Inside Tom Selleck’s ‘Retreat’ Home Where He Lives Privately with His Family since 1988

Tom Selleck has been one of the most successful actors for decades, but instead of living a lavish life in Hollywood, he prefers a quiet one with his family on his ranch in Ventura, California.

Staying humble and avoiding fame from going to your head is not always easy, especially if everybody keeps telling you how great you are. Luckily, Tom Selleck has never been focused on seeking fame.

For over three decades, Selleck and his wife of 30+ years have lived on a ranch in California. Even though living a rancher's life has not always been easy, the actor once said it kept him sane.

ROAD TO STARDOM

Born in Detroit in January 1945, Selleck's foray into the entertainment industry dates back to the late 1960s, when he took minor roles in TV series and films.

"Magnum, PI" was the show that shot his career to stardom. Selleck successfully portrayed the Hawaii-based investigator Thomas Magnum for eight years and even took home a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor.

Selleck then appeared in "The Closer" and "Friends," but he is currently one of the main stars of "Blue Bloods." Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, and a few other cast members have been in the show for 13 seasons (12 years and counting).

Even though Selleck's career is nothing short of impressive, it could have been even better. Unlike other celebrities, he has always treasured the balance between work and quality time with his family. That's why he quit "Magnum, PI" in 1987.

Although Mack gave up her career to be with Selleck, she has no regrets.

He may have been at the peak of his fame, but he has always been a private person and didn't like all the attention the show brought to him. Before saying he thought he was not cut out to deal with fame, Selleck explained:

“I knew intellectually what it would mean in terms of being a public person, but until you’ve lived it, there’s no way to understand it.”

MOVING TO THE RANCH

The actor also revealed that he left "Magnum, PI" not because he didn't like it or was tired of it, but because he was tired "from it." He craved a three-dimensional life – one he didn't have at the time.

In 1987, when Selleck quit the show, he married his second and current wife, Jillie Joan Mack. He once admitted that Mack could light up a room with her "joie de vivre" and "effervescent quality."

One year after tying the knot, Mack, a former actress and dancer from England, and Selleck bought a ranch in Ventura, California, that once belonged to Dean Martin. The farm (and horse ranch) reportedly has over 1,500 native trees.

When he has to leave home to film "Blue Bloods" in New York, Mack takes over. Selleck once said he and his wife were quite independent, and they have a lot of yin and yang in them.

Although Mack gave up her career to be with Selleck, she has no regrets. One of the couple's friends pointed out that Mack loved her rancher's life as her happiness was mainly related to her animals, and her pet dogs and horses were always with her.

RECLAIMING HIS SOUL

Mack is not the only one in love with the ranch. Before buying the property, Selleck noticed that he needed to get his anonymity back to replenish his soul, so the farm served as the perfect retreat from Hollywood.

He took a hiatus, but people started worrying about his stellar career when he reduced his workload to only a couple of projects a year. He eventually confessed he didn't like the acting gigs he was being offered.

Selleck and Mack were sued for stealing truckloads of water from a hydrant serving a construction site during the drought.

Although he had to deal with the news articles about him being done or disappearing from Hollywood, that "big lull" helped put many things in perspective. Now, the actor is sure that his relationships with his family and his ranch have kept him sane. Selleck said:

"I quit Magnum to have a family. It took a long time to get off the train, but I try very hard to have balance, and this ranch has helped me do that."

At the moment, Selleck and Mack have been married for 35 years. Their first and only child together, Hannah, was born in 1988, and the couple considered the ranch was the best environment for her to grow up in, too.

He also confessed that nurturing a marriage was paramount, and the fact that he wanted some time away from work to be with his family helped their relationship.

RANCHER LIFE

While the ranch positively impacted Selleck and Mack's romance, keeping it going has not always been a walk in the park. Selleck maintains the 63 acres himself by doing everything from fixing roads to clearing bushes.

Unfortunately, the California drought decimated his avocado plants. It's not like they were profitable, though. Selleck said in 2007 that his avocados were selling "like hotcakes," but a few years later, he admitted making a living from them was difficult.

Things took an unusual turn in 2015 when Selleck and Mack were sued for stealing truckloads of water from a hydrant serving a construction site during the drought.

According to the Calleguas Municipal Water District, Selleck supposedly used a large water tender type truck to make at least 12 trips from the hydrant to his property during nearly two years. Some trips may have gone undetected, though, so it's impossible to determine how much water was stolen.

The Calleguas authorities revealed that Selleck was discovered transporting water in late 2013, so they sent two cease-and-desist letters. The actor ignored them as he kept stealing water.

Selleck was then ordered to pay $21,000 to cover the cost of a private investigation and more money in terms of damages. He was also banned from taking more of the Calleguas Municipal Water District water for his personal use.