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Do You Remember the Day Steve McQueen Was Arrested?
Everett Collection

Steve McQueen was the epitome of cool in the 1960s and 1970s, a star who established his reputation in films like Bullitt and The Great Escape. Yet in 1972, McQueen was arrested for drunk driving and reckless behavior in Anchorage, Alaska, amid his divorce from his first wife, Neile Adams. Do you remember when the news hit that he was arrested and seeing his mugshot? It was a jarring image for fans accustomed to seeing him as the ultimate movie hero.

The arrest happened while McQueen was in Anchorage, where he had rented an Oldsmobile Toronado. Locals recall him tearing through downtown streets, spinning circles, and showing off the kind of daredevil moves that probably only belonged in movies. When officers stopped him, they asked him to walk a straight line for a sobriety test. Instead of passing, McQueen reportedly somersaulted down the painted strip, almost as if he was still performing for an audience. A mugshot was taken that night, and it now sits in the Alaska State Trooper Museum as a curious piece of Hollywood history.

This article first appeared on TV Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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