Beginnings
At 35, Tom Selleck finally landed his big break when he was cast as the main lead on Magnum P.I.. Selleck even relocated to Hawaii but a writers’ strike delayed shooting the pilot for six months. Meanwhile Selleck worked as a handyman for his landlord at just $7 an hour to make ends meet.
Magnum P.I.
Speaking of his big breakthrough, Magnum P.I. was on air for eight seasons, producing 163 episodes. Of course the hours were grueling but the show opened so many doors for Selleck in his career. Heck, his work on Magnum earned him the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1984. Who could ever forget that mustache, Hawaiian t-shirts, Detroit Tigers cap, and the Colt Model 1911A1 .45 ACP Caliber pistol? No one, that’s who.