Biographic - Sunday November 14, 2010 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

For more than a dozen years, he was restricted to modeling jobs and unsuccessful TV pilots- until suddenly he was offered the role of Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." and the male lead in "Victor/Victoria." But in a cruel twist of fate, he had turn the parts down, because CBS had finally picked up the pilot of one of his TV shows! The tale had happy ending- as soon as "Magnum P.I. hit tv screens Tom Selleck became a superstar! Born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 24, 1945, Tom Selleck was raised in Los Angeles. Baseball was his passion during high school, but natural ability and an athletic 6'4", 200 pound frame earned him a basketball scholarship to USC. To earn cash, Tom decided to try his luck at modeling- and was immediately cast in a Pepsi commercial, playing a basketball player! Earyl tv exposure came through two appearances on "The Daiting Game" but ironically, for a man who would become one of the biggest heartthrobs of the 1980s, he was turned down both times! He began to rack up credits in various TV dramas and soaps, and made his movie debut in 1970's campy "Myra Breckinridge," when he was cast at the insistence of legendary screen star Mae West. His breakthrough came when he was cast in the recurring role of the charismatic Lance White on "The Rockford Files." this led to his own starring vehicle as Hawaii gumshoe Thomas Magnum on "Magnum, P.I." the show was a huge success, running for 8 years and 162 episodes. Despite minor success with such movies as "High Road to China" and "Lassiter." He struggled to translate his huge popularity into box-office success, until he starred in the blockbuster "Three Men and A Baby," which was 1987's highest-grossing movie. Tom went on to star in the likes of "Her Alibi" "Quigley Down Under" and "Three Men and A Little Lady" but gradually made his way back to the small screen. A short-lived series, "The Closer" was then followed by a recurring role on "Friends" He was also starred in a number of TV movies, most notably as detective Jesse Stone in a series that has also seen him take writer and producer credits. Having joined the cast of hit shoes "Boston Legal" and "Las Vegas" his latest starting vehicle is the CBS police drama "Blue Bloods." Tom married his second wife, actress Jillie Mack, in 1987 and their daughter Hannah, was born the following year. He also has a son from his first marriage. A former National Guardsman, he is a staunch supporter of the National Riffle Association and serves on the NRA's Board of Directors.

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