Thomas William Selleck, popularly known as Tom Selleck, is an American actor and producer who is popular for his role in the 1980s TV series Magnum, PI. In this article, we will disclose facts about him such as his age, partner, wife, daughter, son, net worth and sexuality – if he is gay.
Many of these facts are some of the most popular questions that people ask about Tom Selleck. Below, we provide answers to the top 10 key ones to give a brief overview of his facts.
Top 10 Tom Selleck facts
- Tom Selleck was born on 29 January 1945 in Detroit, Michigan to English parents and he will turn 76 years old on his birthday in 2021.
- Selleck quit the University of Southern California where he was studying business administration and switched to study acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, under Acting Instructor Milton Katselas.
- He found fame in 1980 when he played the role of Thomas Magnum in Magnum, PI (Magnum, P.I.). Before this, he had starred in many TV series and movies.
- Also, Tom Selleck took part in many commercials for companies. He was the face of Salem cigarettes and Revlon’s Chaz cologne. Also, he appeared in ads for Right Guard deodorant, aperitif Dubonnet and Close-Up toothpaste.
- He was an outstanding marksman and this got him lead roles in cowboy-themed Western films such as “The Sacketts”, “The Shadow Riders”, “Lassiter”, “Quigley Down Under”, “Last Stand at Saber River” and “Concrete Cowboys”.
- In 2010, Tom Selleck took on the role of Frank Reagan in the TV series Blue Bloods. Before then, he had played A.J. Cooper in NBC drama “Las Vegas”.
- Due to Tom Selleck gay rumours, the actor sued The Globe Newspaper Company for about $20 million. He issued a statement that he has been singularly heterosexual all his life.
- Tom Selleck married Jacqueline Ray in 1971 and they divorced in 1982. He married Jillie Joan Mack in 1987 and they have been together ever since.
- The names of Tom Selleck’s children are Kevin Selleck (son) and Hannah Selleck (daughter). Only Hannah is his biological child, he adopted Kevin after he married his mother, Jacqueline Ray.
- At the Primetime Emmy Award in 1984, Tom Selleck was awarded the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series award for his role in Magnum, P.I. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986.
Related: Jacqueline Ray Biography: Tom Selleck’s former partner, career, murder case, prison & more
Tom Selleck age, early life and education
Tom Selleck was born on 29 January 1945 in Detroit, Michigan, to English parents and he will turn 76 years old on his birthday in 2021. While his parents were from England, he also has a distant German ancestry from his father’s side.
Additionally, by way of ancestry, he is a direct descendant of English Colonist David Selleck, who moved to Massachusetts from Somerset, England, in 1633. While growing up, his family moved to Sherman Oaks, California.
Selleck attended Grant High School, a public school in California. Then, he went to Los Angeles Valley College. During this time, he saved enough money (coupled with a basketball scholarship) to move to the University of Southern California. He joined the USC Trojans men’s basketball team when he got there.
Tom Selleck went into acting while he was studying business administration. A drama coach had suggested that he go into acting. Selleck took the advice and quit university. He went on to study acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, under acting instructor Milton Katselas.
Also, before he made it big in the film industry, Selleck joined the California National Guard after he received a draft notice during the Vietnam War. He served in the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California Army National Guard between 1967 and 1973.
Tom Selleck movies and TV career
TV
Tom Selleck made his first TV appearance as a college senior on the set of “The Dating Game” in 1965. He reprised his role in 1967 again and then starred in a Pepsi-Cola (now Pepsi) commercial.
He continued to star in several other TV series, mini-series and TV movies. In those early days, Tom Selleck took part in many commercials for companies. He was the face of Salem Cigarettes and Revlon’s Chaz cologne. Also, he did ads for Right Guard deodorant, aperitif Dubonnet and Close-Up toothpaste.
Selleck had recurring roles in the 1974 “The Rockford Files” series but his big break came with “Magnum, PI”.
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Tom Selleck Magnum, PI
Despite playing many characters from the 1970s, the entertainment industry never quite considered him a big shot. He was described as “easily accessible”, yet, the big roles never came.
His fortune changed in 1980 when he got the chance to play the role of Thomas Magnum in Magnum, PI. Tom Selleck fitted into the role of the character so much that the producers held on to him with all they had.
In 1981, Tom Selleck was offered the chance to play Indiana Jones in the film “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. However passed on the role, which eventually went to Harrison Ford. At the time, he had previously filmed six other TV pilots that did not see the light of day. Thus, Magnum, PI was a big deal for him.
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However, reports claimed that a writers’ strike delayed the shooting of the series and that Selleck could have filmed “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and still kept his role on Magnum, P.I. Yet, the actor said he never regretted his decision.
Years later, during a Build Series interview, he said: “Look, I made a deal with Magnum, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m proud that I lived up to my contract…”
As Thomas Magnum, Tom Selleck played the role of a member of the Special Operations unit, “SEAL” in the Vietnam War, and later a member of the “Naval Intelligence Agency” (a fictional version of the Office of Naval Intelligence). The character had resigned his commission with the Navy to become a private investigator living in Hawaii.
Magnum, PI ran for eight seasons and 163 episodes until 1988. In 1984, Tom Selleck won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the role. He played the role so well that he was said to have been the best choice for a rumoured Magnum, P.I. movie.
Selleck rejected the role of Mitch Buchannon in the TV series Baywatch, which later went to David Hasselhoff. His reason for rejecting the role was that he didn’t want to become a sex symbol.
Tom Selleck Blue Bloods
In 2010, Tom Selleck took on the role of Frank Reagan in the TV series Blue Bloods. Before then, he had played A.J. Cooper in NBC drama “Las Vegas”.
He had played other parts in several other TV series like “The Young and the Restless”, “Friends”, “The Closer”, and many more.
Tom Selleck movies / Tom Selleck westerns
Tom Selleck made his movie debut with small roles on “Myra Breckinridge”, “Coma” and “The Seven Minutes”. In 1972, he starred in the B-movie “Daughters of Satan”. By that time, he had become a well-known actor in many circles and with his marksman ability, he got lead roles in cowboy-themed Western films.
He played some of his most notable roles as a cowboy in these Western films such as “The Sacketts”, “The Shadow Riders”, “Lassiter”, “Quigley Down Under”, “Last Stand at Saber River” and “Concrete Cowboys”.
In 1997, Tom Selleck played the gay character of Peter Malloy in the film “In & Out”.
This movie is tied to the Tom Selleck gay rumours. We will get into this detail shortly as we look at his personal life.
Tom Selleck: Family and personal life
Marriage to Jacqueline Ray
Tom Selleck married Jacqueline Ray in 1971 and adopted her son Kevin Shepard, who now goes by the name Kevin Selleck. The three of them starred in Magnum, PI in the 1980s. While Jacqueline Ray was Tom Selleck’s partner, they did not have any biological children together.
