I like them both, but I would have to choose McQueen he was in some better films, Bronson work for Cannon Production Company was kind of sad, at least his last film credit was in a fine film, in Sean Penn debut as a director.
One of Bronson finest moments in Europe was Le Passager de la Pluie. Early MacQueen work is somehow less known but also pretty good, like Never so few, or The War lover
I have this book!
But its more of a deathwish book than a pure bronson book. There are actually a few bronson biographies out there Iām not sure if they are still in print or not.
Not sure why I have to pick one over the other, but I think thereās a lot more depth to McQueenās work. Junior Bonner is one of my all-time favorites, and I really liked him in Tom Horn, although the latter didnāt receive nearly as many positive reviews.
McQueenās early life was pretty tough. His mother was basically an absentee mom, a whore and one of her later suitors was brutal with Steve. He grew up on a farm in Missouri and was a pretty tough kid. Definitely one that ācame up the hard way.ā
Charles Bronson
Tough choice, man. WHy these two!? Ok, I guess thatās the reason.
Went with McQueen (LE MANS bringing slight advantage) but wanted to go with Bronson immediately afterwards (all the J. Lee Thompson stuff).
We need a third option: BOTH!
Bronson
Bronson
McQueen was probably the better actor, but Iāve always had a soft spot for Charles Bronson so heāll have my vote.
Acting was not really their strength ā¦
Itās been a while since this topic was last visited - hereās my tuppence worthā¦
Steve and Charlesā¦

Well, they both appeared in two of my favourite top ten filmsā¦āThe Great Escapeā, and 'The Magnificent Sevenā. Of the two, Steve is my absolute on-screen hero, endowed with almost super-human coolness - especially as āHilts, the Cooler Kingā.
Charles had undeniable screen presence, but not to the same extent. He was stoic, with a face that belonged on Mount Rushmore - a talent that stood him in good stead as Harmonica in āOUATITWā.
Both actors were āstarsā, in the true sense of the word, who understood the art of saying everything, by saying nothing⦠No long speeches, no endless repartee that would earn them a place alongside Laurence Olivier or Shakespeareā¦simply screen magic that spoke volumes with a single glance, a solitary word, or a casual gesture of the hand, hat, or body.
Of the two, however, Steve will forever be my number one. That does not exclude Charles, but simply means that McQueen - although he made relatively few films before his untimely death from cancer - made movies that perfectly personified his life - a loner, a drifter, a man apartā¦
Having said that, the same description also applied to Charles Bronsonā¦
Hollywood āStarsā donāt need to be able to act, necessarily, but they do need to cast a spell on the viewersā¦
Bearing this in mind, Steve and Charles were magicians of the highest order.
I āpreferā Bronson (as he was in Once Upon A Time In The West) and have always thought that McQueen has a too ugly face.
Theyāre a pair of arseholes ⦠though undoubtedly with much screen charisma!