Tom Selleck looks back on his past.
The actor spoke to People about how he became a big TV star in the 1980s, at the age of 35, with the series Magnum PI in which he played a handsome detective living in Hawaii.
The 79-year-old Detroit native said he got the chance to become an actor after becoming a model.
When he starred in a Pepsi commercial in the late 1960s, he began to feel he could make a living as an actor, but it was a “long road” to fame that was fraught with many “failures,” he shared.
The Blue Bloods actor reflects on his career as he prepares to release his new memoir You Never Know, due out May 7.
Tom Selleck looks back on his past. The actor spoke to People about how he became a big TV star in the 1980s, at the age of 35, with the series Magnum PI in which he played a handsome detective living in Hawaii. Selleck on his hit show Magnum PI, which aired from 1980 to 1988
Selleck also starred as Dr. Richard Burke and Courteney Cox as Monica Geller on Friends.
Selleck plans to relax and travel when the curtain falls on the final episode of his hit crime show Blue Bloods. The actor’s 13-year run on the CBS series will end later this year.
His career began in his early 20s, but he would not become famous until his mid-30s.
Tom – who stands 6ft 4in – won a full basketball scholarship to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
He was studying business administration and hadn’t even set foot in the drama department.
But then he was cast as a basketball player in a Pepsi commercial. He was noticed during the commercial and then asked to join the popular TV show The Dating Game.
“It’s really the story of an accidental career,” he told the outlet. “I had never taken acting classes. I had no training, no desire.
Then he landed a role in the soap opera Young and the Young in 1967.
After that, he starred in shows like The Rockford Files, The FBI, Marcus Welby MD and Mannix.
But he had difficulty. Tom told People, “A lot of it is about failure, endless failure.” And he added: “If you want to get into acting, you better have an appetite for it. And I tried to communicate it… Because it was a long road.
At the age of 35, he landed the lead role of Thomas Magnum in the prime time series Magnum PI which became a cultural phenomenon.
The star received five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 1985.
The 79-year-old Detroit native said he got the chance to become an actor after becoming a model. When he starred in a Pepsi commercial in the late 1960s, he began to feel he could make a living as an actor, but it was a “long road” to fame that was fraught with many “failures,” he explained.
“People would say, ‘Oh, he was bitten by the acting bug,’ or ‘He wanted to be a star,'” Selleck said. “I’ve never talked that way in my life. I just wanted to find a employment and work.
This comes after he said he is still very much in love with his wife of almost 40 years, Jillie Mack, 66.
Their romance has lasted since they met in 1983.
Together they have daughter Hannah, 35, and adult son Kevin – who he shares with ex-wife Jacqueline Ray.
He films Blue Bloods in New York, but every couple of weeks he returns to his ranch in Ventura, California, where they relax together.
The star, who played Courteney Cox’s boyfriend on Friends, also spoke.
Selleck is still very much in love with his wife of almost 40 years, Jillie Mack, 66. Viewed in 2002
He films Blue Bloods in New York, but every couple of weeks he returns to his ranch in Ventura, California, where they relax together.
Tom first met Jillie in 1983, when they were in London; she starred in the musical Cats.
They tied it in 1987 and got Hannah the following year.
Selleck says he loves the “friendship” between him and his wife the most, adding, “And Jillie’s sense of humor.”
He added that Jillie was next to him when he was going through his Blue Bloods scripts.
“I’m one of the last to see it and I’m a good editor,” Selleck said.
And he says he appreciates it all: “I’ve had a very good life, a very lucky life. I don’t know if this is what I thought I would do, but it is with great gratitude.
It comes after he said he plans to relax when the curtain falls on the final episode of his hit crime show Blue Bloods.
The actor’s 13-year run on the CBS series will end later this year.
At age 35, he landed the lead role of Thomas Magnum in the prime-time series Magnum PI which became a cultural phenomenon.
The star received five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 1985; seen in 1980 in Los Angeles
And an insider explained that he doesn’t regret finishing because it would give him more time to spend on his ranch with his wife.
“He wants to relax on his ranch, walk around his property, spend time with his wife and family and travel a little,” a source told Closer magazine.
“Tom and Jillie can just stay home, cook, take a long walk and be very content. He adores Jillie and trusts her to plan activities or travel plans.
“He’s looking forward to having more free time to spend with her.”
His new book comes out on May 7
Tom lives in a 65-acre home near Ventura, California, where he grows avocados.
He explained to Closer how his wife is the center of his world: “Jillie has this kind of joie de vivre, this effervescent quality that lights up a room.”
He and Jillie have a close relationship with their daughter Hannah, 35, who is an accomplished horse rider.
The source said: “Tom is very close to Hannah and very proud of her competitive show jumping career.
“He hopes Hannah will find love and have children, but he’s not the type of father to insist.”
Tom’s first book, his memoir “You Never Know,” is due out May 7, but the source said it won’t be a kiss-and-tell type book.
They said: “This is not a reveal of Hollywood gossip. He shares his experiences in (show business) (and stories of how he met) big stars and how they affected him, and what he learned.
It was announced in November that season 14 of Blue Bloods would be its last.
The final season of the series will be divided into two parts, according to People. The first part of the final season will consist of 10 episodes starting February 16, 2024. The last eight episodes – the second part of the final season – will be broadcast in fall 2024.
Seen on Blue Bloods with Gregory Jbara and Treat Williams
The show will also stream live on Paramount+.
Blue Bloods became the second longest-running scripted show on CBS, behind NCIS (with 21 seasons).
Tom plays the character of Frank Regan, alongside Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Vanessa Ray, Marisa Ramirez and Len Cariou.