Tom Selleck married his wife, Jillie Mack, over 30 years ago and their love story all began with the musical theater production Cats.
Selleck was in London for the filming of his movie, Lassiter, in 1983 and frequented a local theater while he was there to watch the West End production of Cats.
Many of his movie co-stars were confused by the number of times he went to go see the musical. Selleck’s co-star Jane Seymour was quoted in PEOPLE saying, “He kept telling me how great ‘Cats’ was, I thought it was good, but I couldn’t see going back a dozen times.”
What they hadn’t realized was that Selleck had developed a crush on one of the performers in the cast of Cats. A 25-year-old young woman named Jillie Joan Mack, who played Rumpleteazer in the show. It only took one dinner for the two to know they were destined to be together. As soon as her Cats contract ended, she packed her bags and headed to the U.S. to be with Selleck in Hawaii, where his show Magnum P.I. was based.
Very cute picture of Tom Selleck and his wife. #TomSelleck #Bluebloods #BuenosDíasATodos #Yatodas pic.twitter.com/QQq9byYgsC
— Cati🍀 (@CatiDC1415) November 6, 2020
The pair were inseparable, and Mack was by his side at every event. On August 7,1987, they were married in a secret ceremony in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. They even used alias names while planning the wedding, “Tom Jenkins” and “Suzie Mark” to ensure the privacy of their special day. Selleck insisted the wedding photos be taken with a Polaroid camera so he could ensure they wouldn’t get leaked to the press.
Nearly a year after the couple was married, they welcomed their daughter, Hannah Margaret Selleck. When Hannah was born, he realized he was working too much and needed to take a break to focus on what was truly important in life, his family.
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After deciding to quit Magnum P.I. the family relocated from Hawaii to a 65-acre ranch in Ventura County, California. They decided as a couple to raise Hannah out of the spotlight of fame and Hollywood. They felt as though it was the best environment for her to grow up in.
Hannah has lived her life mostly out of the spotlight and has pursued a career in equestrian riding and entrepreneurship, eventually founding Descanso Farm.
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Selleck also has an adopted son named Kevin Sheppard, who he shares with his ex-wife Jacqueline Ray.
What an incredible love story!
Watch Tom Selleck talk about seeing his wife, Jillie Mack on-stage for the first time in Cats in the interview below!