Tom Selleck looks back on his past.
The actor has spoken People about how he became a big TV star in the 1980s at the age of 35 with the show Magnum PI, in which he played a handsome detective living in Hawaii.
The 79-year-old Detroit native said he had some luck with acting after becoming a model.
Starring in a Pepsi commercial in the late 1960s gave him the feeling he could make a living as an actor, but it was a “long road” to fame that was littered with many “failures,” he said.
The Blue Bloods actor is reminiscing about his career as he is set to release his new memoir You Never Know on May 7.
Tom Selleck looks back on his past. The actor has spoken to People about how he became a huge TV star at the age of 35 in the 1980s with the show Magnum PI, in which he played a handsome detective living in Hawaii. Selleck in his hit show Magnum PI, which ran from 1980 to 1988
Selleck also had a role as Dr. Richard Burke and Courteney Cox as Monica Geller in Friends
Selleck plans to relax and travel when the curtain falls on the final episode of his hit cop show Blue Bloods. The actor’s 13-year run on the CBS series is coming to an end later this year
His career started in his early twenties, but he wouldn’t become famous until his mid-thirties.
Tom – who is 6 feet tall – won a full basketball scholarship to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
He studied business administration and didn’t even get into the theater department.
But then he was chosen to star as a basketball player in a Pepsi commercial. He was noticed during the commercial and was subsequently asked to appear on the popular TV show The Dating Game.
“It’s basically the story of an accidental career,” he told the outlet. ‘I never took an acting class. I had no education, no desire.”
He then landed a role on the soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1967.
He then guest-starred on shows like The Rockford Files, The FBI, Marcus Welby MD and Mannix.
But he struggled. Tom told People: “It’s a lot about failure, endless failure.” And he added, “If you’re going to be in the acting business, you better get into it. And that’s what I was trying to convey… Because it was kind of a long road.”
At the age of 35, he landed the lead role as Thomas Magnum in the primetime series Magnum PI, which became a cultural phenomenon.
The star received five Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 1985.
The 79-year-old Detroit native said he had some luck with acting after becoming a model. Starring in a Pepsi commercial in the late 1960s gave him the feeling he could make a living as an actor, but it was a “long road” to fame that was littered with many “failures,” he said.
“People would say, ‘Oh, he was bitten by the acting bug,’ or, ‘He wanted to be a star,'” Selleck said. ‘I’ve never spoken like that in my life. I just wanted to get a job 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 continued since they met in 1983.
Together they have daughter Hannah, 35, and adult son Kevin, whom he shares with ex-wife Jacqueline Ray.
He films Blue Bloods in New York City, but comes home every two weeks to his ranch in Ventura, California, where they relax together.
The star, who played Courteney Cox’s boyfriend in Friends, also spoke
Selleck is still very much in love with his almost 40-year-old wife Jillie Mack, 66. Seen in 2002
He films Blue Bloods in New York City, but comes home every two weeks to his ranch in Ventura, California, where they relax together
Tom first met Jillie in 1983 when they were in London; she performed in the musical Cats.
They broke up the band in 1987 and had Hannah the following year.
Selleck says what he loves most is “the friendship” between him and his wife, adding, “And Jillie’s sense of humor.”
He added that Jillie stands next to him when he goes over 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 happy life. I don’t know if this is what I thought I would do, but it is with a lot of gratitude.’
This comes after he said he plans to relax when the curtain falls on the final episode of his hit cop show Blue Bloods.
The actor’s 13-year run on the CBS series is coming to an end later this year.
At the age of 35, he landed the lead role as Thomas Magnum in the primetime series Magnum PI, which became a cultural phenomenon.
The star received five Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 1985; seen in 1980 in LA
And an insider has said he has no regrets about it being completed as it will give him more time to spend with his wife on his ranch.
“He wants to relax on his ranch, walk around his property, spend time with his wife and family and travel a bit,” the source said. Poet magazine.
‘Tom and Jillie can just sit at 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 spending more free time with her.”
His new book will be published on May 7
Tom lives in a 65-acre home near Ventura, California, where he grows avocados.
He told Closer how his wife is the center of his world: “Jillie has this kind of zest for life, this effervescent quality that just lights up a room.”
He and Jillie have a close relationship with their daughter Hannah, 35, an experienced rider.
The source said: ‘Tom has a really good bond with Hannah and is very proud of her competitive show jumping career.
“He hopes Hannah finds love and has children, but he’s not the type of father to put pressure on that.”
Tom’s first book, his memoir ‘You Never Know’, will be released on May 7, but the insider said it won’t be a kiss-and-tell type book.
They said, ‘It’s not a gossipy Hollywood story. He shares his experiences in show business (and stories) about how he met some big stars and how they influenced him, and what he learned.”
In November, it was announced that season 14 of Blue Bloods will be the last.
The final season of the show will be split into two parts, according to the BBC People. Part one of the final season will consist of ten episodes, starting on February 16, 2024. The final eight episodes – part two of the final season – will air 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 Frank Regan, starring Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Vanessa Ray, Marisa Ramirez and Len Cariou.