Steve McQueen had a successful acting career and a turbulent personal life. He and his ex-wife Neile Adamas shared a deep love for each other, but his infidelity led to its end. Adams even got his rematch, and it left McQueen scarred.

Steve McQueen died known as an icon of the 1950s and 1960s. The actor topped the box office and was best known for his anti-hero films and cool persona.

But the road to success has not been easy; MacQueen also had a difficult childhood that scarred him throughout his adult life.

Steve McQueen photographed in America around 1960. | Source: Getty Images

McQueen was abandoned by his father and left with his mother, who often married and left him with relatives for most of his life. This neglect led him to join gangs in Los Angeles and indulge in alcohol and narcotics.

When he reached adulthood, McQueen kept his wayward steak. Once he became a movie star, the actor would have shocking demands from producers, and sometimes his drug addiction would cost him jobs.

For example, McQueen turned down a co-lead role alongside Paul Newman in the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” because he wanted his name to be front and center; thus, the role went to Robert Redford.

Steve McQueen in California 1966. | Source: Getty Images

McQueen met his wife Neile Adams in 1956; she was a Broadway dancer and had previously graced the cover of Life Magazine.

As Adams’ career flourished, McQueen struggled to get his own off the ground, but Adams said when they met, there was an “instant attraction”.

From there, McQuen would introduce herself wherever she was, and they were eventually adequately introduced. This instant attraction quickly turned into love when Adam and McQueen realized how similar their backgrounds were.

Everything seemed to be moving fast and the couple had an undisclosed deal. Their bond was so strong that McQueen and Adams were married just four months after they met.

Steve McQueen and Neile Adams in California 1967. | Source: Getty Images

The start of their marriage was awesome. Adam said‘He loved being married, and he made me feel very loved and wanted’, ‘He always bought me little trinkets.’

The couple later welcomed two children together, and Adams decided to put her career on hold and stay home with the kids.

However, she was instrumental in McQueen’s success. Adams helped her husband read scripts and advised him to get roles in low-budget movies like the horror flick “The Bob,” which became a cult film.

Steve McQueen in California 1968. | Source: Getty Images

Adams also suggested that McQueen take off his shirt in every movie. She said;

“He had a great face and a great body,” “So I just said, ‘Somewhere along the line in the movie, just take your shirt off and show your chest!

McQueen’s charismatic persona began to shine across the screen, and he gained confidence as he realized the impact he had on the movies.

Sometimes, the actor even asked for his lines to be cut short because he thought his presence was enough to make the film known.

Steve McQueen in the movie “La Mans” in 1971. | Source: Getty Images

When McQueen allegedly had financial problems, Adams clarified that was untrue. McQueen reportedly charged producers $250 for wearing his own watch in one of the scenes in “The Thomas Crown Affair” when he was already cashing a check for $750,000.

However, Adams’ love and devotion to McQueen, and their marriage still hasn’t stopped him from stepping out of their marriage.

THE FALL OF STEVE MCQUEEN AND NEILE ADAMZ’S MARRIAGE

Steve McQueen with Neile Adams in California 1970. | Source: Getty Images

As Mc Queen grew up in Hollywood, he started cheating more, so much so that Adams was used to it as well. He’s had affairs with several of his co-stars like actress Lita Milan who McQueen worked with on “Never Love a Stranger.”

Actresses such as Lee Remick and Tuesday Weld were also among the women McQueen had his extramarital affairs with.

One of the leading ladies Adams knew was dating her husband was the late actress Natalie Woods. McQueen confessed to his wife after seeing a photo of them together.

Steve McQueen files “The Great Escape” in 1963. | Source: Getty Images

Adams found a way to get revenge; she said“If Natalie had known me better, she might have thought twice before going after my husband in such a blatant way.”

So Adams knew that McQueen and Woods would be driving in the same car for the premiere of their movie “Love With A Good Stranger.”

So, she stopped that by making her husband arrive five minutes before Woods and his way; Adams and McQueen got all the media attention, and Woods walked the mat alone.

Neile Adams and Steve McQueen in California in 1967. | Source: Getty Images

McQueen’s reasoning behind his constant feminization was that he could no longer resist the temptation around him, so he decided to give in.

On the other side, Adams also had her reasons for staying with her husband throughout the infidelity; she said she knew that McQueen loved her and their children.

But there was an incident that completely changed their marriage forever. Adam Told the story of when they were in Paris while McQueen was filming the racing drama “Le Man.”

Steve McQueen and Neile Adams photographed in 1965. | Source: Getty Images

They were lying in bed when McQueen asked his wife if she had ever been unfaithful, and after much perseverance, Adams confessed to having had an affair with someone.

Adam said McQueen was so angry that he pulled out a gun and started pointing it at his face and pointing it at his head.

The gun was unloaded, but Adams was frightened by its fury. She said he kept yelling and slapping her to reveal her former lover.

Neile Adams in California 1987. | Source: Getty Images

Her husband had never laid a hand on her in their 14 years of marriage, so Broadway dander finally revealed the identity of his love: Australian movie star Maximilian Schell.

McQueen’s competitive nature couldn’t handle another movie star with his wife, and he said, ‘Why couldn’t it have been an electrician or a plumber at least? Why did it have to be a movie star?

The events of that night changed something in their relationship, and Adams knew things would never be the same again, and for her, that was the final straw.

Neile Adams acting in the film “Women in Chains” in 1972. | Source: Getty Images

Adams realized that her husband expected her to be perfect, and he put her on such a high pedestal that when he saw she had flaws like any other human being, it destroyed their relationship.

The split devastated the Broadway dancer; she said: “It was an amazing race. “But ultimately I had to go down for my own sanity.”

Adam added “He expected unconditional love from me. Telling him about the adventure was really destructive of me, and he just never got over it.

NEILE ADAMS STILL HONS HER HUSBAND DESPITE THEIR TURBULENT MARRIAGE

Neile Adams and Steve McQueen photographed in 1965. | Source: Getty Images

Adams and McQueen couldn’t find a way out after countless infidelities and the Paris incident; therefore, in 1971, Adams filed for divorce.

The split devastated the Broadway dancer; she said, ‘It was an amazing race. “But ultimately I had to go down for my own sanity.”

Their marriage lasted 14 years, the longest relationship McQueen had in his life, and no one knew him better than Adams.

Steve McQueen at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1970. | Source: Getty Images

In 1980, McQueen died, and Adams still honors her in church on the anniversary of her death. According to the Daily Mail, Adams’ apartment is also filled with photo frames of McQueen and their children.

Although Adams was devastated by her divorce from McQueen, she eventually got back on her feet and started dancing and caring for her children.

The dancer also married businessman Alvin Toffel whom she described as a kind and said their marriage was different.

Neile Adams in Hollywood in 2001. | Source: Getty Images

Despite the ups and downs Mcqueen and Adams have faced, the dancer still considers her husband a great father to their children.

Her difficult childhood and drug addiction never came between the safety of their children. Terry and Chad never got to see their father’s anger until Adams told them everything once they grew up.