Tom Selleck

Biography: Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor and film producer, best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B. Parker novels. In 2010, he appears as NYPD Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in the drama Blue Bloods on CBS.

He has appeared extensively on television in roles such as Dr. Richard Burke on Friends and A.J. Cooper on Las Vegas. In addition to his series work, Selleck has appeared in more than fifty made for TV and general release movies, including Mr. Baseball, Quigley Down Under, Lassiter and his most successful movie release Three Men and a Baby, which was the highest grossing movie in 1987.

Selleck was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Martha S. (nee Jagger), a homemaker, and Robert D. Selleck, an executive and real estate investor. The family moved to Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, when Selleck was growing up. His siblings include brothers Robert (born 1944) and Daniel (born 1950), and sister Martha. Selleck graduated from Grant High School in 1962.

Along with modelling, Selleck attended the University of Southern California on a basketball scholarship where he played for the Trojans. He is a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and a member of the Trojan Knights. While he majored in business administration, a drama coach suggested Selleck try acting. He then studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, under Milton Katselas.

Selleck served as a soldier in the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California Army National Guard and was activated for the Watts Riots.

Selleck?s first TV appearance was as a college senior on The Dating Game in 1965 and again in 1967- he lost both times. Soon after, he appeared in commercials for products such as Pepsi-Cola.

He began his career with bit parts in smaller movies, including the over-the-top Myra Breckinridge and Russ Meyer?s The Seven Minutes with co-stars including Wayne Maunder and Harold J. Stone. He also appeared in a number of TV series, mini-series and TV movies. Selleck also had a recurring role in the 1970s as "too good to be true" private investigator Lance White in The Rockford Files. Selleck?s character was based on one played in Garner?s earlier TV series Maverick (1957) by Wayde Preston in that series? highest-rated episode, "The Saga of Waco Williams."

Selleck, an accessible but relatively untested actor, spent years receiving little interest from the entertainment industry. His big break came when he was cast - to the surprise of all - in the lead role as Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I..

The Magnum, P.I. producers would not release the actor for other projects, and, thus, Selleck had to pass on the equally enticing film project for the title role of Indiana Jones, which then went to rising star Harrison Ford. The career-influencing choice between the role of Indiana Jones vs. Magnum P.I. actually haunted Selleck so much that before making the decision, he consulted his best friend on what to do. Together they came to the conclusion that taking the high road and honouring the first contract with Universal Studios was the career-savvy direction. It turned out that the shooting of the pilot for Magnum was delayed for over six months (due to a writers? strike) which would have enabled him to complete the role as Indiana Jones, if he had had the option to do so.

Selleck was married to model Jacqueline Ray from 1970-1982, a marriage during which he adopted her son, Kevin (born 1966), from a previous marriage.

On August 7, 1987, Selleck married Jillie Mack. They have one daughter, Hannah Margaret Mack Selleck (born 1988). The family lives in Freedom, California, and Thousand Oaks, California. Selleck has a summer residence in Jonesboro, Maine, United States. In the 1980s - specifically around the time of filming Three Men and a Baby - Selleck owned a home on upscale Lakeshore Road in Burlington, Ontario, a city southwest of Toronto.

Selleck lives on an avocado ranch. The following quote is from a Good Housekeeping interview titled "Man of the House: Tom Selleck", "So I like to get outside and work on the farm, from fixing roads to clearing brush. I hate going to the gym, so sweating outdoors sure beats sitting on a stationary bike staring at my navel. And I work cheaper than anyone I could hire to do it.