Fans of Oscar-winning actor Steve McQueen were shocked and saddened to learn of a devastating health update that he revealed recently.

According to People, during a routine health checkup while working on a movie project two years ago, McQueen found out he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

McQueen said that shortly after the diagnosis, he underwent surgery to remove the cancerous tissues and luckily made a full recovery, remaining cancer-free to this day.

The diagnosis came as he was working on his show, "Blitz," and decided to keep the cancer diagnosis secret from the cast and crew of the production in order to ensure the project was completed in a timely manner.

What happened?

McQueen recently opened up about why he decided to keep the potentially deadly diagnosis to himself at the time, stressing that he simply wanted the show to go on with as few interruptions as possible.

"I was just doing stuff in bed on the computer — working, emailing, and whatever," McQueen said, adding that he “kept it private at that stage."

The award-winning actor, also known for his role in "12 Years a Slave," said that after his recovery, he "really just wanted to get on with the job.” Adding, "And that's kind of like who I am. I'm a 'get on with it' kind of person."

Steve McQueen reveals prostate cancer diagnosis, paused filming ‘Blitz’ for treatment https://t.co/UAdzkpIand pic.twitter.com/h9MpjRcAWK

— New York Post (@nypost) November 14, 2024

People noted:

McQueen, whose father died of prostate cancer in 2006, launched a new campaign for Prostate Cancer Research. As a result of his family history and diagnosis, he is urging other men, especially Black men, to get early cancer screenings.

"In some ways, you could say my dad saved my life because, unfortunately, he died of it," the actor said.

He added, "I knew that if it did come my way if I did get it, it could be dealt with in an extremely effective way, and that’s the end of it,"

Preparing for it

During a recent event, McQueen stressed the importance of "pre-empting" cancer if one is prone to it, which is especially the case because of his father's condition, and given that Black men experienced prostate cancer at a higher rate.

"One in 12 Black men will die of prostate cancer," McQueen said.

"So for me, it was about preempting it. The fact that I was preempting the situation for years was, again, my savior in that way. So, just preempt it and get it early."