Tom Selleck recalls how he got his start

With an acting resume that starts with such gem parts as “Stud” in the 1970 farce “Myra Breckinridge” and proceeds to his Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning work on the ’80s TV series “Magnum, P.I.,” Tom Selleck is marking his sixth decade in the biz. Currently co-starring in the fifth season of CBS’ “Bluebloods,” Selleck recalls how United Airlines’ loss became American film and TV fans’ gain.

You were first mentioned in Variety when you were accepted into the 20th Century Fox “New Talent” program in 1967. Had you worked hard for this?

I was in my last semester of business school at USC. I was in management training for United Airlines. I had done a couple of commercials and was on “The Dating Game,” but I had never done a play in my life. My acting experience was zero.

But someone spotted your potential.

My commercials agent Don Schwartz sent me to Fox, where I think the feeling was, “He’s pretty green but maybe could have a career.” They needed the OK from Richard Zanuck. Well, Zanuck was a huge fan of UCLA basketball and when he learned that I was on the USC team, and that I played the Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) position when we prepped and studied opposing offenses for games, it was “Done!”