Tom Selleck is the kind of actor that people say every man wants to be like and every woman wants to be with.He’s made smart career decision after decision from his breakout performance on Magnum, P.I. to, more recently, serving as New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in the series Blue Bloods.
However, not everything Tom Selleck touches turns into gold, like his first marriage, for example.The 78-year-old actor has been able to maintain his status as a sex symbol even into his latter years.
It may be hard to imagine now, but Selleck was once quite the heartthrob during the early days of Magnum, P.I. In fact, when the show first broke and became a smash hit, he may have left his wife of years because of it.
Selleck landed the role of Thomas Magnum in 1980. Interestingly enough, he was also being heavily considered for Indiana Jones, however, Steven Spielberg eventually awarded the gig to Harrison Ford because Selleck had already committed to Magnum, P.I.
At the time, Selleck wasn’t well known outside Hollywood yet was successful in landing the role partly because of his intimidating stature (Selleck is 6’4″) and partly because of his good looks.
Thus, when Magnum, P.I. transformed into one of the biggest shows of the 80s, Selleck was launched into stardom. The actor became recognizable wherever he traveled. Women craved the hallmark green eyes and mustache. Selleck had no issue generating attention, especially from the opposite sex, contributing to the demise of his first marriage.
Selleck was married to model Jacqueline Ray when Magnum, P.I. became a huge success. The actor had been with Ray for over a decade by the time the TV series premiered and was supportive of raising her son, Kevin, from a previous relationship. Nevertheless, once the attention from other female admirers became apparent, things reportedly got turbulent.
Thus, by the time Selleck sat down for an interview with People in 1982, he was clearly agitated regarding the separation. Selleck confessed that having the marriage come to an end was one of the significant “sorrows of [his] life.” Furthermore, he bridled at the suggestion that his fame in Magnum, P.I. was the cause of the divorce, adding, “it’s not true, and it’s not nice, or fair, or kind.”
Yes, Selleck may get pursued on a flight or out in public more than he desires, but that hasn’t changed his identity. The executive producer of Magnum, P.I. noted that Selleck is a workaholic that rarely has time for female companionship.
He’s been linked in the past to spicy romance rumors (including a possible fling with Goldie Hawn) yet Selleck remains humbled and somewhat embarrassed by all the admirers.
Selleck has recovered since the days of Magnum, P.I. The show not only made his career but afforded him a second opportunity. Therefore, in 1987, following the ugly separation from Jacqueline Ray, Selleck remarried.
The couple has a daughter, Hannah, who is 34. It’s a redemption story for a man that was once mislabeled as a selfish womanizer intent on destroying his marriage for stardom.