McQuarrie was born on June 13, 1929 in Gary, Indiana, a suburb close to Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in Billings, Montana. He was educated at the Art Center School. McQuarrie was married to Joan Benjamin from 1983 until his death in 2012. McQuarrie died on March 3, 2012 in Berkeley, California from Parkinson's disease, he was 82 years old.