At 79, Where Tom Selleck Lives Currently Is Leaving Us In Tears

Mar 11, 2021

Tom Selleck is one of the nation's most beloved stars, whose mark on American culture has seasoned and aged as well as he has. With a career spanning decades and notable roles in films and television, Selleck has become a Hollywood icon with his charm and immense talent. Today, the veteran actor has traded in the big city's glamorous life for a quiet one on his beautiful 65-acre ranch in California. Read on to see how to find out how the Selleck's having been living it out at their remote sanctuary. 

Though he is a household name, Selleck values privacy in his life over everything else. Thanks to his notable roles in "Magnum, PI" and "Three Men and a Baby," the Hollywood legend became a dreamboat in the '80s. Today he brings Frank Reagen's character to life in the television series "Blue Bloods," which has him spending time between New York City and his ranch in Ventura, California.

Although he does seem to love ranch life, the actor has been working hard on the CBS drama series “Blue Bloods” for over a decade.

When the show’s pilot aired in 2010, it tested well with audiences, and the show has now gone onto its 11th season with no signs of stopping yet. While talking to People, Selleck said, “I don’t think there is an endpoint."

"I think there is a lot of life in the show, as long as you let your characters grow and get older.” According to Selleck, the life of a show depends on how the characters are written.

Selleck also admits to feeling that the cast members have had a “kinship” with one another. He says that he loves them all and that they’re all friends. Notably, some of his onscreen family members include Donnie Wahlberg, Will Estes and Bridget Moynahan. During his interview, he talked about how the dinner party scenes feel like reunions for the cast.

“Our dinner party scenes are like a reunion of friends,” he told People. “Sometimes it’s hard for the directors to get us to concentrate. We do the work, and we do it well, but we’re also screwing around and kidding each other and catching up. What we have is truly a blessing.” Like many other shows, "Blue Bloods" has seen numerous ups and downs from the cast members and some great onscreen moments. Nonetheless, the “Magnum, P.I.” star shared that he doesn’t have any particular favorite episode. 

More precisely, Selleck was asked what his favorite episode was in a video shared on the "Blue Bloods" Twitter account. His answer was direct. He said that he doesn’t have any favorite episode.

However, he didn’t shy away from sharing his favorite moment from the show. "Special for me was being able to shoot at the 9/11 Memorial," Selleck explains. "We were the first film company to ever be able to do that.

Although it’s very easy to think that Selleck chose the project based on the script alone, that wasn’t the case. The star needed more than presenting him with an irresistible character after his eight successful seasons on “Magnum, P.I.” He also needed some form of guarantee that his family wouldn’t suffer when he became the head of the Reagan family. During an interview with Collider back in 2010, Selleck admitted to having hesitated to join the cast at first, as the show was being filmed in New York City, which was far away from his ranch.

“The first question out of my mouth was, ‘Where are you shooting it?’ and then we tried to discuss how that would work,” he said. When he discovered that the CBS work would be an ensemble show, he decided to accept the role of Frank Reagan. "It was an ensemble that clearly was going to require talented actors," he continued. "Having done a lead, as I did in 'Magnum,' being in every shot, I know it's a tough road. 'Magnum' was never canceled."

"I left it after eight years because I was tired from it, not tired of it," he added. "It's always been a consideration, but this really just seemed to fit perfect. The script was terrific. The idea that it was going to shoot in New York caused a family consideration, but it was too good to pass up."

He knew that he would not need to be in New York City more than half the time, and he therefore found the opportunity to join the show too good to pass up.

The show has been going well since 2010, and Selleck is glad that it has enabled him to continue pursuing his acting passion without compromising his private life on his California ranch. Actually, the star revealed to People that his ranch has played a huge role in keeping him sane.

"My relationships and my ranch keep me sane," Selleck told People in April 2020, who is father to a 31-year-old daughter and 54-year-old son. Many celebrities often choose to live in major cities to stay close to their workspaces. Still, Selleck's choice to live on a ranch brings him into the small fraternity of Hollywood celebrities that have eschewed swanky apartments for farms and ranches. Other stars with ranches include Chris Pratt, Oprah Winfrey and Russel Crowe, as per Hello Magazine.

Speaking to Closer Weekly in December 2018, Selleck opened up about how living on a farm has improved his life. "This ranch is a great counterpoint to the acting business, which is an abstraction — you do something, it's up on a piece of film, and everybody argues whether it's good or bad," he said. "You dig a hole and plant an oak tree — and I've probably planted a thousand of them — it's real. It's there, and you can watch it grow. It's a lot different from being famous, and it keeps me sane."

The ranch boasts an impressive 65-acre size, with a ranch house that features eight bedrooms and staff accommodations. Architectural Digest reports that the property includes stables, corrals, a tack room, a heliport, a swimming pool, an adjacent cabana, a tennis court, a three-hole putting course and a practice green. Selleck bought the properly from late singer and actor Dean Martin in 1988, shortly before his daughter's birth and just after the final season of "Magnum, PI."

"I quit Magnum to have a family," Selleck shared with Closer Weekly. "It took me a long time to get off the train, but I try very hard to have balance, and this ranch has helped me do that." When asked if there were any regrets about leaving behind Hollywood for a ranch, his wife, Jillie Mack, shared, "This is the best place to raise a child. It was such the wisdom of Tom. He knew he needed to buy back his anonymity, to replenish the soul."

Along with the anonymity, the ranch also gives Selleck the chance to immerse himself in work that he enjoys doing. "I work this ranch every day. I do the grunt jobs because it saves me money. And it's good for my head," he said. "You don't have time to reflect — you just keep moving. I feel very fortunate, and I feel I've earned it." 

Selleck is best known for his role as Thomas Magnum. However, other notable roles include Peter Mitchell, one of the bachelors on "Three Men And A Baby," Monica Geller's love interest, Dr. Richard Burke, on the hit television show "Friends" and Matthew Quigley in "Quigley Down Under." After his work in "Magnum," he had a long hiatus to lead a quieter life and devote his time to family.

"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," Selleck told People. "I had a feeling of, 'I don't think I'm cut out for this.'"

His hiatus was initially meant to be only for a year but lasted much longer when he realized he did not like the work he was being offered. "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," he said.

After returning to the screen in the mid to late '90s, he found roles that he loved to play. Most recently, his stint on "Blue Bloods" has him traveling back and forth between California and New York City.

"This is a different deal than Magnum," he shared. "I don't work every day. I don't love the commute, but that's OK. I've got a job right now that I love."

Looking back over his 50-year-long career, Selleck says he is grateful for everything he has been given, both on-screen and off. "I'm proud of my work, I still love what I do, and I have my family," said Selleck. "I've been enormously fortunate." For him, family seems to come before everything else, and he says, "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."

Selleck has been married to his wife, Mack, for over three decades now. The pair met decades ago in London when Selleck was filming his movie "Lassiter" and attended the West End show "Cats" repeatedly.

"He kept telling me how great Cats was," his movie co-star at the time, Jane Seymour, said to People. "I thought it was good, but I couldn't see going back a dozen times." 

It turns out that Selleck had an ulterior motive: He wanted to meet the then 25-year-old Mack who was in the company. According to People, her London agent confirmed that the two went out for dinner and things transpired from there.

A People article from 1987 details how Selleck and Mack were married in a secret ceremony by a priest who didn't even know he was marrying someone until moments before the event. The wedding's location took place at the Dream Maker in Lake Tahoe, an open-all-hours wedding chapel. The ceremony was planned by Selleck's brother, using pseudonyms for the couple to avoid alerting the press. The ceremony was attended by Selleck's parents and brothers. 

Some news of the ceremony eventually leaked in the People article, revealing that they chose to have Polaroid pictures taken of their special day in an effort to ensure privacy by avoiding shots from film negatives from leaking to the public. Reverend Immel from the chapel told the magazine:

"They were both nervous, like any other couple about to get married. He was very concerned that the service be heartfelt, very concerned for her that the service be meaningful. He is a very warm, caring man."

The low-key wedding sounds like the perfect antithesis to a very public Hollywood acting career and was the beginning of their quiet marital life together.

The couple's daughter, Hannah Selleck, currently runs her own horse farm. Her parents' decision to live on a ranch and bring her up there played a pivotal role in her current career choice. In an interview with Palm Beach Illustrated in 2019, Hannah shares that she had a significant defining moment at the tender age of four-years-old: She rode her first horse. An old family photo posted on Instagram shows her hugging Taffy Apple, one of the first horses she ever owned.

As she grew up, her involvement with horses changed from a hobby to a passion. "I started at four, and my parents just encouraged me to try all different things — dance, ice skating, soccer, lots of things that kids do," Hannah told The Hollywood Reporter in October 2015. Around the time I was 12, I was getting more serious." 

By the time she was 14 years old, she wholeheartedly pursued a career in horseback riding. "Then around the age of 14, I was very good at ballet and riding. At that point I had to choose if I wanted to excel at either one. My love was with the horses. That's when I became very serious about it," she added.

Hannah's horseback riding career took off when she graduated college at Loyola Marymount, where she obtained a degree in communications. The equestrian continued training, entered horseback riding competitions and founded a horse farm. She still owns and operates this business dedicated to her favorite animals. According to People magazine, Tom and Mack say that living in the countryside influenced their daughters' maturity.

It seems like Tom's decision to live on a ranch has been beneficial to everyone in his family. For many of us, quiet country life is the best way of living since it comes with innumerable advantages. Indeed, Tom and his family have spent a long time cherishing their ranch and have built a strong family unit. 

What do you think of Tom Selleck and his family's decision to live on a ranch? Let us know your thoughts below, and be sure to share this with your friends! They may just enjoy reading about the benefits of ranch life!