The Iconic Tom Selleck: Earlier Roles, Regrets And How He Keeps His Marriage Strong

December 28, 2017

Tom Selleck is popularly known for his roles in Magnum P.I., The Rockford Files, and more recently Blue Bloods. But for someone that has been in the TV and movie industry since the 1970s, it's easy to forget how far he has come as an actor.

Surely, he would have made a few mistakes or had some unsavory roles that people have long forgotten about, right? Yep, that's right. Digging through his past, we were able to come up with some fascinating information and even though they reflect his imperfections, they still give us more reasons to love the talented actor.

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1. His first role was on a dating show.

Selleck appeared twice on ABC's The Dating Game along with a few other notable names, like Arnold Schwarzenegger and the late Farrah Fawcett.

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2. And then, some deodorant commercials.

Being an upcoming actor is hard, and most of them have to take whatever jobs they can to get their foot in the door. In 1972, Selleck was one of those people. He appeared in an ad for Dubonnet deodorant.

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3. He has been awarded a Razzie.

The Golden Raspberry Awards is an award in recognition of the worst in a film. Knowing him now, it's pretty inconceivable that he was once awarded for being a terrible actor. But in 1992, he got the Razzie as Worst Supporting Actor in Christopher Columbus: The Discovery. Selleck had a sense of humor about it, though. In fact, he became the third actor ever to voluntary accept the award.

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4. His lack of interest in getting ahead with his body made him turn down the lead role in Baywatch.

The actor was offered the role of Mitch Buchannon in the 90s, but he turned it down. He was not interested in trading his looks for fame.

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5. He once had an affair with a married woman.

While shooting Magnum, P.I., Selleck was getting it on with model Marie Helvin, but it ended when the woman realized it was affecting her marriage.

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6. His first wife divorced him due to infidelity.

A former model, Jacqueline Ray, was once married to Selleck. However, she reportedly divorced him when his cheating ways became too much.

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7. He regrets his dance with Princess Diana.

In 2014, Selleck told Piers Morgan that he was so nervous during the dance with Princess Diana back in 1985 that he could not think of a single interesting thing to say.

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Despite his mistakes and his colorful past, we can say that the actor is in a much better place now. He has been married to Jillie Mack for the past 30 years. Speaking to People Magazine, he revealed that the secret to his long and happy marriage is the fact that they make their union a priority. The actor often took time off work to spend time with his family.

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"My first priority,” Selleck said, “is time with my family.”

Tom Selleck has enjoyed a full life and career. Sure, it was not smooth sailing, but whose life story is? It's really all about learning from mistakes and doing better whenever the opportunity comes again. He is still one of the biggest stars out there, so we have to give him props for a job well done.