In the land of Tinseltown, some celebrity duos become intrinsically and forever associated with each other. Take Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller or Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. And then we’ve got Tom Selleck, who had the pleasure of seeing his fellow actor Sam Elliott grow in his career as they co-starred in countless roles in westerns together over the years. Even when both actors were still young and very different looking, while Selleck was still busy trying to find himself, Elliott already seemed to be on the western path. Selleck and Elliott joined forces for the first time—sometimes matches made in heaven take a little time to develop.

For Tom and Sam, their first run-in with each other wasn’t particularly eventful, but at least it laid the groundwork for an enduring professional relationship that blossomed and grew into something unparalleled in the western genre. Flashback to 1969 when the western TV series “Lancer” was into its first season. Episode 14 was titled “Death Bait,” and two minor characters named Dhobi and Renslow were portrayed by two relatively unknown, baby-faced men trying to find their place in the industry. Those two roles, albeit minor, were portrayed by Selleck and Elliott. The episode opened with an almost unrecognizable and distinctively mustache-less Tom Selleck. Sam appeared later on in the episode, but for even less screen time than his buddy Tom. Selleck ends up getting his horse stolen at some point, and that’s about it.

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Sam Elliott was the more formed actor between the two. Over the decades, Tom Selleck branched out into other genres and mediums. Most recently, he starred in the police drama “Blue Bloods,” and his career started off just about as varied and nuanced as it ended up becoming today. However, he had a pretty lengthy stint in the middle of his career made up exclusively of western credits. During that chapter of his life, Selleck looked at his friend Sam Elliott as someone who had a much more cohesive idea of where his life was heading and what sort of direction his career would take. Tom freely admits that at the time, he was still learning the ropes, while Sam had a fully realized vision of what his future might hold.

During a key moment for “Lancer,” Tom was presented with a genuine moment of truth while auditioning for that minor role. One of the key skills recruiters look for while looking for new talent for westerns is the actor’s ability to ride a horse. Unfortunately, Selleck, who was still very much new to the genre, did not have that particular skill. While some stars, like John Schneider of “The Dukes of Hazzard,” infamously lied to get the role, Selleck took a different approach. He decided it would be to his benefit just to be honest with director Bob Totten about his lack of experience. When asked if he could ride a horse, he bit the bullet, so to speak, and told Totten he could not, but added he wasn’t afraid of the majestic animals. He then shared he was a decent athlete and would be happy to learn to ride a horse if given the opportunity. The auditions were held at the historic Randall Ranch. All the finalists were then put to the test, being instructed to get on a horse and ride over to the grandstand. Fortunately, Selleck did well enough despite lacking equine experience and got the role.

Tom Selleck was once on “The Dating Game.” Selleck, a Detroit native, was born January 29, 1945. After his family made the move to LA when he was still young, he went on to earn a basketball scholarship to the University of Southern California. While studying there, he entered a management training program for United Airlines. Even though he was a gifted athlete, Selleck found he had a much greater interest in the performing arts. For a while, he worked as a model before successfully finding himself work doing commercial spots for products like Safeguard deodorant. Before landing the commercial work, however, Selleck previously had been a contestant on a 1965 episode of “The Dating Game.” At that time, appearing on dating shows was a popular way for young, attractive actors to gain a bit of exposure. Folks like Steve Martin, Andy Kaufman, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger all made appearances on that show as well. Despite the fact that he would one day become an A-lister, Selleck lost on the show not once but twice.

Tom Selleck’s military service. Much like many other young, able-bodied men his age, Selleck was drafted during the Vietnam War. He ended up choosing to join the California National Guard in 1967 and was placed in the 160th Infantry Regiment. Eventually, he achieved the rank of sergeant before being honorably discharged in 1973. After serving active duty for six months, Selleck returned home to find that Fox had relieved him from his contract. He was later called upon to appear in promotional material for the National Guard and has been a spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

Mae West helped Tom land a huge break. Even though he continued to appear in dozens of commercials through the ’70s, his first major film role came to him thanks to Mae West. The prestigious and highly celebrated actress hand-selected Selleck to play one of her love interests in the film “Myra Breckinridge.” Selleck is well aware of the fact it was West who helped him get noticed. He told “The Morning Call” in 1997 that he attended several premieres with her, and she did quite a few interviews where she mentioned him in the same sentence as Cary Grant. If it weren’t for her, Selleck’s career likely would have taken a very different path.

Tom Selleck almost played Indiana Jones. One of the most fascinating tidbits of trivia from Selleck’s storied career is the fact that he once auditioned to play the Nazi-killing, snake-hating archaeologist Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” According to legend, Selleck got the job but was forced to turn it down because CBS wouldn’t let him break from his “Magnum, P.I.” contract. While that rumor turned out to be true, it turns out Selleck could have done both if he wanted to. While he was gearing up to start shooting “Magnum, P.I.” in Hawaii, a rider strike held up its production, and Selleck was forced to work as a laborer to pay his bills until the show’s production resumed. To add insult to injury, “Raiders” started filming right around the same time in Hawaii.

Tom Selleck was offered the David Hasselhoff role on “Baywatch.” Speaking of alternate universes, there very well could be another one where Selleck is the hunky star of NBC’s “Baywatch.” After wrapping up production on “Magnum, P.I.,” Selleck pursued a successful film career, which included roles in films like “Her Alibi” and “Quigley