Tom Selleck, 60, And Proud Of It

Emmy winning Actor Tom Selleck has just turned 60 and to fans like The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler, he is looking better than ever.

"It's not much different than 59," he tells Syler, but admits. "It's a weird number. Birthdays don't bother me, but this one, I cannot like it at all."

Joking with Syler, he says, "Considering I'm deteriorating. I don't think it's good for work. You play an age range and it would be better if I was known as an actor with an undetermined age - somewhere between Brad Pitt and death."

Other celebrities born in 1945 include Goldie Hawn, John Lithgow, and Bette Midler.

Back in the '80s Tom Selleck tooled around Oahu in shorts and Hawaiian shirts, solving crimes in the hit TV series "Magnum P.I." A promotional photo captures his sexy, happy-go-lucky, private investigator character quite well.

"Hey, thank you for using that hammock pineapple picture," he tells Syler, laughing. "When I took that the first year of 'Magnum,' I said to the photographer, 'I don't want to take this picture.' And I've had to live with it ever since."

Sunday night, he will be seen solving crimes, again, but portraying a very different kind of character in the made-for-TV movie "Stone Cold."

He describes his character Jesse Stone as funny in a dark, black humor kind of way.

"I'm attracted to those characters," he says. "Magnum had a dark side, believe it or not. This character has a few bad habits. He's obsessed with his ex-wife and he doesn't drink anymore except at night when he drinks alone and broods about her, but he also has a couple of girlfriends and he has a sense of humor."

Familiar with Robert Parker novels, Selleck says he likes the way Parker writes flawed characters with humor.

"What makes you root for him is every time things get serious, he seems to have this sense of irony where he cracks a joke," Selleck says.

Asked if he likes playing serious roles more than comedic ones, he says, "If you're doing a comedy you make different choices as an actor, in most roles you have to look at the comedy in tragedy and the tragedy in comedy."

Last year, Selleck starred in A & E original movie called "Ike: Countdown To D-Day," in which he played General Dwight Eisenhower. He also likes doing westerns. He says he's proud of his guest appearances on "Friends" (there were nine) as well as his film career.

To those who want to join the world of acting, he reminds them that he that he studied for 13 years without getting a big break. But it finally came, so stick with it, he says.

Other celebrities born in 1945: Goldie Hawn, John Lithgow, and Bette Midler.

Tom Selleck's Fast Facts

• First TV appearance was as a college senior on "The Dating Game" (1965) in 1967. Soon after, he appeared in commercials for products such as Pepsi-Cola.
• Starred in six failed TV pilots before hitting ratings gold.
• Was a member of the California National Guard and was activated for the Watts riots.
• Was turned down for the lead role in the TV show, "Vega$" (1978), which went to Robert Urich.
• Selleck and Urich once co-starred in a TV pilot (that was never picked up) called Bunco (1977).
• Received an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine University. He was chosen because of his outstanding character and ethic. He is a board member of the non-profit Michael Josephson Institute of Ethics and co-founder of the Character Counts Coalition. He attended the University of Southern California on a basketball scholarship.
• Used to be part owner of The Black Orchid restaurant with Larry Manetti in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• In 1998, was chosen by People Magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.
• Steven Spielberg wanted him to play Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), but he was still under contract for the "Magnum, P.I." (1980) TV-series.
• Is a member of the National Rifle Association
• Shaved off his trademark moustache for the 1997 film, "In & Out" (1997). Once rarely seen without it, he has since kept it off for most of his stage and screen work.
• Joined the Detroit Tigers in 1992 for spring training. He actually took an at-bat (as a pinch hitter) in a game against the Cincinnati Reds, facing Reds' pitcher Bobby Ayala. Selleck ended up striking out after fouling away half a dozen pitches.