Tom Selleck has enjoyed a long and incredibly successful career in show business. The star of Magnum, P.I. and Blue Bloods remains passionate about his work, with the next season of the hit drama series set to air soon.

Selleck has taken on many challenging roles over the years. However, the 77-year-old’s history of performing his own stunts has unfortunately caught up with him.

Tom Selleck wasn’t always certain he wanted to be an actor. Born on January 29, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, his family relocated to California, where he grew up in the San Fernando Valley.

Tom Selleck – Early Life

While Selleck dreamed of attending the University of Southern California (USC), his family couldn’t afford the tuition fees. In 1962, he graduated from Grant High School and later enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College, opting to live at home with his parents to save money.

Initially, it looked like Tom might pursue a career in athletics rather than acting. As an up-and-coming basketball player, he earned a scholarship to USC.

“I never did school plays. I had no interest,” Tom told AARP in 2015.

However, performing at a high college level was no easy feat. According to reports, Tom scored just four points in seven games for the USC Trojans during the 1965-66 season, and the following year, he was scoreless in three games.

USC’s school guide described Tom as an “agile and quick performer” who added depth to the team’s front line but needed improvement in defense.

Despite his efforts, Tom conceded that he simply couldn’t compete with his taller teammates.

“I was pretty good, but I wasn’t good enough,” Selleck reflected.

Tom Selleck – Start of Acting Career

Realizing that a professional basketball career was unlikely, Selleck began to explore other avenues. He took side jobs to pay his tuition, landing a few gigs in television commercials and an appearance on The Dating Game.

Looking back, he recalls his time on the dating show as “humiliating and embarrassing.”

His luck changed when Selleck was offered a spot on 20th Century Fox’s talent program, which helped him hone his acting skills. However, after two years, he took a break to serve six months of active duty in the military.

Upon his return, he was dropped from the program, but Selleck remained confident in his acting aspirations.

During the early 1970s, he secured small roles in various TV series and starred in six television pilots. Despite his efforts, a major breakthrough eluded him.

This is why many thought he was an overnight success when he landed the role of Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I..

Breakthrough on ‘Magnum, P.I.’

In reality, Selleck had struggled and fought desperately hard to get there.

“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 never make it as younger leading men because the audience won’t accept them as grown-up.”

Magnum, P.I. became a huge hit. Airing from 1980 to 1988, the show catapulted Tom to instant celebrity status. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series five years in a row, finally winning in 1984.

For over a decade, Tom struggled to find acting success and almost gave up.

“I think if Magnum hadn’t worked out, I’d never have worked again in this business,” he admitted.

In 2010, Selleck landed the role of Frank Reagan in the drama series Blue Bloods, marking the beginning of a new and exciting chapter. The show has been renewed for its 13th season, premiering this fall.

Tom Selleck’s Struggles with Back Pain

Selleck has a net worth of around $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. While many actors have stunt doubles, Selleck’s past commitment to performing his own stunts 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 also sit 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, ‘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.”

Selleck once mentioned that he doesn’t enjoy going to the gym but stays fit by working at his family ranch in Ventura, California.

“I have a 63-acre ranch, and I do 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.”

Tom Selleck – Wife, Marriage, and Daughter Hannah

While Tom’s career is impressive, his loyalty to his wife, Jillie Mack, is equally commendable. The couple has been happily married for 35 years, a rarity in Hollywood.

In an interview with Closer Weekly, Selleck recalled meeting Jillie Mack during a performance of the musical Cats, where Mack was starring. This was in the 1980s, after Selleck’s decade-long marriage to model Jacqueline Ray had ended.

Despite being shy, Selleck approached her backstage, and she made the first move, inviting him for a cocktail. The date went well, and the couple married in 1987 in a private ceremony. Their daughter Hannah was born a year later.

Since then, Selleck has prioritized his family over stardom, keeping his personal life away from the Hollywood spotlight.

“I Quit Magnum to Have a Family”

Tom even took a step back from his acting career to spend time with his wife and daughter.

“I quit Magnum to have a family,” Tom Selleck said in 2012. “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.”

“We both thought it was the best environment for Hannah to grow up,” Jillie Mack added.

Tom, a nature enthusiast, passed on his love for the outdoors to his daughter Hannah. The Sellecks live on a 65-acre ranch in Ventura, where they both share a passion for horses. Hannah turned her passion into a professional career, achieving accolades in several grand prix level competitions.

In 2015, she finished top-five in prestigious events in St. Moritz, Switzerland; Belgium; the Netherlands; and the Canadian Pacific Grand Prix at the Longines Masters of Los Angeles.

Passion for Horses

In 2018, Hannah suffered a severe injury, shattering her tibia and fibula. Despite the prognosis, she recovered and channeled her love for horses into a successful breeding and training operation named Descanso Farm.

We hope Tom and his daughter can continue sharing their passion for years to come. Tom Selleck will always hold a special place in our hearts. We wish him and his family good health and prosperity.

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