Tom Selleck Bio - Biography

Name Tom Selleck
Height 6' 4"
Naionality American
Date of Birth 29 January 1945
Place of Birth Detroit, Michigan, USA
Famous for
Tom Selleck launched a career in modeling while still a student of the University of Southern California. He appeared in print, on billboards and in TV commercials and later signed a seven year acting contract with 20th Century-Fox. His acting debut took place with a guest role in an episode of “Lancer,” and a recurring role in the primetime showbiz melodrama “Bracken’s World” (1967). He was also seen in a supporting role in the made-for-TV film The Movie Murderer (1970). He also received a start in films when actress Mae West, who was impressed by his performance in a Pepsi ad, placed a young Selleck in a role of a stud in her starring vehicle Myra Breckenridge (1970).

Following his debut performance, Selleck was seen in numerous films throughout the 1970s, including a starring role in the low-budget supernatural melodrama Daughters of Satan (1972, as James Robertson). He was seen in a small role in Russ Meyer’s The Seven Minutes (1971, as publisher Phil Sanford), Terminal Island (1973, played Dr. Milford) and Coma (1978, as Sean Murphy). During this time, Selleck also landed his first starring role in the TV movie Returning Home (1975) and made his miniseries debut in “The Sacketts” (1979). Additionally, he had roles in three non-successful series pilots: the cop show Bunco (1977), the WWII adventure series “The Gypsy Warriors” (1978) and the detective “Boston and Kilbride” (1979).

Selleck eventually received his big break in 1980 when he landed the title role in the CBS detective-comedy-drama series “Magnum, PI.” Portraying Thomas Sullivan Magnum, a private investigator, Selleck’s performance was critically applauded and he was awarded the 1984 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The role also brought him three Golden Globe nominations (1982-84) for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series-Drama, which he won in 1985. The actor continued to receive numerous nominations until the popular show came to an end in 1988.

While working in the successful series, Selleck starred in several film roles, most notably as investigator Sgt. Jack R. Ramsay in Michael Crichton’s sci-fi/ thriller Runaway (1984) and as a substitute parent, Peter Mitchell, in the hugely popular Three Men and a Baby (1987), opposite Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson. After Magnum, he went on to make more movies and was seen as American rifleman Matthew Quigley in the Australian hit western Quigley Down Under (1990). Two years later, however, critics negatively responded to Selleck’s performance in the John Glen-helmed biopic Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), opposite Marlon Brando and Georges Corraface. Selleck’s presentation of King Ferdinand brought him a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor in 1993.

After roles in Mr. Baseball (1992), Open Season (1995), Broken Trust (1995, TV) and Ruby Jean and Joe (1996, TV), the Magnum star proved he was back in the saddle again with his high-profile performance in the Kevin Kline hit comedy movie In & Out (1997), where he was garnered critical praise for his comedic turn of candidly gay TV reporter Peter. The same year, he won a Bronze Wrangler as the co-executive producer of the western made-for-TV film Last Stand at Saber River (1997), in which he also starred as Paul Cable. Selleck also enjoyed a flourishing recurring role on the popular NBC sitcom “Friends” (1996-2000), playing Monica’s boyfriend Richard. He was then given the starring role in the CBS sitcom “Closer” (1998). He rounded out the decade by taking on the supporting role of George Matthias in the comedy/drama The Love Letter, which starred Kate Capshaw and Blythe Danner.

Selleck then focused his work on television. He played a presidential candidate in the TNT film Running Mates (2000), served as a narrator in Special Ops: Mike Force (2001), as well as co-executive produced and starred in Louis L’Amour’s Crossfire Trail (2001), which won a Western Heritage Bronze Wrangler award. The same year, the TV star made his Broadway debut with a starring role in the revival of “A Thousand Clowns.”

In 2003, Selleck resurfaced on the small screen with starring roles in the drama Twelve Mile Road, Touch ’Em All McCall and Monte Walsh, which earned a Bronze Wrangler for Outstanding Television Feature Film. After playing Larry Starczek in Mike Robe’s Reversible Errors, opposite William H. Macy, Monica Potter and Felicity Huffman, Selleck’s career gained another boost in 2004 when Robert Harmon cast him in the starring role of Dwight D. Eisenhower in the A&E TV movie Ike: Countdown to D-Day. Delivering a fine turn as the calm and cool general, Selleck received critical acclaim.

The six-foot-four actor followed it up with the starring role of Chief Jesse Stone in the television films Stone Cold (2005, costarring Mimi Rogers), Jesse Stone: Night Passage (2006, opposite Stephen Baldwin) and Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (2006, also with Edward Edwards). In addition to acting, he also served as a producer for the films. 2006 saw Selleck join the cast of the acclaimed ABC drama “Boston Legal” in the recurring role of Ivan Tiggs, the ex-husband of series regular Shirley Schmidt (played by Candice Bergen).

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