Since starring as private eye Thomas Magnum in the 1980s television series Magnum, P.I., Tom Selleck has made several film and television appearances. One of his most well-known roles was in the television series Blue Bloods, and another was in Friends in a minor recurring part.
Despite his early success, this award-winning actor has chosen to hide his personal life from the spotlight. And unlike other celebrities, the Blue Bloods actor decided to live a modest life. Selleck has decided to use his $45 million fortune to buy a ranch in the middle of nowhere. Although the actor has no plans of retiring any time soon, he’s content living a calm life on his ranch in between projects.
Tom Selleck Quit Magnum P.I. And Wanted To Live A Quieter Life
When Thomas Magnum, the title character in the crime drama series Magnum, P.I., was cast, Tom Selleck had his big break. While playing Magnum had positive impacts on Selleck’s career and significantly increased his net worth, it also had negative effects. Selleck had to turn down many roles, including Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, primarily because the producers would not release the actor for other projects.
With eight seasons, Magnum, P.I. ran from 1980 to 1988. By the time its last season came around, the show had become the top-rated one-hour show in the history of syndicated reruns. The show was so popular that fans were shocked to learn it was coming to an end. But turns out that this decision had to do mostly with Selleck not wanting to play Magnum anymore.
Turns out that the actor was ready to quit acting for a while and, instead, live a calm life away from the spotlight. “I quit Magnum, not because I didn’t like it or I was tired of it,” Selleck told People. “I was tired from it. And I wanted a three-dimensional life because I didn’t have one.”
At the time, Selleck decided to take a hiatus away from Hollywood, living life off the grid on his ranch. Despite rumors surrounding his disappearance from the spotlight, Selleck decided to stay put for over a year. “I put up with the articles that said he’s disappeared, he’s done. And you do get done, I’m well aware of that. It was a big lull, but it put a lot of things in perspective.”
Tom Selleck Took a Break From Hollywood After Magnum, P.I. Came to an End and Moved to a Ranch
Despite his fame, Selleck has managed to keep his personal life very quiet. The actor also is a family man. In fact, the actor told People that his decision to take a break from Hollywood had to do with wanting to spend more time with his family.
“I’m a fairly private person. And I’ve always treasured the balance between work and time with my family. It’s always about them,” he explained.
The actor used the fortune he had made on Magnum, P.I. to buy a ranch in Ventura, California. And this place soon became a calming spot for him, where he could forget the madness that is Hollywood for a while. “My relationships and my ranch keep me sane. I do grunt work and I make the rounds. I like watching things grow. It’s a retreat,” the actor revealed.
Although the actor thought he knew what to expect when he became an actor, Selleck has now admitted that the experience was a different one when fame really hit. And he didn’t really enjoy it.
“I knew intellectually what it would mean in terms of being a public person, but until you’ve lived it, there’s no way to understand it,” says Selleck. “I had a feeling of, ‘I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”
Despite Making Millions on Blue Bloods, Tom Selleck Decided to Keep Living a Modest Life on His Ranch
Although he took a break from Hollywood during the late 80s and early 90s, Tom Selleck never really stopped acting. Since then, the actor has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows. Since 2005, Selleck has starred in nine made-for-TV movies based on Robert B. Parker’s novels, and two years later, he joined the NBC drama Las Vegas for its fifth season.
However, his performance in the CBS American police procedural drama series Blue Bloods has to be his most significant part since Magnum. The main character in this series, Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, has been played by Selleck since 2010. The program was most recently renewed for a fourteenth season. Selleck and the Blue Bloods cast have earned millions of dollars for their work on this program as a result of its popularity and long run on television.
Despite having a significant net worth that keeps on growing thanks to his work on Blue Bloods, Tom Selleck still chooses to live a modest life. Whenever the actor is not working, he retreats to his 63-acre ranch to forget about stardom for a while.