Moustache forever

“Magnum” star Tom Selleck celebrates his 80th birthday

The moustache still suits him: "Magnum" star Tom Selleck is 80!

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His dream role dates back decades: as private detective Thomas Magnum, Tom Selleck played his way into the hearts of millions. On January 29, he will be 80 years old.

In "Magnum", he was the laid-back investigator in the Hawaiian shirt who drove around Hawaii in a red Ferrari 308 solving criminal cases for eight seasons. In the 80s, he was in the spotlight as one of the most attractive men in the world. The star has kept his famous moustache as a trademark.

No retirement planned
He still wore it in his last series role as police chief Frank Reagan in the TV series "Blue Bloods - Crime Scene New York". He had been fighting criminals in the metropolis in front of the camera since 2010. But after 293 episodes, the series came to an end in December 2024.

Much to the displeasure of Selleck, who would have liked to continue "Blue Bloods". "The series is still incredibly successful, but no matter what happens, I want to keep working," the actor assured dpa in an interview last May. He has been in front of the camera his whole life. He wants to carry on until the "last job".

Back in the saddle soon?
He has often acted in westerns, including "Quigley the Australian" (1990) and "The Shadow Riders" (1982), and even at the age of 80 he still seems to have the confidence to do so. A good western is always on his bucket list, he told the newspaper "Parade" in December. "I would love to sit on a horse again".

Selleck also prefers country life in his private life. Far away from Los Angeles, he lives on a ranch in California - with his second wife Jillie Mack (67). He first met the British actress on stage in the "Cats" musical in London.

Selleck lives with his wife Jillie Mack on a ranch in California.

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In his autobiography "You Never Know", published in 2024, he describes the wedding in 1987 at Lake Tahoe in the US state of Nevada: secretly, to avoid the hype. Daughter Hannah was born the following year.

A sportsman rather than an actor
If Selleck had had his way, he would be famous today not as an actor but as a sportsman. "I didn't have the slightest interest in becoming an actor," he said in an interview with dpa in 2024 and in his memoirs, looking back on the start of his career. "I was very shy, and still am."

Back then, he played a lot of sport and dreamed of a career as a professional basketball player. He described his entry into show business as a "lucky coincidence". The business administration student earned some extra money with a Pepsi commercial in Los Angeles at the end of the 1960s.

He then ended up in front of the camera as a contestant in the TV show "The Dating Game" and then in a development program for young talent. He flirted with the still unknown Farrah Fawcett in an aperitif advertisement and made his first film appearance with the aged sex icon Mae West in "Myra Breckinridge - Man or Woman?".

Becoming famous as "Magnum"
After many small TV and film roles, his breakthrough came in 1980 with "Magnum". Selleck became an internationally acclaimed star and lost his reputation as a sex symbol. The series earned him a Golden Globe and an Emmy - plus invitations to major events.

Tom Selleck became a sex symbol thanks to his cult role.

(Bild: APA-PictureDesk/Everett Collection)

In 1985, at a gala dinner at the White House in honor of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, he was one of the star guests alongside John Travolta and Clint Eastwood.

"Indy" missed
But the hit series also took its toll. "Star Wars" creator George Lucas and Steven Spielberg invited him to audition for the adventure series "Indiana Jones" and gave the moustachioed newcomer the green light for the lead role. But because he was under contract with CBS, Selleck had to turn down the "Indy" dream role - it went to Harrison Ford. He became world-famous as the daredevil professor.

Selleck's memoirs end with the end of "Magnum", but his career continued. The comedy film "Three More Men, One More Baby" (1987) was a box office hit, he played a gay reporter in the small-town comedy "In & Out" (1997) and appeared in several episodes of the sitcom "Friends" as Dr. Richard Burke.

No plans for the milestone anniversary
He apparently has no big plans for his 80th birthday. He is trying to stop counting the years, he joked in the "Parade" interview in December. "I stopped celebrating birthdays a while ago". Maybe a dinner with his wife and siblings, Selleck said. He doesn't want to "make a big deal out of it".