There Are 3 Famous Steve McQueens

There are three famous Steve McQueens, all of whom are involved in the entertainment industry. This can cause some confusion. Did the guy from The Vampire Diaries direct an Academy Award-nominated film? How could the new Oscar nominee have also been "The King of Cool" in the '60s? Okay, maybe those examples are a little extreme, but at the very least you've probably thought, "Wait. Doesn't that guy have someone else's name?"

The Steve McQueen in the news most recently is the Steve McQueen who is nominated for an Oscar for directing 12 Years A Slave. In order to help you keep your Steves straight from now on, here are some facts about each one that will make it very clear that these three guys are completely different.

Steve McQueen, The Director

Our first McQueen is a film director who has helmed three feature films, Hunger (2008), Shame (2011), and 12 Years A Slave (2013). McQueen also wrote the first two films and produced the last. McQueen was born in London, England, and, in 2011, was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. McQueen is a visual artist outside of filmmaking, and, in 2006, made a piece titled Queen and Country, which commemorates soldiers who lost their lives in the Iraq War using sheets of stamps. In an interview with W Magazine McQueen noted that he does not hang out with other artists often. "That's like if you're a butcher, hanging out with other butchers. You chop meat this way, and I chop meat that way. What's there to talk about?" McQueen currently lives in Amsterdam with his partner, Bianca Stigter, and their children, Alex and Dexter.

Steve McQueen, The Actor

The second Steve McQueen is an American actor who is known as "The King of Cool." This McQueen appeared in films during the 1960s and '70s, including The Great Escape, Bullitt, The Thomas Crown Affair, and The Magnificent Seven. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Sand Pebbles. McQueen enjoyed race car driving and motorcycles and reportedly owned over '60s classic vehicles at the time of his death. McQueen died in 1980 of malignant mesothelioma. He was married three times — to actress Neile Adams, with whom he had two children, to actress Ali McGraw, and to model Barbara Minty — which leads right to our next McQueen...

Steven R. McQueen, The Other Actor

The third and final McQueen in today's lesson is the grandson of the second Steve McQueen and an actor himself. This Steve McQueen is technically a Steven (it still counts!) and is the son of Chad McQueen, Steve McQueen's son with Neile Adams. Steven R. McQueen is also related to Enrique Iglesias — they're second cousins because Adams' niece is Iglesias' mother. McQueen currently plays Jeremy on the CW series The Vampire Diaries and previously starred in the movie Piranha 3D.

So... do you think you know your McQueens now? There shouldn't be any cries of "Ah! That's not the guy from Vampire Diaries!" come March 2, right?

Image: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.