Did Steve McQueen ride the motorcycle in The Great Escape?

Bud Ekins prepared and choreographed the bulk of the chase, and McQueen did most of his own riding. McQueen was a better driver than many of the stuntmen playing Germans, so he put on an SS uniform for some of these scenes and chased himself. As Hilts, he rode a 1962 650cc Triumph TR6R.
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Who rode the motorcycle in The Great Escape?

A live demonstration of one of the world's most iconic and valuable motorcycles - the original Triumph TR6 from the 1962 film 'The Great Escape' as ridden by Steve McQueen and Bud Ekins for the world-renowned jump - was ridden onto centre stage for the exclusive, delighted audience.
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Did Steve McQueen jump the motorcycle in The Great Escape?

These exploits were well publicized in the press, so many people assumed the star executed the jump in "The Great Escape." It became a part of his legend, and he never felt great about this because, well, this was a rare occasion when he did not perform the stunt.
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Who did the stunts for Steve McQueen in The Great Escape?

Bud Ekins was Steve's stunt double.
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Did Steve McQueen ride motorcycles?

He drove and raced many types of off-road vehicles including motorcycles, the Baja Boot and Chevy Pickups. McQueen worked as one of the most successful movie actors in Hollywood from the late 1950s through the 1970s, however he spent as much time as possible racing.
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Steve McQueen - The Great Escape (motorcycle scene)

How many motorcycles did Steve McQueen own?

For McQueen, racing cars and motorcycles was his way of clearing his mind. McQueen owned around 200 motorcycles. Some of these vintage bikes included: 1951 Triumph Thunderbird, 1933 Matchless Silver Hawk, 1912 Harley-Davidson X8E Big Twin, 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross, 1915 Cyclone Boardtracker and more.
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What happened to the motorcycle from The Great Escape?

The bikes used in those scenes were modified Triumphs and one of them used in the film has resurfaced after many years. The bike will be on display at the Blenheim Palace's Salon Privé Concours d'Elegance near Oxford, England. McQueen was known as a hands-on actor often doing his own stunts in his films.
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Who was the highest paid actor in The Great Escape?

Watch the trailer for The Great Escape (1963)

By then, Steve McQueen was the undisputed big name, but he was actually paid $87,500, to James Garner's $150,000. During filming he had become powerful enough to threaten to walk off the project if he wasn't given a bigger role, and he made various other ego-driven demands.
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Did Steve McQueen really jump the fence in The Great Escape?

Ekins, acting as stunt double for Steve McQueen while filming The Great Escape, was the rider who performed what is considered to be one of the most famous motorcycle stunts ever performed in a movie.
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Did the cast of The Great Escape get along?

Hostility on the Set: Richard Attenborough said many years later working with Steve McQueen on this film was one of the toughest challenges he had ever faced and their on set relationship was not peaceful.
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Where was the motorcycle scene filmed in The Great Escape?

Sedgewick stealing a bike scene in The Great Escape

Ebersberger Strasse, located in Markt Schwaben, is a bustling street in the Bavarian region of Germany and is home to various establishments, including shops, restaurants, and residential buildings.
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Was Fonzie's motorcycle used in The Great Escape?

In later seasons, it was a mildly 'bobbed' Triumph Trophy 500. As he could not ride, Henry Winkler says that he learned on the same Triumph 650 6T ridden (and jumped) by Bud Ekins in 'The Great Escape' and ended up stuffing it under a truck.
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Was Steve McQueen a real race car driver?

McQueen loved to compete and did so often. He was once in notable races such as Mojave Desert 500 and 12 Hours of Sebring, and even filmed his 1971 classic Le Mans on site of an actual race. "A good race driver won't try something his car can't do," he said.
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Did Steve McQueen do his own stunts?

As in all of his movies, McQueen is doing his own stunts.
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Did Steve McQueen do his own stunts in Great Escape?

The enigmatic Mr McQueen took centre stage in the film's infamous motorcycle chase and jump scene, which is considered one of the greatest movie stunts ever performed. However, in an unearthed interview the Hollywood icon revealed that he did not perform the 60-foot jump.
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How much did the motorbike from The Great Escape sell for?

The motocross machine fetched $186,500USD. Powered by a 396cc single-cylinder 2-stroke, the Husqvarna 400 Cross was originally purchased in 1971 by McQueen's company Solar Productions. It was then sold in 1984 by the estate of The Great Escape star and has not been ridden since the actor's death in 1980.
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How much of The Great Escape was true?

The Great Escape plays as much like a heist as a prison break. For the most part, however, it's a broadly accurate retelling of how, in March 1944, 76 POWs tunnelled their way out of Stalag Luft III. According to historian Guy Walters, author of The Real Great Escape, it's the tone that's wrong.
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What happened to the bodies of The Great Escape?

The cremated remains of the Great Escapers were returned to Stalag Luft III. The newly-appointed camp commandant was appalled by the killings and allowed the prisoners to build a memorial to house the ashes. In 1948, a Royal Air Force search team travelled to the camp to collect the ashes.
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How many prisoners died in The Great Escape?

The escape enraged the Germans and a directive was issued by Hitler to shoot all of the recaptured men. In the end 50 were killed, an act that horrified the Luftwaffe. Charles said: "The following day [after The Great Escape] we were kept most of the day on the parade ground.
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What were the mistakes in The Great Escape?

Factual errors

The airmen did not pack overnight bags for their missions. The film shows the executions being carried out by uniformed German troops using a Spandau machine gun. In reality, the executions were done by Gestapo agents who used pistols at close range.
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How old would Steve McQueen be today?

Today, March 24, 2023, would have been Steve McQueen's 93rd birthday! The popular '60s and '70s actor died at just 50 in 1980 after undergoing some unorthodox cancer treatments.
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How many times did Tom Cruise ride the motorcycle off the cliff?

Speaking about its execution, McQuarrie, 54, explained in the video that it was "by far the most dangerous stunt we've ever done." The clip then ended with Cruise performing the stunt himself, with a crew member saying, "Tom Cruise rode a motorcycle off a cliff six times today."
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Where is Steve McQueen's bike?

The answer is a splendidly restored Triumph TR6 Trophy motorbike. On the silver screen, this is the machine that takes Steve McQueen's character in The Great Escape on a thrilling chase culminating in a daring jump. In Leicestershire, it's one of the incredible items displayed at the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience.
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What was Steve McQueen's cause of death?

On November 7, 1980, McQueen died of a heart attack at 3:45 a.m. at a Juárez hospital, 12 hours after surgery to remove or reduce numerous metastatic tumors in his neck and abdomen. He was 50 years old. According to the El Paso Times, McQueen died in his sleep.
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