Tom Selleck, a renowned actor now at the age of 78, requires no introduction. With a career spanning decades and recent health challenges notwithstanding, he shows no signs of retirement, continuing to captivate audiences in the successful series Blue Bloods.
Selleck’s distinctive appearance, characterized by his iconic mustache, has become a trademark that fans have grown accustomed to over the years. However, recent developments have left fans in shock: the removal of his signature mustache.
Born on January 29, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, Selleck’s journey into acting wasn’t initially certain. His family later moved to California, where he spent his formative years in the San Fernando Valley.
During his early life, Selleck aspired to attend the University of Southern California (USC), but financial constraints prevented him. In 1962, he graduated from Grant High School and, in an effort to save money, continued his education at Los Angeles Valley College while residing with his parents.
In those early days, Selleck’s trajectory seemed more aligned with a career in athletics rather than acting. As an aspiring basketball player, he dreamed of turning professional. His dream took a significant step forward when he was awarded a basketball scholarship at the University of Southern California.
“I never did school plays. I had no interest,” Tom Selleck revealed to AARP in 2015.
Realizing that basketball might not be his long-term career, Selleck developed a backup plan and took on a side job to contribute to his tuition. Initially, he secured roles in television commercials and even made an appearance on The Dating Game.
Shortly after, Tom Selleck was invited to join 20th Century Fox’s talent program. He began honing his acting skills, but after two years, he took a hiatus for six months of active duty.
Upon his return, Selleck faced rejection but remained confident in his pursuit of an acting career. In the early 1970s, he secured smaller roles in various television series. Approaching his mid-30s, Selleck took on six television pilots, yet the breakthrough he sought eluded him.
The turning point came when he landed the role of Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I. According to Selleck, many perceived him as an overnight success, but the reality was a prolonged and arduous struggle.
“The luckiest thing that happened was that I didn’t get a real job until I was 35,” Selleck explained. “When I was 25, I looked 35 but sounded 15. There are a lot of very good actors who make it as younger leading men but don’t graduate — because the audience won’t accept them as grown up.”
Magnum, P.I. became a massive success, running from 1980 to 1988 and catapulting Tom Selleck to instant celebrity status. His portrayal earned him Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for five consecutive years, with a win in 1984. The show’s success played a pivotal role in Selleck’s career, potentially preventing him from leaving acting altogether.
Following Magnum, P.I., Tom Selleck achieved cult status and continued to build a remarkable career. Notable credits include films like Three Men and a Baby and In & Out. He also gained a new generation of fans through his role as Monica Geller’s older boyfriend, Richard Burke, in Season 2 of the popular comedy series Friends.
In 2010, Selleck took on the role of Frank Reagan in the drama series Blue Bloods, marking a new and exciting chapter in his career. The show has since aired for 13 seasons, contributing to Selleck’s enduring success in the entertainment industry.
“I never thought I’d be lucky enough to do a show that had that long a run. Maybe Magnum, P.I. could have reached that number because nobody wanted to cancel it. I was the guy causing the divorce,” Selleck explained.
Reflecting on the longevity of Blue Bloods, he shared, “I’d done the number one movie [Three Men and a Baby] in the US and I wanted to have a family. The number of series that have done as many episodes as Blue Bloods is a tiny, tiny percentage. This is a validation that we’re all fighting the good fight. All the actors are very committed to the work. So, it’s a number that gives reward for the professionalism of this entire cast.”
While many actors have stunt doubles for risky scenes, some find it unthinkable to let others perform their stunts. Selleck has often done his own stunts, but it has taken a toll on his body.
“My back’s kind of messed up,” Selleck shared.
“When you do stunts in movies—I do a lot of them—you’re taking a risk, but you’re also sitting around a lot. So you might do a fight scene, and then you sit in your chair, and it’s not like you have a personal trainer saying, “Okay, we’re ready to go, but Tom needs ten minutes of stretching and warm-up.”
“And I think the price,” he added, “I see it with peers, I talk to them sometimes. You just see the price of all those stunts. They weren’t that hard, but I think it’s the stop-and-go of all that stuff.”
Tom Selleck has confessed that he isn’t a fan of going to the gym. Instead, he keeps fit by actively working on his 63-acre ranch in Ventura, California.
“I have a 63-acre ranch, and I do not all, but a lot of, the grunt work. Clearing brush, planting trees. We’ve got about a hundred ancient oaks I planted. I’ve probably planted a thousand trees myself.”
Beyond his acting career, Selleck has a keen interest in horses and is on the verge of adding “author” to his list of accomplishments.
Last year, in an interview with TV Insider, Selleck revealed that he is in the process of writing a book about his 50 years in show business. The tentative title is “Don’t Know Where I’m Going, But There’s No Use Being Late.” Speaking about the book, he said, “I’m halfway done. It’s about my 50 years in show business. The tentative title is, Don’t Know Where I’m Going, But There’s No Use Being Late. I doubt if I’ll change it. That’s the story of an actor’s life. You finish your job, a show or a movie, and you’re unemployed. It’s fun. I hope the book is kind of funny because I don’t take myself that seriously. A sense of humor is almost essential for a long career as is a sense of humor in your work.”
Despite his success, Tom Selleck has expressed concerns about his iconic mustache, which has been a trademark since his Magnum P.I. days. He once admitted, “After Magnum, I think I went, ‘Oh my gosh!’ I’m going to live with mustache questions for the rest of my life.”
“Most of the time I got hired they said the mustache is okay, but you gotta shave it off for the job. I was born without it and I’m prepared to work without it.”
Tom Selleck, known for his iconic mustache, humorously shared that while most of the time he was hired with the condition to shave off the mustache for the role, he was born without it and ready to work without it.
Joking about his Blue Bloods role, he said, “Well, it meant a job on Blue Bloods. The director said maybe you can play this guy without a mustache. I said, ‘Sure, I was born that way.’”
In a surprising turn of events, Tom Selleck, at the age of 78, was recently photographed without his signature mustache during a rare public outing. Driving his silver pickup truck near his residence, he appeared almost unrecognizable, having traded his iconic mustache for a full beard. This change in appearance has caught the attention of fans and the media.
Aside from his remarkable career, Selleck’s enduring marriage to Jillie Mack, spanning over 35 years, is another aspect of his life that deserves admiration. Reflecting on their first meeting at a performance of the musical Cats in the 1980s, Selleck fondly recalled the early days of their relationship.
While Tom Selleck is known for his smooth on-screen persona, he admits that he’s not as suave with the ladies in real life. However, when it came to meeting his future wife, Jillie Mack, backstage at a performance of Cats, she was the one who made the first move.
“She had to go on [stage]. I was hemming and hawing, and she finally asked, ‘Do you want to meet for a cocktail?’” Selleck recalled.
Their initial meeting turned into a successful date, and the couple tied the knot in 1987 in a private ceremony. A year later, their daughter Hannah was born. Tom Selleck has consistently prioritized his family over stardom, intentionally keeping his personal life away from the Hollywood spotlight.
In 2012, Selleck revealed to People magazine, “I quit Magnum to have a family. It took a long time to get off the train, but I try very hard to have balance, and this ranch has helped me do that.”
The couple decided that their ranch in Ventura, spanning 65 acres, was the ideal environment for their daughter, Hannah, to grow up. Tom, an avid nature and outdoor enthusiast, wanted to share his passion with his daughter. Both father and daughter developed a shared love for horses, eventually engaging in a side business of breeding horses together.
Tom Selleck’s commitment to family values and his efforts to strike a balance between his personal and professional life have defined his approach to both his career and personal relationships.
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