Born on 28 December 1960, Chad McQueen was the second child of Steve McQueen and his first wife, fellow actor Neile Adams.

He was nine-and-a-half years of age when his father settled in Sarthe for almost six months, from June to November 1970, to film Le Mans. He even sat on his father’s lap while he drove a Porsche 917. Following in his parents’ footsteps, he appeared in over 20 movies between 1978 and 2001. He also developed a passion for motorsport, competing a number of times on two wheels in the Baja 1000 Mexican off-road race or on four wheels in circuit races organised by the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America). 

The 24 Hours of Le Mans were, however, always in the background throughout Chad’s life. At the 2004 Goodwood Festival of Speed, he shared the wheel of a Porsche 959 with six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx and his daughter, Vanina. Ten years later, he visited the seventh Le Mans Classic while filming the documentary Steve McQueen, The Man And Le Mans. Directed by Joel McKenna and Gabriel Clarke, it was presented at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival before release the following November. “I remember walking around the racetrack with my father, mother and sister,” he reminisced during a press call at Le Mans Classic. “I could name everyone in the movie, I knew all the drivers by name as I’d read a whole lot of things on motorsport before coming to Le Mans to shoot. The movie’s legacy and how much attention it still arouses today are awesome.”

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest extends its sincerest condolences to Chad’s family and loved ones.

Photo: Louis Monnier