--- description: The Magnum, P.I. actor remembers the show’s creator title: Obituary: Tom Selleck Remembers Glen Larson image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Tom Selleck: Glen Larson Was a Giant in Our Industry by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 20, 2014 12:05 PM CUT by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 20, 2014 12:05 PM CUT I first met Glen A. Larson in 1979, when he wanted me to do a show called Magnum, P.I., which was a nice position to be in. Glen, who died on Nov. 14 at age 77, was one of those guys I knew of as a giant in our industry–he had already created Battlestar Galactica and the medical drama Quincy, M.E.–and I was really flattered. At one point we were talking about some problems I had with the script, and he said I should come see him in Hawaii, where the show took place and where he had a house. I said I couldn’t because I was taking care of my teenage son. He said, “Well, bring him!” I said he would get bored, and he said, “Have him bring a friend.” He really wanted me there, so I went. Money seemed to be no object–we went out to dinner every night that week. It was the beginning of a friendship that lasted for many years as he created shows like Knight Rider and The Fall Guy. Glen had a gracious quality and a wonderful sense of irony about life. Every time he called, I was happy to call him back, and every time I saw him, I was happy to see him. I saw him for the last time about a year ago, and he seemed fine. The news was shocking–guys like Glen you think will live forever. Selleck is an Emmy- and Golden Globe–winning actor ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3596992/tom-selleck-glen-larson-was-a-giant-in-our-industry/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3596992/tom-selleck-glen-larson-was-a-giant-in-our-industry/"},"headline":"Tom Selleck: Glen Larson Was a Giant in Our Industry","datePublished":"2014-11-20T12:05:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T11:34:58.885Z","description":"The Magnum, P.I. actor remembers the show’s creator","url":"https://time.com/3596992/tom-selleck-glen-larson-was-a-giant-in-our-industry/","keywords":["obituary"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3596992/tom-selleck-glen-larson-was-a-giant-in-our-industry/","name":"Tom Selleck: Glen Larson Was a Giant in Our Industry"}}]}] ```