The Life Of Tom Selleck On And Off The Big Screen
A fan favorite for a while now, Tom Selleck has always stood out from the Hollywood crowd thanks to his high morals and outstanding talent. All the same, even the best can fall and make mistakes. When they do come across times like these, that’s when their true character shines through.
Tom Selleck His Life On And Behind The Screen
At last, Tom Selleck is opening up about all he’s been through and the effect these things had on his life, not to mention those around him. This is the story of Tom Selleck in a way you’ve never heard before.
Dreamer
Born in Detroit, Tom Selleck moved to California when he was a kid. His dad was a real estate investor while his mom was a housewife. Both of his parents taught him about the importance of a disciplined work ethic. Years later, Tom taught his daughter the same thing.
Dreamer
It seemed like Tom had a lot of respect for his parents. When he spoke about his mother’s passing in 2017, this is what he had to say on the matter: “She’s always been there and always been very fair — even when she said, ‘Wait till your father gets home,’ which usually was for good reason.”
Not The NBA
Did you know Tom’s first career choice wasn’t acting? In fact, he pursued a degree in Business Administration at the University of South California for a while. He paid the tuition with the basketball scholarship he received, and he worked as a model to make ends meet.
Not The NBA
His drama coach was actually the one to suggest he try acting, and Tom listened. He studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and became one of the most respected and like actors in Hollywood.
My Country
For 6 years, Tom served in the US military. The entire time he was there, he had minor television roles. He clearly knew how to manage his time efficiently! He became a member of the California Army National Guard’s 160th Infantry Regiment.
My Country
Thinking back on his military service, Selleck said, “I am a veteran, I’m proud of it. I was a sergeant in the U.S. Army infantry, National Guard, Vietnam era. We’re all brothers and sisters in that sense.”
Influence
Selleck admitted that the first time in a while he truly felt like a grown man was when he turned 70 years old. The only other moment he felt like that was when his father passed away back in 2011.
Influence
“I had had a lot of leadership positions,” Selleck explained, “I had been in the military… but you know, in my case, when my father died, I go, ‘There’s nobody to go to for fatherly advice. You’re on your own, pal’.”
Only The Start
Back when he was in college, Tom worked as a model. Surprisingly, that wasn’t what urged him to pursue acting. Rather, it was his college fraternity brothers and drama coach to do so. And so, Tom auditioned for the TV show The Dating Game. As it turns out, this piece of advice was some of the best he ever got!
Only The Start
After he appeared on the show, he got a call from Pepsi to star in their commercial. Soon enough, more offers started pouring in as Tom’s fan base was beginning to grow. As we know now, he became a successful actor in Hollywood!
Opportunity
One of the most significant opportunities Tom had gotten was from Twentieth Century Fox. He grabbed their attention and they couldn’t wait to sign him up as soon as possible.
Opportunity
Naturally, the actor seized the chance and showed up at the training class the very next day. That led to him starring in several of their films! One thing is for sure, it was a great deal for both parties.
Soap Opera Kid
The fact that Tom Selleck has starred in movies from all genres is impressive in itself. From suspense to action, mystery, and romance, he’s done just about everything. However, can you picture him in a soap opera? Well, you don’t need to look very far as he took a minor role on the TV soap opera The Young and the Restless.
Tom Selleck
His character, Jed Andrews, was caught in a love triangle. It turned out that Tom Selleck would have the very same problem in his real life as well! Who would have thought?
Beginnings
The biggest lead role Tom got was as Thomas Magnum in Magnum P.I. At the time, he was 35 and had done several odd jobs in Hollywood before he was offered this role. To film the TV series, he needed to fly out to Hawaii.
Beginnings
His struggles hadn’t ended there, however. Due to the fact that was a writer’s strike, the shoot was delayed. Selleck took it upon himself to become a handyman in order to make some money during those six months.
Magnum P.I.
For 8 years, the TV show Magnum P.I. ran, with a total of 163 episodes. It was appointment television before that became an official thing.
Magnum P.I.
Set against the Hawaiin backdrop, the series was filled with humor, action, and eclectic characters. Die-hard fans would easily recognize Thomas Magnum and his Hawaiin shirts, Detroit Tigers cap, red Ferrari, and of course, his mustache!
They See Me Rollin’
Often seen driving his iconic red Ferarri, did you know that Thomas Magnum was meant to drive another car? In fact, he was supposed to drive a Porsche.
They See Me Rollin’
Due to the fact that Tom is so tall, he couldn’t fit inside the Porsche because of its small size. That’s when it was replaced with the Ferrari. Ferrari sales increased significantly once Magnum was seen cruising around in one.
Nothing But Respect
In 1996, Larry Manetti, who played Rick in Magnum P.I., published his memoir. As he spent a lot of time with Tom Selleck while shooting the series, you’d think he’d spill some dirty secrets about the actor.
Nothing But Respect
However, Larry had nothing but praise to write about Tom Selleck! He truly admired the actor’s strong work ethic, a good relationship with the rest of the cast, and his incredible charity efforts.
Star!
Unsurprisingly, Tom Selleck has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Seeing as his work on Magnum P.I. seriously boosted his career, it was only a matter of time.
Star
There’s no doubt that Selleck is a huge figure in the entertainment industry. If you want to get a closer look at his star, head to 6925 Hollywood Boulevard for a visit.
One, Two
We bet you can’t picture anyone but Tom Selleck playing Magnum. Well, neither can we. However, the truth is that Tom almost didn’t get the part in the first place.
One Two
The producers of the show were initially considering Kevin Dobson for the iconic role. However, Dobson was already an established actor with a very busy schedule so he turned down the offer. Oh well, it’s his loss!
A Miss
The producers of Magnum P.I. gave Selleck strict conditions. For one, he wasn’t allowed to work on other projects while filming the television series. At the time, it was difficult as Tom’s popularity was on the rise and it was hard to turn down offers.
A Miss
As a matter of fact, he was actually offered lead roles in Raiders of the Lost Ark and had to pass the opportunity to Harrison Ford. The movie’s shooting schedule coincided with that of Magnum P.I. However, as we know now, the first season of the show was delayed, meaning that Tom would have been able to complete both projects had he known this ahead of time!
Swing And A Miss
As it turns out, Raiders of the Lost Ark isn’t the only opportunity Tom Selleck had to turn down. He was also offered the role of King Marchand in Victor/Victoria, a 1982 that starred Julie Andrews. In any case, he wasn’t sure about taking the role, to begin with.
Swing And A Miss
By the time Tom was ready to accept the role, it had already been given to James Garner. In addition, he had already signed the contract for Magnum P.I. Some things just aren’t meany to be.
Creative Team
Aside from acting on camera, Tom’s work didn’t end there – he did work behind it as well. When Tom was given a character sketch of Thomas Magnum, he spoke about his concerns. He didn’t want Magnum to another James Bond. Instead, he suggested that the character should be a more approachable guy.
Creative Team
As it turns out, this was a great suggestion. In fact, this detail actually helped the storyline flow more smoothly. We aren’t sure if the TV series would be as successful or even more successful without Tom’s request.
First Wife
After dating for a year, Tom Selleck and model Jacqueline Ray got married. They lived together for eleven years and Tom even adopted her son Kevin. However, the couple eventually got divorced. You’d think that Tom would cut ties with the model and her son, given that Kevin isn’t his real son.
First Wife
However, clearly, Tom is nothing like a lot of other men. To this day, Selleck still maintains a close relationship with his son even after the divorce was finalized. How sweet is that?
A Superstar of Its Own
Naturally, Tom Selleck is known for his glorious mustache. Some would go so far as saying his mustache is as famous as he is himself. While he didn’t have it at the beginning of his career, it has become such an iconic symbol that the actor would be impossible to recognize without it.
A Superstar of Its Own
It has become an inseparable part of the actor’s brand. However, oftentimes, Selleck gets mistaken for Lee Horsley thanks to his famous mustache.
Agree to Disagree
Tom Selleck gets mistaken for more actors aside from Lee Horsley. In fact, Tom has been mistaken many times for Burt Reynolds. However, Tom has jokes a lot about it, saying he was unworthy of the backhanded compliment.
Agree To Disagree
He said, “There was a time I could have been mistaken for Burt Reynolds. I had a mustache and so did he. But he was the number one star in the world, so there wasn’t really much confusion.”
Ay Baby
While Magnum P.I. has remained Tom Selleck’s more successful project, he has actually starred in multiple movies before beginning the series.
Ay Baby
For instance, a year before Selleck began shooting for the hit TV series, he starred in Three Men and a Baby alongside Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg. The comedy movie was a box office hit, earning $170 million gross sales just in the US!
Love Story
As time went on, Tom moved on from his first marriage and ended up meeting Jillie Mack. A year before shooting the final season of Magnum P.I., Tom and Jillie tied the knot.
Love Story
It seems to be that this marriage is the one that would last a lifetime, unlike Tom’s first marriage. In 2017, the couple celebrated their 30th anniversary! Currently, the two live in California and have a daughter, Hannah.
Small Role
Occasionally, Tom Selleck’s family members would make appearances in Magnum P.I. While their roles were small, it’s still pretty awesome to think that the actor was so influential that he was able to pull the strings that would make it happen.
Small Role
To top it off, in the fourth season of the famous television series, Tom’s wife, Jillie Mack made an appearance herself! How cool is that?
The Right
While most celebrities prefer to keep their political opinions to themselves, Tom Selleck never had an issue speaking out about his political affiliations throughout his career.
The Right
He’s always been an open Republican and even publicly endorsed John McCain back in 2008. Not to mention, he’s a member and part of the board of directors of the National Rifle Association.
Neither Here Nor There
Despite the fact that Tom is very vocal about his political stand, he didn’t endorse any candidate in the 2016 elections. Even now, he hasn’t revealed whether he had been a Trump or Clinton supporter.
Neither Here Nor There
All the same, he’s known to have sent David Brown, the former Dallas Police Department Chief, a letter to show his appreciation of the officer’s leadership during the police shooting back in 2016.
Cha-Ching
It goes without saying, but Tom has had a very long acting career that is still going strong! He’s starred in over 50 movies and TV shows. You’d think that he’d have earned around a billion dollars by now, wouldn’t you?
Cha-Ching
However, the famous actor has around $25 million to his name nowadays. There are newer actors today that are actually getting paid a good deal more than him.
Baywatch
Baywatch’s Mitch Buchannon seems to be the perfect role for Tom Selleck. But, as it turns out, Tom turned down the role and it eventually went to David Hasselhoff. Considering the show was a massive hit, you’d think Tom regrets his decision.
Baywatch
Well, it doesn’t seem to be the case here. After all, the reason Tom turned down the epic role was due to the fact that he refused to become a sex symbol.
Dr. Richard Burke
If you’ve ever watched the hit TV show Friends, then you’ve definitely seen Tom Selleck play Dr. Richard Burke. Just in case you need a reminder, the character was a divorced ophthalmologist who dated Monica Geller for a while.
Dr. Richard Burke
While Selleck was only on the show for a few episodes, he did manage to get a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in the Primetime Emmy Awards. That just goes to show how great of an actor he is!
Frank Reagan
Years later, Tom began playing Frank Reagan in the TV show Blue Bloods. The character is a high-ranking police officer. In the show, the officers around him, and in general, salute him and admire him.
Frank Reagan
Did you know that he gets the same amount of respect from real police officers in real life? Tom does demand that sort of respect. This is why he was perfect for the role of the police commissioner.
Dad Jokes
Who could have guessed that Tom Selleck has a great sense of humor? His Blue Bloods co-star, Donnie Wahlberg, had something to say on the matter: “He can [be funny], yes, usually after he makes sure everyone understands what’s important.”
Dad Jokes
He continued, “It would feel like Christmas on a Tuesday night in August when my dad started telling jokes and it’s the same thing with Tom when he starts with his oddball jokes and his weird rhymes that he tells from 1930 that are so funny. Everybody feels so much lighter and happier.”
An Affair To Remember
While Tom seems to have a strong set of morals, he did have his share of affairs once upon a time. Marie Helvin, a model has revealed that her relationship with the actor was more than casual. She wrote in her memoir: “When I visited Hawaii once, Tom Selleck was shooting for Magnum PI.”
An Affair To Remember
“We met and bit of an affair started, then Selleck came to London, we had dinner and went back to his hotel. But the next morning, I sent him a letter to break off this relationship because I was worried about my married life. Later on after a week, he joined Musical Cats backstage and met his wife-to-be.”
Tom and Mimi
Back in the 1980s, Tom Selleck and Mimi Rogers were one of the most controversial couples. The relationship was a scandalous one, especially since it happened so soon after the rumored affair with Marie Helvin.
Tom And Mimi
It goes without saying, but the two didn’t stay together for very long. Tom went on to marry Jillie Mack and Mimi Rogers ended up marrying Tom Cruise.
Grilled By Rosie
While promoting his 1999 movie, The Love Letter, Tom Selleck made an appearance on Rosie O’Donnell’s show. The actor left quite a strong impression while on the show, there’s no doubt about it.
Grilled By Rosie
Instead of interviewing him about the movie, the host interrogated the actor about his stand on gun ownership. After getting fed up with the questions, Selleck told her, “It’s your show, and you can talk about it after I leave”.
Killers
Tom went on to play Mr. Kornfeldt in the movie Killers. In an interview, his co-star, Ashton Kutcher explained his casting process. “I call Mr. Kornfeldt ‘Sir’ in the script a lot. And I was thinking, ‘Who am I going to call Sir?’ Who’s a bigger guy, who’s got an intimidating thing, but doesn’t have to try to be intimidating?”
Killers
He immediately thought of Tom Selleck for the role, and he was completely right – Tom was the perfect man for the role! The two actors were great in the movie together.
A Break
There’s no doubt that Tom was dedicated to his work. But, there was still one thing that he loved more than acting, and that was his family. After having the crazy filming schedule of Magnum P.I. for so long, he decided he needed to spend some time with his wife and daughter.
A Break
And so, the actor took a break from acting. This is a rather remarkable feat as not many actors would sacrifice their successful careers to spend time with their families!
Hard Times
Aside from precious family time, there was another significant reason Selleck decided to take a break from acting. What was it? “I’ve found it very difficult to expose my private life and live with it”.
Hard Times
The actor continued, explaining, “It’s important to nurture your marriage. I think wanting time away from work has been good for that.” He is very right about that.
Reasons Reasons
While being interviewed for Closer Weekly, Tom admitted he began to get tired with Magnum P.I. after a while. “Magnum, P.I. went to 163 shows and we still had ground to cover, and I wasn’t tired of it.”
Reasons Reasons
He continued, “I was tired from it because I was in every shot.” Tom explained that in contrast to this, his work in Blue Bloods was more ideal since he didn’t need to work every single day.
Not The Only Reason
Aside from being overworked, there was another thing Tom wanted that the show couldn’t provide. “I quit Magnum to have a family,” he said. “It took a long time to get off the train, but I try very hard to have balance.”
Not The Only Reason
He wasn’t able to do that while filming Magnum P.I. as it had an incredibly busy shooting schedule. So, he quit his role. The sacrifice was made and he hasn’t looked back since.
Words of Wisdom
As we know, Jillie Mack isn’t Tom’s first wife. All the same, it’s obvious that she’s a keeper. The two have been married for over 30 years now! It’s a seriously impressive feat, especially in Hollywood. When he was asked about the success of his marriage, Tom said nurturing the relationship is vital.
Words Of Wisdom
Yes, work is important, but you need to make spending time with your spouse a priority as well. Seeing how good his relationship is with Jillie, we bet Selleck knows what he’s talking about.
I Do
In 1987, Tom and Jill got married. In fact, they were so discreet about the matter that the minister who married them didn’t know their real identities until just a few minutes before the actual ceremony.
I Do
They even had aliases for themselves as “Suzi Mark” and “Tom Jenkins.” Tom’s brother, Bob Selleck, organized the wedding, which was held at Lake Tahoe in Nevada. It must have been beautiful.
Nervous
You probably know this by now, but Tom Selleck is a caring and loving man. If you aren’t convinced yet, you would simply need to take the word of Rev. David Immel for it. He was actually Selleck and Mack’s wedding officiant.
Nervous
Speaking about the couple, he said, “They were both nervous, like any other couple about to get married. He was very concerned that the service be heartfelt, very concerned for her that the service be meaningful. He is a very warm, caring man.”
My Daughter, Hannah
Just like most fathers, Tom Selleck is very protective of his daughter, Hannah. He and his wife went to great lengths in order to keep her away from the cameras while she was growing up.
My Daughter Hannah
However, Hannah would sometimes take modeling jobs in order to help out her friends and sponsors. She’s an equestrian and sometimes, she had to do what she had to do.
Encouragement
You’ve probably seen many, many celebrity children basking in their parents’ spotlight. However, Hannah wasn’t raised in Hollywood. In fact, she spent most of her childhood out on the farm. It was there where she discovered her love of horses.
Encouragement
“As a kid they tried to raise me as normally as possible given my dad’s line of work. Those horses have been a great way for me to have my own accomplishments outside of whatever my parents had done,” she revealed.
Our Decision
One question we’re curious about is, how did Tom and Jill decide to raise Hannah on a 65-acre ranch? Well, it’s reported that the couple talked about the matter at length.
Our Decision
“We both thought it was the best environment for [Hannah] to grow up,” Jillie explained. And they were right! Seeing how Hannah has grown into the great woman that she is, they certainly made the best decision for her.
Farm Life
Aside from being an equestrian, Hannah is also a businesswoman. Her love for horses knows no bounds. “I have a small breeding program in California where I’m developing young horses to bring along and sell.” She said.
Farm Life
“It’s a business that so far has been really great and a great experience,” she continued. “It is a very expensive sport, so that is why my dad encouraged and invested in this breeding operation. They have been very supportive. The prices of horses have become astronomical. So that’s why it’s so much more rewarding to bring a horse along on your own.”
How Far?
Clearly, Tom doesn’t do jobs half-heartedly. He gives his all for anything he chooses to do. Maybe the best way to illustrate this is to tell the story of his avocado farm and the drought that threatened to destroy it. When the actor took a break from Hollywood, he focused on the family’s farm.
How Far?
However, there was a serious drought in California at the time. Instead of just accepting it, Selleck broke the law by hiring a truck to transfer water worth $1.4 million dollars from a nearby hydrant. This, of course, kept the farm running. All the same, a crime is a crime, and Tom soon faced the consequences of his actions.