Memoir

Famed actor Tom Selleck has navigated an idiosyncratic and joyful journey from the business school and basketball court at the University of Southern California to commanding the attention of 50 million viewers for the final episode of the TV show Magnum P.I. In his intimate memoir You Never Know, Selleck offers a refreshingly candid and unpretentious account of his remarkable life and thoroughly accidental career.

With frank humor and an open heart, Selleck clears up misconceptions and shares never-before-told stories from all corners of his personal and professional life. Readers join him on his uncharted but serendipitous path to stardom in Hollywood, experiencing his temptations and distractions, his misfires and mistakes, and ultimately, his well-earned success.

Selleck recounts his rambunctious California upbringing, his clueless arrival as a good-looking college jock trying to break into the industry (from The Dating Game to the Fox New Talent Program to co-starring with the legendary Mae West), and what it was like to emerge as a megastar in his mid-thirties, an actor whose authenticity and ease before the camera connected with global audiences while embodying and redefining onscreen masculinity.

The memoir offers a vivid glimpse into Selleck's personal friendships with a stellar cast of A-listers, from Frank Sinatra to Carol Burnett to Sam Elliott. He pays special tribute to his mentor, James Garner of The Rockford Files, who believed that TV protagonists are more interesting when they have rough edges - a philosophy Selleck embraced in shaping the character of Thomas Magnum.

Selleck also tips his hat to the American Western and the scruffy band of actors, directors, and other ruffians who helped define that classic genre, where he has repeatedly found a happy creative home. Magnum fans will be fascinated to learn how Selleck put his career on the line to make Thomas Magnum a more imperfect hero and why he ultimately walked away from a show that could have continued for years.

Throughout his journey, Selleck has grappled with balancing his personal and professional lives, frequently adjusting his career to protect his family's privacy and normalcy. His memoir offers a fresh perspective on a changing industry and a changing world, revealing an American icon who has reached remarkable heights by always insisting on being true to himself.

Beneath the charm, talent, and self-deprecating humor, You Never Know unveils the remarkable story of how Tom Selleck navigated the challenges of Hollywood to become one of the most beloved actors of our time.

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