<p id=”par-1_36″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/tom-selleck/?swcfpc=1″>Tom Selleck</a> is closing the book on the latest chapter of his long career. Since 2010, the actor has been a regular fixture on CBS on Friday nights, playing NYPD Commissioner <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/blue-bloods-tom-selleck-believes-frank-reagan-avoidance-favoritism-fault.html/”>Frank Reagan on <em>Blue Bloods</em></a><em>. </em></p>
<p id=”par-2_28″><em>Blue Bloods </em>wraps up its 14-season run on Dec. 13. Ahead of the highly anticipated series finale, let’s look back on the career of the iconic leading man. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-Daughters-of-Satan.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck lies on the chest of a woman preparing to stab him in the back in the movie ‘Daughters of Satan'” class=”wp-image-3744743″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Tom Selleck in ‘Daughters of Satan’ | FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_56″>Selleck’s Hollywood career began after he appeared on <em>The Dating Game </em>while he was a student at the University of Southern California in the 1960s. That led to parts in commercials, TV shows such as <em>Lancer, </em>and movies like <em>Myra Breckenridge</em>. One of his first starring roles was in the 1972 horror movie <em>Daughters of Satan. </em></p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-1970s.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck, without a mustache, with his arm around a brown-haired woman and next to an image of Tom Selleck in Salem cigarettes ad above a NYC subway entrance” class=”wp-image-3744741″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>[L-R] Tom Selleck with Anjanette Comer in ‘The Wide World of Mystery’; A 1976 ad featuring Selleck | American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images; Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_53″>Selleck is known for his signature mustache, which he’s sported since his early days as an actor. He’s nearly unrecognizable sans-facial hair in this still from a 1974 episode of <em>Wide World of Mystery. </em>But the mustache wasn’t missing for long. It was on full display in a 1976 ad for Salem cigarettes. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-3″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-with-dog.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum holding a puppy” class=”wp-image-3744749″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Tom Selleck in ‘Magnum, P.I.’ | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-5_39″>Selleck’s career took off in a major way in the 1980s, thanks to his <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/tom-selleck-recalled-working-frank-sinatra-magnum-p-i.html/”>lead role in <em>Magnum P.I</em></a><em>. </em>He played Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living in Hawaii. The show ran for eight seasons from 1980 to 1988. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-4″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-with-Reporters.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck, wearing sunglasses, with microphones in his face” class=”wp-image-3744750″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Tom Selleck attends the 39th Annual Golden Globe Awards rehearsals on January 29, 1982 | Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-6_38″><em>Magnum </em>turned Selleck into one of the most popular TV actors of the decade. In 1982, he was swarmed by reporters as he attended a rehearsal for the Golden Globes. The sudden fame was hard to adjust to.</p>
<p id=”par-7_43″>“I didn’t like it. Mainly because of family and a sense of privacy,” he said in a recent episode of the <a href=”https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tom-selleck/id1745204141?i=1000668258904&at=11lDJ&ct=1712071Xaebe81e4c8c05ec68ad3f162c7d9ad6b” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Where Everybody Knows Your Name</em></a><em> </em>podcast. “I started getting asked questions in interviews that I didn’t want to say—give an answer to.” </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-5″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-Walk-of-Fame.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck between his girlfriend and mom at the Hollywood Walk of Fame” class=”wp-image-3744748″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Tom Selleck with Jillie Mack and Martha Selleck on June 4, 1986 | Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-8_42″>In 1986, Selleck received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His mother, Martha Selleck, and his <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/tom-sellecks-wife-jillie-mack-is-best-known-for-3-roles.html/”>then-girlfriend Jillie Mack</a>, were there to help mark the occasion. Selleck married Mack in 1987. They have one daughter and are still together today. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-6″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-Ted-Danson.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck sitting at a table at a press conference between Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson” class=”wp-image-3744747″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Steve Guttenberg, Tom Selleck, and Ted Danson at a news conference for ‘Three Men And a Baby. | Erin Combs/Toronto Star via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-9_38″>In 1987, Selleck showed off his comedic chops in <em>Three Men and a Baby. </em>He co-starred with Ted Danson and Steven Guttenberg in the movie about three bachelors who unexpectedly wind up with a baby on their hands. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-7″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-Quigley-Down-Under.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck dressed as a cowboy and holding a rifle in ‘Quigley Down Under'” class=”wp-image-3744746″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Tom Selleck in ‘Quigley Down Under’ | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-10_35″>After <em>Magnum P.I. </em>ended, Selleck went on to star in the Western <em>Quigley Down Under, </em>where he played an American sharpshooter who takes a job working for a rancher (played by Alan Rickman) in Australia. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-8″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-on-Friends.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck, wearing a tux, standing between Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox in ‘Friends'” class=”wp-image-3744745″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Tom Selleck as Dr. Richard Burke, and Courteney Cox as Monica Geller in ‘Friends’ | Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-11_32″>Selleck reached a new generation of TV viewers thanks to his role on <em>Friends. </em>He played Dr. Richard Burke, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/friends-how-old-was-tom-selleck-when-he-first-appeared-on-the-show.html/”>Monica’s (Courteney Cox) much-older love interest</a> on 10 episodes of the hit sitcom. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-9″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-Jesse-Stone.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck wearing a PPD baseball cap in ‘Stone Cold'” class=”wp-image-3744744″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Tom Selleck in ‘Stone Cold’ | CBS via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-12_38″>Between 2005 and 2015, Selleck played the title character of Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the novels of Robert B. Parker. <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/tom-selleck-hints-might-bring-back-fan-favorite-character-blue-bloods-ends.html/”>He’s talked about reviving</a> the series now that <em>Blue Bloods </em>is over. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-10″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-Blue-Bloods-Season-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck as Frank Reagan standing behind a lectern in ‘Blue Bloods'” class=”wp-image-3744742″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Tom Selleck in ‘Blue Bloods’ Season 1 | Marni Grossman/CBS ©2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-13_32″><em>Blue Bloods </em>premiered in 2010, with Selleck in the key role of Frank Reagan. He’s the patriarch of a New York City family that’s dedicated their lives and careers to criminal justice. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-11″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Blue-Bloods-Cast-Paley-Fest.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”The cast of ‘Blue Bloods,’ including Tom Selleck, pose for a photo at PaleyFest NY 2024″ class=”wp-image-3729434″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>The ‘Blue Bloods’ cast at PaleyFest 2024 | Gary Gershoff/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-14_24″>In late 2023, CBS announced that <em>Blue Bloods </em>would end after the upcoming 14th season. Selleck has expressed his disappointment in the network’s decision. </p>
<p id=”par-15_31″>“I’m kind of frustrated. During those last eight shows, I haven’t wanted to talk about an ending for Blue Bloods but about it still being wildly successful,” he told <a href=”https://www.tvinsider.com/1154539/blue-bloods-series-finale-tom-selleck-interview-exclusive/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>TV Insider</a>. </p>
<p id=”par-16_16″>While his time as Frank Reagan is over, Selleck says he’s looking forward to what’s next. </p>
<p id=”par-17_23″>“I need to regroup,” he said. “I don’t know what’s next, but assuming the phone doesn’t stop ringing, I’m going to keep working.”</p>
<p id=”par-18_22″>The <em>Blue Bloods </em>series finale airs Friday, Dec. 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. It will also stream on Paramount+. <em> </em></p>
<p id=”par-19_16″><em>For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to </em><a href=”https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWmTM34h0-P7FcCwuA6h6sw/videos”><em>Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel</em></a><em>.</em></p>