What is the name of Steve McQueen's character in The Great Escape?

Steve McQueen’s character in The Great Escape is Captain Virgil Hilts, nicknamed “the Cooler King.” Hilts is an American prisoner of war who repeatedly attempts to escape from German camps and is sent to the isolation compound, or “cooler,” after each effort.

The 1963 film is based on Paul Brickhill’s account of a mass escape from Stalag Luft III during World War II. In the story, Allied prisoners organize three tunnels—Tom, Dick, and Harry—with the goal of freeing 250 men. Hilts is not the operation’s overall leader; that role belongs to Richard Attenborough’s Roger Bartlett, or “Big X.”

McQueen’s character was fictionalized for the film and drew on several real American airmen, including David M. Jones, John Dortch Lewis, and Bill Ash. The famous motorcycle chase was also invented for the movie rather than taken from the real escape. McQueen performed much of the riding, while Bud Ekins completed the final jump. “Virgil Hilts” is therefore the canonical full name, while “the Cooler King” is his better-known nickname.