Tom Selleck is a long-term and well-known actor. He’s played many memorable roles including Thomas Magnum in the 1980’s mystery-themed TV show, Magnum P.I. In addition to his great acting there’s something else that sets him apart from most of Hollywood’s actors. For over 50 years Tom Selleck performed his own stunts and action scenes. The actor has now shared that the choice didn’t come without some struggles and now his body feels those effects.
Tom Selleck’s Rise to Stardom
Tom Selleck was born in 1945 in Detroit, Michigan. He and his family moved to Los Angeles, California, where the future Hollywood heartthrob would attend the University of Southern California on a basketball scholarship. In the 1970’s he began his career as a model and performed in a few small acting roles, including a part in the hit show ‘Charlie’s Angels’. His iconic role in Magnum P.I. set off a renowned career in action-packed films.
The series which premiered for 8 seasons, landed the actor a Golden Globe an Emmy, and 4 other Emmy nominations. Selleck credits the success of his career to his breakthrough in Magnum P.I. stating, “I suppose if Magnum hadn’t worked out, I wouldn’t have worked again in this profession.”
Tom Selleck’s Career
Tom Selleck first made an appearance on The Dating Game in 1967, saying of his performance, “Humiliating and embarrassing. I lost. Twice. I wasn’t really snarky or funny.” His next break came when he began appearing in commercials for Pepsi. After a few small roles and more commercial appearances, including for Close-Up toothpaste, he was unsure if he would continue to pursue a Hollywood career. However, the actor would go on to star in over 35 Hollywood movies by the end of 2022.
From 1972-82, he played small reoccurring roles in several TV series as well as B-List movies. Around the early 2000’s Tom Selleck’s career saw the most action and diversity. Breaking away from action and moving into comedy, Tom Selleck made an appearance as Monica Gellar’s boyfriend in the world-renowned series ‘Friends’. and appeared in The CBS Sitcom, The Closer. In 2004, Selleck performed as General Eisenhower in A&E’s made-for-TV movie, Ike: Countdown to D-Day. In 2010, he began his performance in Blue Bloods which ran its 12th season in 2021-22.
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Aftermath of a Successful Career
Being a human, playing in iconic roles, and having an incredible career doesn’t make anyone invincible to the realities of getting older. Tom Selleck admits, “My back’s kind of messed up.” He explains how acting has impacted his physical well-being and explains the different actions his body would undergo throughout his career. “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.”
Pursuing a Less Demanding Career Path
His career has covered a range of genres and his acting skills are versatile and adaptable. However, when first made his way into Hollywood it wasn’t known whether he would become the success he is today. He said in an interview with AARP, “The luckiest thing that happened was that I didn’t get a real job until I was 35. At the point when I was 25, I looked 35 yet sounded 15. There are a ton of generally excellent entertainers who make it as more youthful driving men yet don’t graduate — in light of the fact that the crowd will not acknowledge them as grown up.”
Unwinding Into a Peaceful Life
The actor now spends his time on his ranch in Ventura, California. He tends to his horses and shares that passion with his daughter. Tom Selleck and his wife Jillie Mack have been married for many years. He credits the success of his marriage and home life, to the fact that he always puts his family first.
He invests time and love into them and in return they have cultivated a happy family. In fact, wanting is a family he said in 2012, was the reason he quit Mangum P.I. despite its success. “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.”
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