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The veteran actor celebrated his birthday surrounded by family© Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Tom Selleck turns 80: see his head-turning transformation from his career debut over five decades ago

The Blue Bloods star made his film debut back in 1970

Ahad Sanwari
Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
January 29, 2025
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Tom Selleck celebrated his 80th birthday on January 29, marking not just a new milestone in his personal life, but also a new stepping stone in his on-screen career.

The actor has been a fixture of the screen, both film and TV, for nearly six decades, making his first ever appearances on screen as a college senior on shows like The Dating Game and some Pepsi Co. commercials.

After a stint on the short-lived drama Bracken's World from 1969 to 1970, Tom's career finally began taking off in the early 1970s, starting with his film debut shortly after Bracken's World was canceled.

Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: The life of Tom Selleck: from '80s heartthrob to family man

In 1970, he made his film debut in the comedy Myra Breckenridge, featuring a star-studded cast that included Raquel Welch, John Huston, Mae West, Rex Reed, Farrah Fawcett, etc.

Tom was simply credited as "Stud," playing one of the men auditioning for Mae's character Leticia Van Allen, a casting agent who is notorious for seducing the men she auditions, one of whom happens to be Tom.

The actor sports a slicked, wavy hairstyle and a clean shaven look, which was also present when he attended the movie's premiere with Mae, wearing a classic old Hollywood smile that complimented his boyish charm at just 25 years old.

Tom with his "Myra Breckenridge" co-star Mae West back in 1970© Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
Tom with his "Myra Breckenridge" co-star Mae West back in 1970

The movie, unfortunately, turned out to be a box office bomb and was critically derided, and is today considered by many critics to be among the most exploitative movies ever made. However, it did give the actor his start.

MORE: Blue Bloods stars' children: from Tom Selleck's daughter, to Bridget Moynahan's son

He continued to make minor TV appearances and had several small film roles before he started to establish a footing for himself in Westerns of the '70s with supporting performances that would last deep into the '90s, inspired by his own love for the outdoors.

Unspecified - 1974: Anjanette Comer, Tom Selleck appearing in the ABC tv series 'The Wide World of Mystery', episode 'Shadow of Fear''.© Getty Images
The actor rocked a clean shaven, classic look during the early stages of his career

His big break came in 1980 when he turned down the role of Indiana Jones to play Thomas Magnum in the hit detective series Magnum P.I., which ran until 1988 and turned him into not only a household name, but also an '80s sex symbol, renowned especially for his easygoing personality and mustache.

MORE: Inside the real-life romances of Blue Bloods stars: Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan, Vanessa Ray and more

Tom has since looked back on his film debut with fondness, most recently during an appearance on The Talk while promoting his memoir You Never Know, describing his first audition for the role with screen siren Mae West.

Daughters of Satan, aka: Die Tochter Satans, USA/Philippinen 1972, Regie: Hollingsworth Morse, Darsteller: Tom Selleck, Barra Grant© Alamy Stock Photo
His next film role came in 1972's "Daughters of Satan"

"I don't know how many people remember Mae West, but she was kind of a legend," he mentioned. "She hadn't done a movie in 20 years and she was older, but I had this interview at 8pm in her apartment."

MORE: What were Tom Selleck's final words as Blue Bloods comes to an end?

"She asked me to read a script," the Blue Bloods actor recalled. "I was really nervous, but did it. And then she goes over to her white piano — everything was white in her apartment — and she leans back against it and says, come here. Put your hands on my waist.  After I put my hands on her waist, she said, now spread your legs."

Tom Selleck as Frank Reagan  © CBS
His turn as Frank Reagan on "Blue Bloods" concluded in December 2024

"It turned out she wasn't very tall and I'm 6' 4", so she wanted to make sure by spreading my legs I could be shorter and it would work with the part… I got the part."

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