Tom Selleck's Life and Career in Photos
Tom Selleck's Life and Career in Photos
Alexandra Schonfeld, Emily KrauserSun, May 17, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC
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Tom Selleck on 'Magnum P.I.'
Credit: CBS via Getty
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Tom Selleck was born on Jan. 29, 1945
His breakout role was on Magnum, P.I.
In more recent years, Selleck starred on CBS' Blue Bloods for almost 15 years and released a memoir in 2024
Tom Selleck made a name for himself early on in Hollywood.
A household name since the 1980s, the mustachioed actor got his big break onMagnum, P.I. Since then, he's appeared on Broadway, returned to TV on multiple occasions and appeared on the big screen in films like Three Men and a Baby (1987) and Quigley Under Down (1990).
Though he took a break from acting months before he and wife Jillie Mack welcomed daughter Hannah in 1988, Selleck eventually returned to Hollywood, most notably in a guest arc as Monica's (Courteney Cox) love interest on Friends, as Los Angeles cop Jesse Stone on multiple TV movie adaptations of Robert B. Parker's novels, and as police chief Frank Reagan on all 14 seasons of CBS' Blue Bloods.
"I'm a fairly private person. And I've always treasured the balance between work and time with my family. It's always about them," Selleck told PEOPLE of his wife and daughter in 2020.
Now into his ninth decade — the actor turned 81 on Jan. 29, 2026 — here's a look back at Tom Selleck's life and career in photos.
01 of 13
Tom Selleck's Early Career
Tom Selleck on ABC's 'The Dating Game'
Credit: ABC
Selleck was born on Jan. 29, 1945, in Detroit and grew up in L.A. He attended the University of Southern California on a full basketball scholarship and majored in business administration.
His acting career actually caught him by surprise. Selleck's first job saw him as a basketball player in a Pepsi commercial before he was cast as "Bachelor No. 2” on The Dating Game (above).
"It is really the story of an accidental career," he told PEOPLE in 2024. "I'd never taken an acting class. I had no training, no desire."
02 of 13
Tom Selleck on 'The Young and the Restless'
Jaime Lyn Bauer and Tom Selleck on 'The Young and the Restless' in 1977
Credit: AGIP/RDA/Everett
Selleck's resume filled up as the 1970s, with appearances in Western movies and small roles on television shows like Bracken's World, Marcus Welby, M.D. and The Rockford Files.
One of his most prominent roles of the decade came on The Young and the Restless. He portrayed book editor Jed Andrews, the love interest of Jaime Lyn Bauer’s Lorie Brooks, from 1974 to 1975. Selleck briefly reprised his role as Jed in 2005.
03 of 13
Tom Selleck on 'Magnum, P.I.'
Tom Selleck as Thomas Sullivan Magnum on 'Magnium, P.I.' in 1984.
Credit: CBS via Getty
Everything changed in 1980 when Selleck landed his breakthrough as Thomas Magnum on Magnum, P.I.
While the show made him a household name and earned him an Emmy Award, Selleck recently shared that he "didn't like" that initial spotlight.
“It was really, I don't know, a lot to adjust to, I think,” he said on a 2024 episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (Sometimes).
Selleck went on to explain that filming the show in Hawaii rather than L.A. helped, noting that "was a blessing.”
04 of 13
Tom Selleck's First PEOPLE cover
Tom Selleck on the cover of PEOPLE in March 1982
In March 1982, Selleck graced the cover of PEOPLE for the first time as "Magnum, P.I.'s sexy star."
In his feature, the Her Alibi star opened up about why his love life lacked "Hawaiian punch" following his separation from his first wife Jacqueline Ray. The pair were married for 11 years before finalizing their divorce in 1982.
"I'm self-protective," he said. "One of my nightmares would be to get heavily involved with somebody while I'm still trying to figure out what's going on in my life."
Selleck also explained that the attention that came along with his rising star power added to his obstacles in the love department.
"It’s very fatiguing to know that everything you do, all day, is being photographed," he said. "I'm not saying it's a cross to bear, it's just not a very easy adjustment."
05 of 13
Tom Selleck on the Big Screen
Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg of 'Three Men and a Baby' in New York City, circa 1987
Credit: Oscar Abolafia/TPLP/Getty
During his eight-year tenure as Magnum, Selleck landed one of his most memorable big-screen roles as Peter Mitchell in 1987's Three Men and a Baby. He starred alongside Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg in the beloved comedy about three N.Y.C. bachelors trying to look after a baby that appeared on their doorstep.
06 of 13
Tom Selleck Marries Jillie Mack
Jillie Mack and Tom Selleck at the 39th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif., on Sept. 20, 1987
Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Selleck met Mack in the early 1980s, when she was performing as Rumpleteazer in a West End production of Cats. He saw the show several times while filming Lassiter (1984) in England, and the two began to date.
"They had dinner one night, and it went on from there," Mack's agent told PEOPLE.
When the British actress' contract was up, she moved to the U.S. to continue her relationship with Selleck. The pair wed in 1987 at an open-all-hours wedding chapel near Lake Tahoe, Nev., going as far as to use fake names for their secret nuptials.Weeks later, they stepped out as newlyweds at the 39th annual Primetime Emmy Awards (seen here). By May 1988, he had quit Magnum after eight seasons, and the couple moved to a ranch in Ventura, Calif.
"I quit Magnum, not because I didn't like it or I was tired of it. I was tired from it. And I wanted a three-dimensional life because I didn't have one," he told PEOPLE in 2012.
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07 of 13
Tom Selleck as a Dad
Tom Selleck and daughter Hannah Selleck in a throwback photo shared on Instagram on Jan. 29, 2016
Credit: Hannah Selleck/ Instagram
Mack and Selleck welcomed their only child together, daughter Hannah Margaret Selleck, in December 1988.
Hannah shared this throwback photo with her dad on Instagram in January 2016 in honor of Selleck's birthday.
Part of what fueled Selleck's self-imposed three-year break from Hollywood was Hannah getting hospitalized for viral pneumonia when she was a toddler. At the time, he was slated to begin shooting the 1992 film Christopher Columbus: The Discovery alongside Marlon Brando, but he pulled out of filming.
Though he did get to know Brando, Selleck shared with PEOPLE in 2024, "But it wasn't worth it. It was never going to be worth it. And I said, this is crazy. I quit Magnum really, to have a family, and now I'm jumping at every movie that comes along."
He added: "I think I've been a good dad. But you always think you missed opportunities."Selleck also has an older child, son Kevin, whom he adopted with Ray while they were married.
08 of 13
Tom Selleck's Love of Sports
Tom Selleck during the Hollywood Stars Baseball Game at Dodger Stadium in L.A. in August 1991
Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Over the years, Selleck has gone back to his athletic roots, including taking part in the Hollywood Stars celebrity baseball game.
In August 1991, he suited up in Dodgers blue and white.
09 of 13
Tom Selleck on Broadway
Tom Selleck during his Broadway debut in 'A Thousand Clown's at the Longacre Theater in N.Y.C. on July 11, 2001
Credit: Diane L. Cohen/Getty
Selleck made his first and only Broadway appearance in 2001 when he joined the cast of A Thousand Clowns.
10 of 13
Tom Selleck on 'Friends'
Tom Selleck as Dr. Richard Burke and Courteney Cox as Monica Geller on 'Friends'
Credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
In 1996, Selleck stepped into the role of Dr. Richard Burke on Friends. He appeared on less than a dozen episodes of the show but made a mark as one of Monica's most memorable and impactful love interests. His final appearance on the hit NBC sitcom came in 2000, when Monica and Chandler (Matthew Perry) got engaged.
Selleck has said he'd happily return to Friends if a reboot were to happen.
"It was a great place to work. The actors were grateful for the opportunity, and they were all as good as you can get," he told PEOPLE in 2020, adding, "If the opportunity came up, I'd do it again!"
11 of 13
Tom Selleck on 'Blue Bloods'
Tom Selleck as Frank Reagan on season 11 of 'Blue Bloods'
Credit: John Paul Filo/CBS via Getty
In 2010, Selleck began his 14-season run as New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan. The police drama ended in 2024, leaving its mark as CBS' second-longest-running scripted series after NCIS. Selleck was a part of the show's entire run.
"After 15 years, it’s hard. It’s hard to let go because coming to work was a joy," he said during a panel discussion at PaleyFest 2024.
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Tom Selleck and His Family
Jillie Mack, Tom Selleck and their daughter Hannah Selleck at a 'Blue Bloods' event during PaleyFest 2024 at the Paley Museum in N.Y.C. on Oct. 17, 2024
Credit: Gary Gershoff/Getty
Selleck's daughter is all grown up! In October 2024, Hannah joined her parents for a celebration of Blue Bloods during PaleyFest 2024 in N.Y.C.
Now a professional equestrian, Hannah spoke to Wellington International in 2023 about how her father influenced her love of horses.
"I started riding when I was four years old. I grew up on a ranch and was lucky to have some lovely ranch horses," she said. "My dad knew how to ride; he had learned to ride for Western movies. He is a good horseman."
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Tom Selleck Today
Tom Selleck speaks during the 2026 'L.A. Times' Festival of Books at the University of Southern California in L.A. on April 18, 2026
Credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty
In May 2024, Selleck released his memoir You Never Know. As far as acting, he hasn't been back on-screen since Blue Bloods ended.
While he joked to Parade in December 2024 that there weren't really "offers pouring in," he said he'd be interested in working with Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and Sam Elliott.
"A good Western’s always on my list," he said. "I miss that; I want to sit on a horse again."
Another project on his radar is returning to the role of detective Jesse Stone, a character he's played nearly 10 times across several TV movies.
"It would be an interesting challenge because Jesse is older now,” he told the outlet. "There've been quite a few years between shows. That doesn't mean he isn't a viable character. Everywhere I go one of the things I get asked is, 'When can I see another Jesse Stone?' "
Selleck was spotted celebrating his 80th birthday with his wife and daughter in January 2025, and he's continued to promote his memoir, including an appearance at the 2026 L.A. Times Festival of Books (seen above).
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