aug/13
And in The Sand Pebbles, McQueen is at least four inches taller than five foot six Richard Attenborough.
Knowitall said on 12/Aug/13
In Never So Few, Sinatra, who by the way was five seven, wore lifts that boosted him to about five. There are no full shots where the two men are standing together. I'm sure they played lots of tricks to make Sinatra look taller.

They really played tricks in The Magnificent Seven. McQueen was three inches taller than Yul Brynner. They put Brynner on ramps, mounds, etc. to make him appear to be the same height as McQueen. Brynner also wore lifts.

The photos you linked are only from the waist up.

Trust me. McQueen was five ten. And he was slightly taller than Paul Newman in The Towering Inferno . Newman wore cowboy boots while McQueen wore regular shoes.
FM said on 10/Aug/13
Just saw the movie Never So Few, with him and Sinatra. They were pretty close in height and I found this pic:

Click Here

Sinatra is listed at 5'7.5" and looks taller than McQueen in this pic. Sinatra probably had on massive heels, but still I find it hard to peg McQueen at a legit 5'10". I think he was probably closer to 5'8.5 possibly 5'9" but not over that. He only looks about an inch taller than Paul Newman:
Click Here
Knowitall said on 3/Aug/13
If McQueen was only five seven as some contend, he wouldn't have towered over five five and a half Dustin Hoffman:

Click Here

Watch the film. McQueen is just a hair under five inches taller. And no lifts in his sandals.
Knowitall said on 3/Aug/13
Steve's appearance on What's My Line reveals he was five ten:

Click Here

He's almost as tall as Bennett Cerf who was about five eleven.
And he's five inches shorter than six foot three Steve Allen.

At the begining when he walks up to John Daly we can see he was slightly shorter. Daly was six feet tall.

If McQueen had been only five seven, he wouldn't have appeared as tall as he did.

Trust me. He was a solid five foot ten. Why some reported he was shorter could possibly have been caused by jealousy or downright envy. Plus he tended to slouch a lot.

And from how he answered Daly's questions we get to see he was not the dunce that some have suggested. The handful of times I was around him I always found him to be quite intelligent. Yes, he could be difficult on the set, but that was because he took acting seriously. And he was a perfectionist.
James said on 3/Aug/13
I believe McQueen was 5'10", no proof but wether he was that or not his screen presence more than compensated regardless
romanspqr said on 20/Jul/13
Love McQueen movies. He did slouch a lot. Always gave me the impression of being strong 5'9. That said, 5'10 is totally believable.
James said on 14/Jul/13
Agree with Knowitall, 5'10" for Steve,the 5'6-5'8" comments are just BS.
Knowitall said on 6/Jul/13
I knew Steve casually since a friend raced dirt bikes and I'd end up being a spectator. I spoke to Steve on several occasions. He tended to slump a lot giving the appearance of being short. But when he stood up straight he was near five ten. Perhaps five ten. He was certainly not five foot eight.

Steve never wore lifts. I've never spotted them in any film he appeared in.

Also, in The Towering Inferno, McQueen and Newman were the same height. But remember that McQueen wore regular shoes while Newman wore cowboy boots with two-inch heels.

Check out this photo taken of the cast:

Click Here
colombian-cannon said on 3/Jul/13
I have a book about Steve McQueen and in one of the pictures, he's tiptoeing, so he doesn't look short with the other guys in the pic. In another book about famous actors. McQueen was mentioned as 5ft 6 inches and he was able to portray the real bounty hunter who was like 6ft 7 inches from the movie "The Hunter" McQueen's last movie. Go figure.
talltalez said on 26/Jan/13
police mugshot 1972:
Click Here
the height chart line level with the top of mr mcqueen's head appears to be the 5' 9" mark, (ofcourse if he was wearing heels, it could be the 6' mark). but i remember a work colleague telling me 20 years ago that she was working in the jaguar car factory in england and steve mcqueen visited, she was a little disappointed as she remarked he was not a tall man in the flesh.
Raskolinikov said on 30/Oct/12
Is that 5ft10 1/2 plus "lifts"? Wouldn't that make Steve McQueen six-feet, maybe? That's surely exaggerated. I have never seen him looking that tall. Even if he was 5ft10 1/2 barefoot that would mean he must have grown another 2 1/2 inches after his 5ft8 army measurements, then shrank over 3 inches upon death to 5ft7! Moreover his mugshot suggests he was not over 5ft9 at whatever period of adult life he was arrested, in shoes, I presume. It's all rather unlikely when you look at it like that. I suppose the problem with people accepting McQueen is 5ft8 is that people will have to also accept that a lot of other stars of similar size were/are shorter than their estimated height too, like Newman, Redford, and so on. But it's not denigrating, it's fact. There's no shame in being any height.
RisingForce said on 11/Oct/12
Steve McQueen's other wife, Neile said in her book that he was 5'10 1/2" and talked about where the lift rumors came from. These were her words.

"Steve had problems with his feet and knees and was almost always in pain due to all the injuries he'd suffered in motorcycle racing accidents. Then Danny Kaye suggested Steve try these shoes and they saved him a lot of pain. He had several pairs made for him, and very rarely wore anything else. They looked a little odd under those expensive clothes and also gave the mistaken impression that he wore lifts. Not true. At five feet ten and a half there was no reason to. He was as tall as Paul Newman and Bob Redford and Burt Reynolds."
Matt Hopper said on 10/Oct/12
if we agree he wasn't much over his last wife Barbara, as many photo documents show, then he was no more than 5'8" flat. I just meet and talked to Barbara Minty on her tour introducing 'The last Mile' revisited. She has worn quite strong boots but was little shorter than me, 173cm / just 5'8"
Raskolinikov said on 4/Oct/12
It seems pretty certain then that McQueen was 5ft8 barefoot and could probably therefore easily reach 5ft10, or at least the illusion of that height, in "normal" shoes. The thing is this though: McQueen looked as tall, if not a tad taller than, Paul Newman in Towering Inferno. Newman appeared (though my memory is hazy) easily a couple of inches taller than Tom Cruise in the sequel to The Hustler--and Cruise is listed here as 5ft8! I guess a lot of stars here need "realistic" downgrading: their height seems to be listed as a maximum estimate of whatever their footwear might achieve for them. "Danny DeVito easily hits 7ft8 in stilts", kind of; and thus aren't very reliable.
Chris Robinson said on 22/Sep/12
I just read about McQueen's military medical record listing him as 5'8. He seems to have lost an inch due to the terrible illness in his final years. So how come this site says 5'10? McQueen was, in my opinion, the greatest screen actor there has ever been. I rewatch his films every year and they never fail to please. We don't have to exaggerate his heaight to make him cool - it spoils the purpose of the site if you ignore the known facts and go with hearsay.
Ken S said on 16/Sep/12
I got out of my car at LAX right when he got out of a car and noticed it was Steve McQueen--he was my height which is 5'8" (around 1975)
Robby D said on 30/Jul/12
Rob, I just finished reading a biography of Steve McQueen and it mentions that he was conscious about his height and although he was often listed as 5'10", his actual height was 5'8", could this be true?
Editor Rob
I'd be surprised if he was that height
Ricky said on 23/Jan/12
I met him in 1978. I was 5'7" at the time, and he wasn't much over an inch taller than I. I came very close to telling him that if he were taller he'd look just like Steve McQueen.
Matt Hopper said on 3/Jan/12
correct, but proper shoed
Joe said on 24/Dec/11
I just finished Marshall Terill's exhaustive bio of McQueen. (I wouldn't read Eliot's as it is reportedly riddles with mistakes.) From that, he puts McQueen's height at 5'9" at his tallest. By the time he was 50 and suffering from cancer, he could have lost an inch. McQueen died of pleural mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the lining around the lungs. He probably picked it up from asbestos exposure while he was in the Marines.
SteveG said on 18/Dec/11
So, are we all saying that the reason he looked so cool in his Jag was that he was short? What chance do I stand - he's 4-6" shorter than me!
JoelKnox said on 20/Nov/11
With all the evidence supporting 5ft8 I wonder why he's still down as 5ft10: do these sites list heights of people plus or minus footwear? If the latter is the case I suppose it will be roughly accurate to have Mr.McQueen down as listed.
Steve said on 11/Nov/11
I didn't believe 5'8" until I seen his mugshot picture. Also, the military height claim is usually right. They tell it like it is whether he was a movie star or not. A lot of these actors/rock singers claim to be taller because of their egoes. I's surprised to see how short some of these guys really are, but that's what the camera does, make them look taller then they really are, plus lifts.
Matt Hopper said on 10/Nov/11
Think logical: 5'-8" flat, 5'-9", shoed, 5'-10"+ shoed+lifts, 5'7" lifeless but cramped in autopsy. So all you guys are right with what you say or you have seen. His height was only little below western average of his days, but making him even more alert.
JoelKnox said on 6/Nov/11
The military and death records attest to 5ft7-8 range, his army colleagues say 5ft8, according to here--I missed those original posts--his mugshot has him at 5ft9 in shoes, so is it that this site adds two inches for adulation, or simply because Ali McGraw, like a lot of women, exaggerated her height? It's natural that Steve appears 5ft10 to everybody with his shorter co-stars claiming to be taller than they really are. If I was a 5ft8 man standing next to a woman who said she was 5ft8, but in reality was only 5ft5 1/2, people would believe I was in the 5ft10 range too, lol.
DrJJ said on 5/Nov/11
Right, just checked losds of stills from Love Story. MacGraw is significantly shorter than Ryan O'Neal how is listed here as a tad under the full 6' 0". To me, she cannot be as much as 5' 8". More like 5' 6". I think her height was said to be 5' 8" at the time just to boost the claimed height of McQueen. Just goes to show, Rob, they've been doing this since time immemorial..
DrJJ said on 5/Nov/11
Marc Eliot has just released a new biography on McQueen. He is repeatedly described as "in real life he was a short, boorish man of few words". This is all from people who knew him. I have to say though, he always appears taller than Ali MacGraw, but was she really 5' 8"?
Meat on bones said on 27/Oct/11
5'9! He looked it next to 5'8 Michael Trevino in Vampire Diaries.
Editor Rob
this is the late McQueen, not the young one ;)
jake said on 12/Aug/11
In The Hunter he looked around 5 inches shorter than 6ft2in Ben Johnson.
Antoine said on 11/Aug/11
It seems that the dilemma here is that people "want" Steve McQueen to be or have been tall! Actors can look tall out in public as I myself have witnessed on many occasions. Being somewhat involved with the "business" i see and come into contact with actors/actresses quite frequently and am often surprised at their questionable footwear, height disparity in relation to this site and so on and so on. Who we see on tv or the big screen often differs from reality. i was once told Stephen Dorff was 5'10...he is lucky if he is even 5'8. How do i know this? Because I have met him face to face and have seen the difference from his movies. One can be made to be anything in hollywood even height. I am a bit critical of this site for the reasons that it takes what people say about one another rather than factual evidence. Neil toffel said Steve Mcqueen was 5'10. So what? We know how tall he was in the military and we know how tall he was in death...why do we refute this? My own mother says I'm 5'10, I'm actually 5'8!!! Go figure my own mother. So you see, the public sees as it wants to see.
jake said on 30/Jul/11
I agree, he simply was not a full 5ft10. He was 5ft9.5 (177 cm), not a hair over that.
al said on 25/Jul/11
In addition...thanks Antoine..but it looks like BJB did his/her homework as those were the comparisons I was trying to convey with my earlier post (when you can see the footwear) the actors are wearing in the photos - that's crucial! As Georgeclooneysmum stated - we need to re-evaluate other actor's heights which I believe are misunderstood and mistated because when you make the comparisons you have to see the actors in full length shots to see the footwear and perspective....Slope and Pyzer's arguments are convincing and appear to be right on with the majority of what people are saying...but if you ignore these convincing arguments - you cant refute facts...Military records and the Post Mortem exam. The one argument made by one of the guests here, that he grew since his intial height at entrance into the military - is well taken! But, Post Mortem shows Mcqueen at 5'7 or 5'8 - indicating quite clearly that he didn't grow anymore - which is the case in some people. So, Military and Post Mortem records tell the truth and eliminate speculations many have made based on evidence not in the records of life and death.
Phil said on 22/Jul/11
Yes mcqueen fan.
5 foot 9 or 5 foot 9.5 great actor.
mcqueen fan said on 12/Jul/11
he is listed as 5-9, 5-9.5 everywhere else, yet you guys insist on 5-10?
bjb said on 24/Jun/11
I believe the 5'8". All you have to do is look at him next to actors and actresses before he was really famous. Next to 5'3" Mona Freeman he's a few inches taller, next to 5'6" Mala Powers he looks 1 - 2" taller, next to 5'6" Perry Como (he guested on his variety show) he looks about an inch taller. If you look at him near 6' 2" Martin Landau, when Landau guested on "Wanted Dead or Alive", he looks at least 6" shorter. To me, the 5'8" from the army and 5' 7" measured when he was deceased is his real height.
Rich said on 30/May/11
I'm glad Rob has Mcqueen down as 5-10, even though I think he was 5-9 lol. I just think too many people wrongly have him down as 5-8, so basically what these people are saying is that hes only 0.25 inches taller than tom cruise! Well he would have to be wearing lifts almost the entire time then because he never looked that short to me
Antoine said on 18/May/11
Slope, and Al are spot on!!!
Mr. Kaplan said on 2/May/11
Looked 5'9" next to 6'1" James Garner.
slope said on 30/Apr/11
And another thing . . . notice how Jonny Pyzer and the guy from Texas who had his post deleted (he said he served McQueen an all onion sandwich and McQueen was definitely 5' 8") both have NO CONNECTION with show business. In other words, these eyewitnesses are not trying to ingratiate themselves to anyone to get a show business job. They are not trying to add inches to make someone more imposing; they are merely giving their honest assessments as eyewitnesses. I trust their testimony more than someone who has a stake in the business and wants something. McQueen was the greatest of screen actors and his screen presence may have masked a slightly shorter stature than he claimed.
james said on 20/Mar/11
Steve Mcqueen struck me as a guy of integrity with no need to lie, I believe he was 5'10" and never wore lifts because I think even good ones worn by Stallone Cruise Gibson and todays shorter stars are plain obvious because they are greedy & rather than trying to gain a couple of inches are attempting to gain 4", Burt reynolds ridiculous considering he aint that short. Anyway todays actors could only dream of being Mcqueen or Bronson, they juat lack charisma so no amount of lifts are gonna change that
al said on 3/Jan/11
The military records are accurate as well as the post mortem exam but Mcqueen doesnt look to be more than 5'8"...as many comments say...you cant tell how tall soemeone is by comparing them to other actors in a particular scene because you dont know what type of shoes the actors are wearing and if lifts are used...but look at two good photos for comparison...in Papillon (as mentioned by another guest here) look at Mcqueens legs-they are short and stocky-that photo doesnt lie...the comparison when Mcqueen is standing face to face with Candice Bergen-right after Frenchy got married to Mali...Mcqueen is just equal to Bergen's height...she has low heels and Mcqueen has low quarters on...that would make him about 5'8"....the other good photo is Mcqueen's booking photo which puts him at 5'9" minus an inch or two for the shoes he's wearing-puts him at 5'8"-that photo doesnt lie...another good photo is when Mcqueen is standing right next to Faye Dunnaway in the Thomas Crown Affair-he is just about equal to her and she has on high heels.... Yes, a lot of people are putting him at 5'10, but he is normally wearing shoes so this makes him 5'8" barefoot... Mcqueen looks taller because historically he plays next to women who are very short and men who are equally short-like Dustin Hoffman who is very short and Don Gordon who is very short...some viewers put Paul Newman at 5'10 but he was very short too - I dont think he was more than 5'8"....and camera angles and other tricks make actors appear taller - look at Alan Ladd...he was very short...but camera angles make him appear taller...and Mcqueen was super conscious about his image so height was of paramount importance to him...All in all - McQueen was a great screen presence and great actor...one of my favorites...there will never be another like him...
Mackdaddy said on 30/Dec/10
Five nine no more no less. His bad posture made him look shorter then he was.
Antoine said on 27/Dec/10
Exactly!!! It is strange...This sight seems to enhance an actors height by a couple of inches...in need of some definite downgrades. In Marshill Terrils new book there is a photo that Steve took with Bob Hope. They are the same height in the photo! This sight lists Bob Hope at 5'10.5., yet everyone of the comments on Bob Hopes page suggest otherwise. Some as low as 5'4. I think this sight needs to seriously consider downgrading quite a few actors.
Mr Mayfair said on 26/Dec/10
The military said 5'8'' and the autospy report 5'7''...so why is he listed at 5'10''?
slope said on 20/Nov/10
Thank you, Antoine, for posting again. You seem to be a voice of sanity. I am perturbed that past posts were deleted, especially those of eyewitnesses. Is there a policy regarding which posts get deleted? Shouldn't posts by eyewitnesses be kept? Is there any way that the post from the guy from Texas (who claimed 5'8" for McQueen) who served McQueen the onion sandwich be re-instated or is it gone forever? At least I am referring to it now so that later viewers of this site will know it existed. Saw Robert Vaughn in person in Hollwood at the Cinerama Dome for the Jules Verne Festival tribute to McQueen. this past Veteran's Day. Jacqueline Bisset was there too, along with McQueen's son Chad and his first wife, Neile McQueen-Toeffel. Vaughn is a bit elderly and may have lost height; he is not tall. He also seems sort of thin boned, not a stocky guy.

Heights are barefeet estimates, derived from quotations, official websites, agency resumes, in person encounters with actors at conventions and pictures/films.

Other vital statistics like weight or shoe size measurements have been sourced from newspapers, books, resumes or social media.

Celebrity Fan Photos and Agency Pictures of stars are © to their respective owners.