Tom Selleck doesn’t need an introduction. The now-78-year-old actor has been in show business for decades, and despite his recent health scares, he doesn’t seem to have any plans on retiring. In recent years, he’s starred in the successful series Blue Bloods.

Selleck’s appearance has been quite a trademark, and we have all gotten used to how he looks. However, now, fans are shocked about one thing that has been removed: His iconic mustache.

Tom Selleck wasn’t sure he wanted to be an actor growing up. Born January 29, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, his family moved to California, where he grew up in the San Fernando Valley.

Tom Selleck – early life
Selleck dreamt about enrolling at the University of Southern California (USC), but his family couldn’t afford the tuition.

In 1962, he graduated from Grant High School. After enrolling at Los Angeles Valley College, he lived at home with his parents to save money.

In his early days, it seemed more likely that Tom would have a career in athletics instead of acting. He was an up-and-coming basketball player and dreamt about going pro. With that in mind, one can only imagine how happy he was after being awarded a basketball scholarship at the University of Southern California.

“I never did school plays. I had no interest,” Tom told AARP in 2015.

After some time, Selleck understood that basketball probably wouldn’t be his future career. However, he had a backup plan and took a side job to help pay his tuition. The aspiring student first landed some gigs in television commercials and appeared on The Dating Game.

Tom Selleck was offered a spot on 20th Century Fox’s talent program shortly after. He started crafting his skills, but after two years, he took leave for six months of active duty.

Upon returning, Selleck was dropped. But instead of giving up, he was confident he would make it as an actor.

In the early 1970s, he landed smaller parts in many television series. Then, approaching his mid-30s, Selleck starred in six television pilots. Despite that, his big breakthrough didn’t arrive.

Tom Selleck in ‘Magnum, P.I.’
According to Tom, that was why many thought he was an overnight success when he landed the role of Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I.

In reality, he had struggled and fought desperately hard.

“The luckiest thing that happened was that I didn’t get a real job until I was 35,” Selleck explained.

“When I was 25, I looked 35 but sounded 15. There are a lot of very good actors who make it as younger leading men but don’t graduate — because the audience won’t accept them as grown up.”

Magnum, P.I. became a huge success. The crime drama television series aired between 1980 and 1988 and brought Tom instant celebrity status. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series five years in a row – he finally won it in 1984. If it wasn’t for the show, he may have quit acting for good.

Tom reached cult status through Magnum, P.I., and his career ever since has been nothing short of an incredible success story. Other credits include films like Three Men and a Baby and In & Out. He was also introduced to a new generation of fans when he starred as Monica Geller’s older boyfriend, Richard Burke, beginning in Season 2 of the hit comedy series Friends.

In 2010, Selleck got the role of Frank Reagan on the drama series Blue Bloods, which opened a new and exciting chapter for him. The show has aired for 13 seasons.

“I never thought I’d be lucky enough to do a show that had that long a run. Maybe Magnum, P.I. could have reached that number because nobody wanted to cancel it. I was the guy causing the divorce,” Selleck explained.

Tom Selleck says his back is “messed up”
“I’d done the number one movie [Three Men and a Baby] in the US and I wanted to have a family. The number of series that have done as many episodes as Blue Bloods is a tiny, tiny percentage. This is a validation that we’re all fighting the good fight. All the actors are very committed to the work. So, it’s a number that gives reward for the professionalism of this entire cast.”

In many films and series, actors have their own stunt-person. Often, it can be a dangerous job, but for a few, having someone else perform their stunts is simply out of the question.

Selleck’s done most of his stunts himself in the past, but that has come at a cost. He says his body is not what it used to be.

“My back’s kind of messed up,” Selleck shared.

“When you do stunts in movies—I do a lot of them—you’re taking a risk, but you’re also sitting around a lot. So you might do a fight scene, and then you sit in your chair, and it’s not like you have a personal trainer saying, “Okay, we’re ready to go, but Tom needs ten minutes of stretching and warm-up.”