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Article: THE ORIGINAL GREATESCAPER; He was the model for Steve McQueen's audacious war hero. But Squadron Leader Eric Foster's life was more extraordinary than any film.
- Article from:
- Daily Mail (London)
- Article date:
- March 29, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: ROBERT HARDMAN
HUNDREDS of millions have seen his exploits over the years. In fact, the Christmas holidays cannot pass without him popping up on one of the main channels. The world knows him as Captain Virgil Hilts, the 'Cooler King' in the 1963 classic The Great Escape.
Actually, most of the world probably knows him simply as Steve McQueen, the actor playing the American prisoner of war whose desperate quest for freedom culminates in the most famous motorcycle chase in Hollywood history.
Except the real Virgil Hilts was not American, he never rode a motorbike and he wasn't called Virgil Hilts either.
His character was based on ...