Jacqueline Mary Ray is a former American model and actress, who gained more public interest as the first wife of famous actor Tom Selleck.
Early life and educational background
No information about Jacqueline’s childhood can be accessed publicly, except that she was born on 17 July 1952, in Burbank, California, USA; her zodiac sign is Cancer, her birthstone is Ruby, and she has American nationality. She was able to matriculate from high school but didn’t pursue a college degree. She is very close-mouthed when it comes to her parents or if she had any siblings, She likes to separate her private life from her public persona.
Career
Modelling as a teenager was Jacqueline’s first taste of the spotlight. While she was able to model top brands and was on the cover of magazines in the 80s, she never made it to the top. She then went on to seek acting roles in Hollywood, but again ended up with meager results until she was cast in the movie “In Like Flint” released in March 1967, an action-comedy starring James Coburn and directed by Gordon Douglas. Her performance was good enough to get noticed by other producers, and it opened doors to better roles.
Her most notable movies were sci-fi thrillers: “The Killings at Outpost Zeta” with Jackson Boswick in 1980, which gave her a first lead role; and “Beyond the Universe” with David Ladd in 1981. Both films were directed by Robert Emenegger and Allan Sandle.
She also worked in several popular TV series in the ;80s such as “Dallas” and “Magnum P.I.” Her last notable TV appearance was in the Nickelodeon teen series “Unfabulous,” in 2006, and its sequel “Unfabulous: The Best Trip Ever”, aired in 2007, top billed by Emma Roberts.
Personal life
Jacqueline has married three times – her first marriage was so low-key that other than his last name, which is Sheppard, no one knew who her first husband really was.
They had a son named Kevin, who was born in 1966 before they had their divorce.
Her marriage to Tom Selleck
She found another chance at love with famous actor-producer Tom Selleck – she started dating him in 1970, and after a year they tied the knot on 15 May 1971. He decided to adopt her only son and even let him use his last name. Tom was still a struggling actor when they met, and she supported him as he pursued his acting career. They were together for 11 years but ended with a divorce on 10 August 1982, just two years after his rise to stardom.
No official statement was released explaining the decision as most celebrities do when they break up, but Hollywood insiders attribute the fallout to his rising popularity and ‘celebrity lifestyle’ when he was away shooting for “Magnum P.I.” in Hawaii. Tom commented on it during a Pens and Patron interview in September of 2019 about learning from past mistakes – ‘I’ve found it very difficult to expose my private life and live with it.’ He further said that he saw what stardom did to his previous relationship back in the ‘80s, and doesn’t want his new family to suffer the same fate.
Who is Tom Selleck?
Tom is an American actor, producer, and is an Army veteran from the Vietnam War.
He is mostly known by the baby boomers generation as Thomas Magnum, a charming, savvy private investigator in the hit television series, “Magnum, P.I.”, which aired from 1980 to 1988. Generation X would most likely know him as Dr. Richard Burke, Monica’s much older boyfriend in the immensely popular TV sitcom, “Friends.” The millennials today would recognize him as NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan in “Blue Bloods,” which began airing in 2010. While he is much more visible on television, he has appeared in more than 40 movies too. When he’s not busy filming, he stays in his avocado ranch with his wife of 33 years, Jillie Joan Mack, and only daughter named Hannah.
Current Husband
It took Jacqueline a third try to find her perfect match – she married Clarence Barry Witmer in March of 1992. After a very public failure with her second marriage, this time she kept the relationship private. Other than the fact that they are still together, little else is known about them.
Son
Jacqueline has an only son from her first marriage, who took his adoptive father’s last name and is now known as Kevin Selleck. At age 22, his parents admitted him to the Betty Ford Center for an alcohol problem; after the rehab stint, he was able to pursue other interests such as playing music and composing.
He was previously the drummer of the rock band called Tonic. The album his band made went platinum and he was ecstatic, however, it was short-lived as he left the band after a fight with another member. He also tried his hand in acting, by appearing in “Magnum P.I.” and “Scream 2” through the help of his stepdad Tom.
In between, Kevin kept encountering problems such as maxing out his credit cards and getting more unpaid bills. Right now, he has out of the public eye, and the last thing that was reported about him was that he is married to Anabella, who was a wardrobe assistant on the “All Saints” TV series, and they have six children.
Rumors, fake news and interesting facts
Some online sites are claiming that Jacqueline was involved in a crime by hiring a hitman to kill her son-in-law and that she is currently serving an 18-year sentence – this is fake news and totally untrue. While a real crime was committed and someone was sent to prison, the convicted woman is not the actress, but unfortunately share the same name, and that sparked the confusion. She does not have a daughter by her third husband, and so doesn’t have a son-in-law. The real perpetrator was an African-American woman and that alone should have stopped other celebrity sites from making this huge mistake.
Appearance
Jacqueline is 5ft 7in (1.7m) tall and has a slim body with the right curves as expected from models like her. From the last time she was seen on TV back in 2007, she’s maintained her figure, and has been able to age gracefully.
Net worth and salary
She started modelling in the 1960s before she ventured into acting. Sources estimate her net worth to be around $5 million, as of early 2020.