When talking about his childhood, Selleck says that it was idyllic. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1945. After he was born, his family moved to California in order to make a fresh start.
Back then, he believes, people were raised with proper family values, that he is trying to pass over to today's youth through his charity work.
Selleck was a good athlete and was really successful in basketball. Thanks to his athletic prowess, he got himself a scholarship and studied business administration at the prestigious University of Southern California.
In order to earn some more cash on the side, he became a model but soon was introduced to an acting coach who recognized Selleck's talent and encouraged him to seek his luck in the entertainment industry. After he finished business school, Selleck went on to study acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.
It seems as though Selleck was born under a lucky star. After his modelling career, he found himself on the road to becoming an actor, studying at Beverly Hills Playhouse.
One day, agents came to watch his acting class and noticed Selleck right away. Soon after, he was landing his first gigs. He did a few commercials and appeared on The Dating Game. After that, he was approached by 20th Century Fox executives who wished to sign him.
Just when Selleck was about to sign the deal of his life, he was drafted. It was 1967, and the young Tom Selleck lost his contract in order to go and serve his country.
Despite the fact that his life took a rather difficult turn, Selleck is very much proud of his serving years. He was a sergeant in the California National Guard, and he admits that he still thinks of his fellow veterans as brothers and sisters.
Like many actors in Hollywood, Tom Selleck experienced ups and downs in his career and in his love life. In 1971, while he was serving, Selleck met and fell for model Jacqueline Ray.
They soon got married and even adopted a little baby boy together. During that time, he adopted her son, Kevin Shepard (born 1966). The love lasted for 11 years, and in 1982 the couple decided to call it quits.
Selleck served in the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California Army National Guard from 1967 to 1973. When he finished, he discovered that his contract was terminated and there was no work waiting for him.
He was out of the spotlight for so long, that no one wanted to give him a second chance. Nobody in this notoriously fickle industry cared that Selleck wasn't away by choice, and that he was serving the country. Although disappointed, Selleck decided to start again and build himself from scratch once again.
Despite the fact that the industry cut him loose while he was serving the country, Selleck didn't lose faith that one day he will make it in showbiz. After he left the National guard, he appeared in six TV pilots, which unfortunately never got off the ground, but he knew that it would only take one to get him out there.
And that one came with the role of Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I. Just like Selleck, Thomas Magnum was also a veteran, who became a private investigator. The show took place in Hawaii and was a huge hit.
Regardless of the fact that Selleck finally got his big breakthrough, it wasn't all smooth at the beginning. The writers of the show decided to have a major strike at the beginning, which postponed the production for weeks.
That, and a few funding issues, made it very difficult for the show to even start. Episodes were delayed for months. But, everything paid off when the show finally got on TV, because, apart from being a smashing hit, it earned Selleck an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1984.
After all the trouble connected with launching the show on the air, once it was out there, it gained huge success. Magnum P.I. was huge, not only among the audience but among critics as well.
The show received rave reviews and accolades and even managed to get multiple Emmy and Golden Globes nominations. As for Selleck, the show made him a superstar, and a praised actor who even won a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series - Drama in 1985.
