Tom Selleck On Early Career & Success On "Blue Bloods"

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Tom Selleck has kept audiences entertained for decades, and now he's entertaining fans on the hit CBS drama "Blue Bloods." But the big roles didn't always come easy and being an actor isn't what he wanted to be when he grew up.

"I grew up wanting to be a professional baseball player, or probably a cowboy or fireman and then after little league, a professional baseball player," recalled the star actor.

But Hollywood had other ideas for the young USC graduate named Tom Selleck.

"Somebody saw me on "The Dating Game" and said you should go over to 20th Century Fox."

The rest as they say is history, though Selleck was far from an overnight success.

Throughout his storied career, he's appeared in more than 50 feature films, some were this and some were not.

He's also starred in dozens of TV shows.

But it's his lead role as Thomas Magnum in the hit TV show "Magnum PI" is where he made his biggest mark.  The show went on for 8 seasons.

TV shows and movies followed but it wasn't until Selleck took on the role of Commissioner Frank Reagan in Blue Bloods, the patriarch of a family of police officers, which put Selleck back on top.

In "Blue Bloods," Frank struggles with the guilt over the death of his young son who was killed in the line of duty.

"It's a real acting challenge for me to let the audience know how much the  job is wearing on him but not show his men that. It's that weight, I think that wears Frank down."

"Blue Bloods" has become famous for its weekly emotional family dinner scenes.

"It seems to be the most favorite part of the show. But it has to be earned," said Selleck. "The best family dinners are the ones where there are fights. Yes we are talking about the importance of families and I love the Waltons but we are not the Waltons."

No, not the Waltons but a modern day family which is finding its way in a tough world with big thanks to the patriarch and elder of the unit.

Tom Selleck turns 70 on his next birthday.

"Blue Bloods" will be back for its 5th season in the fall on CBS.

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