Steven Chadwick McQueen (born July 13, 1988), known professionally as Steven R. McQueen, is an American actor, best known for his role as Jeremy Gilbert in The CW fantasy supernatural drama The Vampire Diaries from 2009 to 2015 and in 2017, and its spin-off Legacies in 2018. He also starred as Jimmy Borrelli in the NBC dramas Chicago Fire from 2015 to 2016 and Chicago P.D. in 2016, part of the One Chicago franchise.

Steven R. McQueen
McQueen at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Steven Chadwick McQueen

(1988-07-13) July 13, 1988 (age 36)
OccupationActor
Years active2005–2020
Notable work
Parent
Relatives

Early life

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McQueen was born in Los Angeles on July 13, 1988, to Stacey (née Toten, now Stacia Robitaille), a humanitarian and former actress, and Chad McQueen (1960–2024),[1] a race car driver and former actor.[2][3] His paternal grandparents are actor Steve McQueen[4] and Filipino actress Neile Adams. Neile Adams' niece is Filipino-Spanish socialite Isabel Preysler, mother of Chabeli Iglesias, Julio Iglesias Jr. and Enrique Iglesias, making McQueen and the Iglesiases second cousins.[5] His stepfather, Luc Robitaille, is a Hockey Hall of Fame-honored professional ice hockey executive and former player.[3][6] McQueen is the oldest of four children with a half-brother, Chase (born 1995),[7] and a half-sister, Madison (born 1996),[8] from his father's remarriage and a half-brother, Jesse Robitaille (born 1995),[9] from his mother's remarriage. His stage name is "Steven R. McQueen", the "R" referring to his stepfather's surname Robitaille. McQueen described his relationship with his father and his stepfather in an interview with the New York Post, "My stepdad has been more like a biological dad in my life. I'm pretty close with my biological dad, but I think of him more like an uncle. It's a good relationship."[10]

In his mid-teens, McQueen moved around from city to city with his parents, including living in Detroit and being home-schooled until his graduation. It was while living in Detroit that he started watching movies, including those of his grandfather, "From there, my passion for it slowly unfolded. I went to a couple of classes and I grew to love it."[6] Eventually, he packed his bags, moved back to Los Angeles and started taking acting classes.[6][11][10]

Career

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2005–2008: The beginning of an acting career

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McQueen made his television debut in September 2005 at the age of 17, appearing as a guest star in an episode of the short-lived CBS science fiction drama Threshold.[10] He subsequently guest-starred on a number of other CBS television series including Numb3rs, Without a Trace and CSI: Miami.[12][13][14] One of the more notable roles since his debut was a recurring role as Kyle Hunter for seven episodes of the fourth and final season of The WB drama Everwood from 2005 to 2006.[10] His character is a teenage piano prodigy and moody loner struggling to navigate his sexuality, the coming out storyline attempting to shine a light on the struggles young people face and to show that they are not alone.[15][16] Whilst McQueen co-starred in a short film, Club Soda in 2006,[17] it was in January 2008 that he made his feature film debut in the Disney Channel Original Movie Minutemen, where he played the villainous role of Derek Beaugard.[18] In an interview, McQueen was asked if portraying a mean character in the film was challenging and he replied, "You know, it was actually really fun because I'm not really that mean in real life. It's all just pretend and really fun."[19]

2009–2015: The Vampire Diaries, modelling work and his inspiration

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In March 2009, McQueen was cast as Jeremy Gilbert in The CW's television adaptation of L. J. Smith's The Vampire Diaries novels and starred for the first six seasons until 2015.[20] Gilbert was written to have left Mystic Falls for art school when it was announced that the sixth season would be McQueen's last.[21] His performance in the drama earned him a nomination for the Choice TV Male Scene Stealer Award in the 2013 Teen Choice Awards.[22] McQueen made a special appearance in 2017 in the series finale to reprise his role by helping out at the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted, and once more in 2018 as a special guest star in his role as Jeremy Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries' spin-off Legacies.[23] Besides being a vampire hunter on-screen, McQueen starred in a loose remake of the 1978 horror film Piranha, titled Piranha 3D in 2010, with an ensemble cast including Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Jerry O'Connell, among others. He played a socially awkward kid who fell in love with a girl two years his senior.[24]

Away from the small screen, McQueen joined fellow actors Christa B. Allen, Colton Haynes and Debby Ryan as a fashion model for the American lifestyle retailer Abercrombie & Fitch in their Spring 2014 "The Making of a Star" advertising campaign.[25][26][27] In both the video and print, he explained his inspiration of following his grandfather's footsteps to become an actor, "As a kid growing up in Detroit I longed to be a Superhero. Later on I started watching movies my grandpa (Steve McQueen) did, and I saw what an impact they made on the world. That's when I said, 'Hey, I want to do that too.' ..."[28][29]

2015–2020: Chicago Fire and other projects

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Ten years since his acting debut, McQueen joined the cast of the NBC drama Chicago Fire, in the premiere of the fourth season as Jimmy Borrelli in 2015, a new candidate assigned to Firehouse 51.[30] McQueen was credited as a recurring cast member for the first six episodes and was added to the main cast from the seventh episode. In addition, he also guest-starred in the crossover episodes of Chicago P.D. in 2016, as part of the One Chicago franchise created by Dick Wolf.[31] At the beginning of Season 5, Borrelli took matters into his own hands during a fire call and suffered a career-ending injury. McQueen's run on the show ended in the second episode of the fifth season in October 2016.[32]

In 2018, in addition to being a special guest star in The CW's fantasy drama Legacies, McQueen co-starred in a short film, The Take Off that had its world premiere at the 2018 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.[33] He also starred in a television film for Hallmark Original Movies, Home by Spring,[34] and ended the year off by starring as the U.S. Medal of Honor recipient, awarded posthumously, Joseph Vittori in an episode of Netflix's anthology documentary series Medal of Honor.[35]

In 2020, McQueen starred alongside the lead actor Neal McDonough and co-star Casper Van Dien in a Western television film for INSP, The Warrant. He explained how he got involved in the film, "Neal's been a family friend for a long time so he called me and we had a conversation about it and he said it was gonna be a Western and we'd get to shoot some guns and have a good time..."[36]

Personal life

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McQueen in 2012

McQueen announced his engagement to model Alexandra Silva on Instagram on January 25, 2018, with a black and white photo and the quote "She said yes",[37][38] but they called off their engagement in May 2018.[39]

Philanthropy

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Since as early as 2014, McQueen has been a supporter of the Thirst Project, a nonprofit organization whose aim is to bring safe drinking water to communities around the world where it is not immediately available. He lends his support by attending at their annual fundraising event, the Annual Thirst Gala, as well as travelling to the Kingdom of Eswatini to help to construct water installations.[40][41][42][43] He also supports TECHO, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes youth volunteers to fight extreme poverty in Latin America, by constructing transitional housing and implementing social inclusion programs,[44][45] and Echoes of Hope, a nonprofit organization founded by his parents Stacia and Luc Robitaille, to help at-risk and emancipated foster youth succeed and reach their full potential.[46][47]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2006 Club Soda The Kid Short film [17]
2010 Piranha 3D Jake Forester [24]
2018 The Take Off J.J. Cullings Short film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2005 Threshold Jordan Peters Episode: "Blood of the Children" [10]
2005–2006 Everwood Kyle Hunter Recurring role; 7 episodes [10]
2008 Minutemen Derek Beaugard Television film for Disney Channel Original Movie [18]
Numb3rs Craig Ezra Episode: "Atomic No. 33" [12]
Without a Trace Will Duncan Episode: "True/False" [13]
CSI: Miami Keith Walsh Episode: "Gone Baby Gone" [14]
2009–2015, 2017 The Vampire Diaries Jeremy Gilbert Main role (season 1–6); special appearance (season 8) episode: "I Was Feeling Epic" [20][48]
2015–2016 Chicago Fire Jimmy Borrelli Main role (seasons 4–5) [30]
2016 Chicago P.D. Guest role (season 3) [31]
2018 Home by Spring Wayne Hancock Television film for Hallmark Original Movie [34]
Legacies Jeremy Gilbert Episode: "We're Being Punked, Pedro" [48]
Medal of Honor Joseph Vittori Episode: "Joseph Vittori" [35]
2020 The Warrant Cal Breaker Television film for INSP [49]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2006 Beverly Hills Film Festival Best Male Performance Club Soda Won [50]
2013 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer The Vampire Diaries Nominated [22]

References

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  1. ^ Bechara, Diego Ramos (September 12, 2024). "Chad McQueen, 'The Karate Kid' Star and Steve McQueen's Son, Dies at 63". Variety. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  2. ^ "The Birth of Steven McQueen". californiabirthindex.org. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Steven R. McQueen Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  4. ^ Bentley, Jean (January 28, 2010). "'Vampire Diaries' Star Steven R. McQueen Dishes On Dude-Bonding Roadtrips And Filming In Atlanta". MTV Networks. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  5. ^ "Enrique Iglesias and Steven R. McQueen are second cousins". geni.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c Peretz, Evgenia (December 2, 2010). "The Real McQueen". Hive. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "The Birth of Chase McQueen". californiabirthindex.org. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "911 Love: an interview with Madison McQueen". Porsche. March 25, 2021. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  9. ^ O'Brien, James (July 10, 2011). "Luc Robitaille's 16-year-old son Jessarae launches attempt at music career". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Kaplan, Don (October 31, 2005). "McQueen of Hearts – The 17-year-old Grandson of Screen-legend Steve McQueen Quietly Made His TV Debut This Month as (What Else?) a Prodigy". New York Post. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  11. ^ Sampson, Des (July 6, 2011). "Steven R. McQueen: Acting is in his blood". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Numb3rs Atomic No. 33". Apple TV+. May 2, 2008. Archived from the original on January 13, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Without a Trace True/False". Apple TV+. October 21, 2008. Archived from the original on December 30, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "CSI: Miami Gone Baby Gone". Apple TV+. November 17, 2008. Archived from the original on December 29, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  15. ^ Charing, Steve (April 26, 2006). "Everwood's Coming Out Scene Hits the Mark". stevecharing.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  16. ^ "Everwood An Ounce of Prevention". Apple TV+. April 10, 2006. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  17. ^ a b ClubSodaTheFilm. Paul Carafotes. August 20, 2006. Archived from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  18. ^ a b Nordyke, Kimberly (December 6, 2007). "McQueen on clock for Dis' 'Minutemen'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  19. ^ "An Interview with... Minutemen's Steven McQueen". Tiger Beat. February 7, 2008. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Roffman, Marisa (January 11, 2015). "'The Vampire Diaries' Steven R. McQueen to Exit". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  21. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (February 12, 2015). "Why Steven R. McQueen's The Vampire Diaries Goodbye "Feels Like a Victory"". E!. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "2013 Teen Choice Awards: The Winners List". MTV. August 11, 2013. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  23. ^ Swift, Andy (August 1, 2018). "Vampire Diaries' Steven R. McQueen to Reprise His Role on Spinoff Legacies". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  24. ^ a b Rodriguez, Matt (n.d.). "Steven R. McQueen (Piranha 3D)". shakefire.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  25. ^ Lewis, Casey (January 30, 2014). "From Colton Haynes to Debby Ryan, Young Hollywood Rocks This New Abercrombie & Fitch Campaign". Teen Vogue. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  26. ^ Ossad, Jordana (January 31, 2014). "Colton Haynes, Steven R. McQueen and More Celebs Star in New Abercrombie & Fitch Campaign". E!. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  27. ^ Lewis, Casey (February 24, 2014). "Abercrombie & Fitch Celebrated Their New Star-Studded Campaign with an Equally Star-Studded Soiree". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  28. ^ Steven R McQueen Superhero. Abercrombie & Fitch. 2014. 0:06 minutes in. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  29. ^ "Steven R. McQueen Goes Shirtless for New Abercrombie Campaign". toofab.com. January 31, 2014. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  30. ^ a b Wagmeister, Elizabeth (July 21, 2015). "'The Vampire Diaries' Alum Steven R. McQueen Joins Cast of 'Chicago Fire'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  31. ^ a b "'Chicago Fire' season 4: Steven R. McQueen now a series regular". cartermatt.com. January 7, 2016. Archived from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  32. ^ Gelman, Vlada (October 18, 2016). "Chicago Fire Boss Talks [Spoiler]'s Exit Following Jimmy vs. Boden Battle". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  33. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 17, 2018). "Santa Barbara Film Festival Lineup Unveiled". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  34. ^ a b Bergeron, Judy (March 27, 2018). "Filmed in picturesque St. Francisville, Hallmark's 'Home by Spring' premieres Saturday". The Advocate. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  35. ^ a b Riebe, Angie (November 12, 2018). "Netflix series features Minnesota veteran". Minnesota Public Radio. Mesabi Daily News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  36. ^ Moghaddami, Victoria (June 22, 2020). "'The Warrant' Stars Casper Van Dien and Steven R. McQueen Get Candid About the Classic Western (Exclusive)". popculture.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  37. ^ Heller, Corinne (January 25, 2018). "The Vampire Diaries' Steven R. McQueen Is Engaged". E!. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  38. ^ Webber, Stephanie (January 25, 2018). "'Vampire Diaries' Alum Steven McQueen Is Engaged to Model Alexandra Silva". usmagazine.com. US Weekly. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  39. ^ Rodriguez, Karla (May 5, 2018). "'Vampire Diaries' Alum Steven McQueen and Model Alexandra Silva Call Off Their Engagement". usmagazine.com. US Weekly. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  40. ^ Hiser, Lisa (June 24, 2014). "McClain, Steven R McQueen, Debby Ryan & More Attend 2014 Thirst Gala + Interviews". shineon-media.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  41. ^ Henry, Brian (March 21, 2019). "World Water Day: How the Thirst Project Is Working with Students to End the Global Water Crisis". Cheddar. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  42. ^ McQueen, Steven R. [@steven_r_mcqueen] (March 12, 2021). "Feel like giving clean water visit and donate at @thirstproject". Retrieved May 19, 2021 – via Instagram.
  43. ^ McQueen, Steven R. [@steven_r_mcqueen] (May 8, 2021). "Give water give life @thirstproject". Retrieved May 19, 2021 – via Instagram.
  44. ^ Vogt, Tiffany (March 31, 2018). "EXCLUSIVE : HOME BY SPRING Scoop: Shining The Spotlight On Steven R. McQueen". seat42f.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  45. ^ McQueen, Steven R. [@steven_r_mcqueen] (May 28, 2020). "Feel like donating or volunteering? Check out @techo_org Great organization that helps communities all through Latin America". Retrieved May 19, 2021 – via Instagram.
  46. ^ Matalucci, Cindy (July 10, 2014). "Echoes of Hope All In For Hope Celeb Poker Tournament". thepulsesd.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  47. ^ McQueen, Steven R. [@steven_r_mcqueen] (December 18, 2018). "@ourechoesofhope Holiday party 🎁". Retrieved May 19, 2021 – via Instagram.
  48. ^ a b Swift, Andy (October 31, 2018). "Legacies First Look: Vampire Diaries' Jeremy Gilbert Returns to Mystic Falls". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  49. ^ Pavlica, Carissa (June 20, 2020). "Neal McDonough and Steven R. McQueen Talk INSP's The Warrant". tvfanatic.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  50. ^ Kilday, Gregg (April 18, 2007). "'Occupation' takes home Golden Palm". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
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