Tom Selleck Thinks Back on His “Fortunate Life,” “Unplanned” Profession, and 40 Years of Dedicated Wife Jillie

Gazing peacefully over 63 acres of land that cascade down a hillside on his ranch, Tom Selleck Since he purchased the property in 1988 in Ventura County, California, a few things have changed. Droughts killed roughly twenty-five of the farm’s over-acentury-old oaks and nearly all of the avocado trees.

In this week’s cover story, the 79-year-old actor says to PEOPLE, “That just breaks your heart.” “However, the sick ones are improving thanks to the rain we’ve had, and they’re all starting to sprout a lot of healthy growth.”

Upon returning home every two weeks from New York City, where he is currently filming the final season of his long-running popular CBS series Blue Bloods, the actor enjoys reading the newspapers and then taking his ATV for a ride around the ranch to see how all of his wildflowers are doing.

He says, “I’ve been planting them for years, and they bloom in cycles.” One of them blooms during the coldest part of the year, and then another one enters. As ridiculous as it seems, all I do is watch them develop.

Selleck is more than happy living a calm life after spending more than 50 years in Hollywood. The 6’4″ star, who won an Emmy for his role as a Vietnam veteran turned private investigator on the 1980s smash show Magnum, P.I., never like being in the spotlight or gave in to the heartthrob hype, even though he was ruggedly gorgeous. He finally reached mega-success at age 35.

He kept his humble demeanour despite winning over fans for years with roles in TV series like Friends and Las Vegas and films like High Road to China and Three Men and a Baby. Now, on May 7, he will release his new memoir, You Never Know, in which he will recount his journey from struggling actor to TV icon.

The extremely secretive celebrity was a little nervous about penning his life narrative. He claims, “I don’t have the hooks that a lot of people do.” “I didn’t have this horrible life or work on myself. Although I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs, I’ve been really blessed.

Seated in a beautifully renovated 1910 hunting lodge on his land, which has served as his haven from the business for a long time, Selleck epitomises the ideal family guy.

His priorities are his adult son Kevin (whom he shares with his ex-wife Jacqueline Ray), his 66-year-old wife Jillie, and their 35-year-old daughter Hannah.

His memoir “is a lot about failing, endless failures,” he says, having taken four years to write and write in longhand due to COVID. “You need to have a strong desire to pursue acting if you want to succeed in the field. And since it was a bit of a journey, I attempted to convey that.

Acting was never even an idea for Selleck, who was majoring in business administration at USC and received a full basketball scholarship. He was cast as a bachelor on The Dating Game after lucking into his first job as a basketball player in a Pepsi commercial. He is adamant that “it is really the story of an accidental career.” “I had never studied acting in school. I lacked motivation and training.

Before landing his breakout role on Magnum in 1980, he had modest roles in shows including The Rockford Files, many Western films, and a spell on The Young and the Restless in 1967. People would comment, “Oh, he got the acting bug,” or “He aspired to be a star,” according to Selleck. “I’ve never spoken like that in my entire life.

All I wanted to do was find employment. The actor married Jillie in 1987 after first meeting her in London while she was appearing in the musical Cats. The following year, they welcomed Hannah as a daughter. Selleck adds, “And Jillie’s sense of humour,” to his list of things he likes most about his marriage.

Ironically, the actor doesn’t watch TV much these days. Instead, he likes to spend his leisure time with Jillie going over Blue Bloods scripts. “As an executive producer on the show, I’m one of the last guys to see it, and I’m a good editor,” says Selleck.

And when it’s quieter? He continues, “A glass of whisky and a cigar is a nice way to end the day.” “I’ve had an incredibly fortunate and excellent life. I’m not sure whether this is what I expected to be doing, but I’m really appreciative of it.