Main Characters

Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV (Tom Selleck) (All 162 episodes)

Thomas Magnum

Breaking 4th Wall

Tall, handsome, athletic, charismatic, good-natured, and deceptively intelligent Private Investigator and former U.S. Navy SEAL and Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) officer. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (Class of 1967), he served three tours of duty in the Vietnam War (1967-1975) with the VMO-2 squadron, was thrice wounded in battle, and was a Prisoner of War (No. 73762) for three months (with T.C.). He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism. He resigned from the Navy in disillusionment in 1979 with the rank of Lieutenant, but was promoted to Commander (skipping Lieutenant Commander) when he was temporarily recommissioned by the Navy in 1981 ("Memories Are Forever") against his wishes. Magnum willfully reactivated his commission in the series finale with the rank of Commander.

Magnum is an extremely likable character. Heroic in many ways, he also has an endearingly flawed, self-effacing personality. He makes mistakes. He's financially challenged. He's emotionally insecure and vulnerable, and at times possesses a callous hardness that verges on abrasive. He kind of bumbles around with little direction or drive, and he can have a dubious work ethic at times. And despite his good looks, he doesn't always "get the girl". All of this is, of course, the reason why he appeals to so many people, both men and women. It should be noted, however, that the period of Magnum's life seen in the show is, by the far, the least responsible period of his entire life. Outside of the eight years seen in the show, he's all military - structure, discipline, strong work ethic - with a commendable career.

He strongly prefers being called "Private Investigator" over "Private Eye", or "Private Detective". One of his goals in life is to write a book on How To Be A World-Class Private Investigator. He considers friendship to be the most important element in his life. His closest friends are T.C., Rick and Higgins. He often greets them with the phrase, "Hi, guys!"

The Iconic Look

Surf Ski

Magnum has a distinctive "look" which makes him easily identifiable. He sports a mustache. He often wears blue jeans with a hawaiian shirt, usually a red "Jungle Bird" shirt, or a "Star Orchid" shirt. He also favors khaki field shirts and banded (collar-less) dress shirts. He likes to wear baseball caps (usually a Detroit Tigers cap or a "VMO-2 Da Nang" cap) and Vuarnet Skilynx Aciers or Ray Ban Shooters sunglasses. He always wears a Vietnam War Team Ring and a high quality watch (for the first three seasons, a Chronosport Sea Quartz 30, the last five seasons a Rolex 16750 GMT Master), and often can be seen with a MIA metal bracelet (on his right wrist) and a brass Naval Surface Warfare belt buckle (with a cotton web belt). A reflection of the times, he can also sometimes be seen wearing semi-tight, "short-shorts" on occasion, but not as often as many people suppose.

Magnum has a "little voice" (highlighted in the show by voiceover narration), a variation on his conscience, which warns him of danger. The little voice is always counseling him, making the leaps of intuition he needs in order to escape bad situations, or to solve a crime. He has hightened extrasensory abilities in the dream world, namely with regards to precognition. He's also somewhat clairvoyant and possesses an uncanny sixth sense, which he can sometimes use to his advantage. All of these "special abilities" are rarely seen and used in the show. They are sporadic in nature, and he as little, if any, control over them.

He lives in the guesthouse at Robin's Nest, a large, posh, beachfront estate on the southeast coast of Oahu, at the invitation of its owner, celebrity author Robin Masters (whose face is never actually seen), in exchange for his expertise in quality control of the estate's security. He also has full access (usually) to Robin's Ferrari.

Despite the fact that he lives on a "rich man's estate"and drives a Ferrari, Magnum is a financially-challenged individual (charitable P.I. work just doesn't pay that much) and is often deep in debt with his friends.

Magnum's Family

Young Magnum

He grew up an only child for most of his childhood somewhere in the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia, where his father was a commissioned officer and pilot with the U.S. Navy at Norfolk Naval Base. The specific town/city in the Tidewater area is never named. His grandpa Everett and great grandfather were also Naval officers. Magnum's father was killed at sea on the Fourth of July in the Korean War when he was five years old. Because of this, he has an annual tradition of spending the Fourth of July alone at sea, usually on his surf-ski. His most prized possession is his fathers military watch, which he always wears. His mother Katherine remarried (Frank Peterson) when he was eight and soon sired a son named Joey. Joey was tragically killed while serving in Vietnam.

Magnum was the starting quarterback for the Mids football team. In his senior year (1967), in his last football game (the annual Army-Navy game) he went 21-30 with 3 TDs (2 Pass, 1 Run), 1 INT and was awarded the game ball by the Secretary of the Navy. He also played on the basketball team at the Naval Academy.

How and when Magnum became a U.S. Navy SEAL is unknown. Presumably, he received stateside training at The Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek after his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1967, and before he was shipped off to 'Nam. All of the Vietnam flashbacks in the show feature him in land-based combat operations. Magnum's call sign in 'Nam was "White Knight".

He was briefly married to a Frenchwoman named Michelle, whom he met while stationed in Vietnam. She was presumed dead in a Saigon bombing, but resurfaced ten years later in 1982 as Michelle Hue, a Cold War anti-communist spy working as a double agent and married to a North Vietnamese General (who, as it turns out, was also an anti-communist spy). During their brief reunion, Michelle became pregnant and soon gave birth to Lily Catherine Hue. Magnum was not aware of her existance until 1987 when she was five years old. Shortly after this, Michelle was tragically killed by car bomb. Magnum became Lily's legal guardian and full-time father in 1988, at the very end of the show.

Magnum is an avid baseball fan who roots for the Detroit Tigers, which was his grandfather's favorite team. Growing up, he was also a fan of the Washington Senators. His favorite player, and idol, is Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline.

Bummed Out

The Sax

He has a particular fondness for cigars, beer (the fictional Old Dusseldorf & Coop's), wine, Fig Newton's (dipped in milk), "macho tacos", pizza, cheese (self-proclaimed "cheese freak") and chili dogs. He enjoys running, swimming, volleyball, softball, exercising on his surf ski, playing the saxophone, watching old movies and reading Agatha Christie, and Raymond Chandler novels. He also, oddly enough, enjoys computer games. He collects baseball cards and masks, and has a slightly peculiar affection for rubber chicken's. His favorite sporting event is the annual Army-Navy Game. His favorite movie is Stalag 17 (1953).

Magnum is trilingual (French, Vietnamese) and is an expert at lock picking. He has been shot twelve times in his life - three in 'Nam, nine as a private investigator!

His weapon of choice for self-defense is the Colt Government Model .45 ACP (Series 70) handgun, Colt's commercial version of the standard military-issue M1911A1. He also sometimes carries a Detonics Pocket 9, or a Walther PPK in an ankle holster as a backup weapon. When "gunless", he relies on a devastating right-handed cross power-punch, with near perfect weight transfer.

For more info on Thomas Magnum, check out this excellent Wikipedia article.



Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (John Hillerman) (161 episodes)

Jonathan Higgins

Karate Pose

Pudgy, wordly-wise, intelligent, eccentric, sedentary, and honorable British majordomo of Robin's Nest (Robin Masters' Oahu estate), which he oversees with help from "The Lads", his two beloved and highly trained Doberman Pinchers, Zeus & Apollo. He has never been married and has no known children.

Jonathan is an ex-British Army Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) with a lengthy (37 years) and very impressive military record. He saw extensive action in World War II (North Africa, Italy and Southeast Asia). He served in Vietnam, New Guinea, India and Kenya, among others. He participated in special operations with MI6. He was a Commando. He headed an Army Investigative Unit. He worked with U.N. peacekeeping forces. All total, he put in 35 years in Her Majesty's Service, over 3 wars and 5 insurrections! He has received numerous military decorations for his military service, including the prestigious Victoria Cross (VC) medal, the UK's highest award for bravery in combat.

Born in 1920, he is the second son of the "Duke of Perth" (of Scotland) in a family that has been in the British peerage for almost 800 years. As the second son, his official title is Lord Jonathan Higgins. His older brother would be considered the "Baron of Perth". His great-aunt Matilda was lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria and claimed the family descended from Richard the Lionheart. His Father's great grandfather's aunt was the Duchess of Clyde, whose uncle on the mother's side was Earl of Throckmorton and nephew of Edward VI, son of Jane Seymour and Henry VIII.

Higgy Baby!

In The Study

Jonathan has "several" brothers (never named) and a sister (never named) who lives in Sussex with her four children. His father, Albert Stanley Higgins, sired numerous children out of wedlock during his travels in World War I, which include Elmo Ziller (American), Fr. Paddy McGuiness (Irish), Don Luis Mongueo (Spanish), Soo Ling (Chinese), Elizabeth Whitefeather (unknown) and Catoomba Noomba (African).

As a young lad, he was educated at an unnamed British preparatory school. When he was seven, he entered a military school somewhere on the "rainy, windswept coast of" [England]. In his teenage years, he was educated the prestigious public school for boys Eton College (ages 13-18) in Eton, Berkshire. He was a stellar student and the top Fencer in his class. After Eton, he attended The Royal Military College (RMC) at Sandhurst, but was expelled during his third year after being falsely accused of causing the partial paralysis of a fellow student during a school prank. The following spring, he enlisted in the British Army and served extensively in World War II, mainly in North Africa and SE Asia. After the war, he graduated from the University of Cambridge as a Doctor of Mathematics (1947) and continued to serve in various military and intelligence-related capacities (namely MI6 operations) up until the late 60's. He became the majordomo of Robin's Nest in 1972.

The Gardener

WWII

Higgins is an expert at hypnosis, war history, military weaponry (and strategy & tactics), pool, bridge (Life Master), and chess. He is fluent in Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish and sign language, and was the top Fencer at his public school. He is extremely intelligent and is knowledgable on almost every subject imaginable, something which he demonstates frequently in his many unsolicited orations. The man is a walking encyclopedia. His other hobbies include shortwave radio, photography, gardening, beach croquet, polo, martial arts, music, meditation, poetry (particularly Lord Byron), antique weapons, wargaming, model making, musical theatre, Shakespeare, and working on his memoirs. He is a self-taught pianist and plays at the rehearsal level. For fun, he enjoys flying radio controlled aircraft and shooting 18th century British cannons. For self-protection, he usually brandishes a Webley Mk VI .455 service revolver.

He is very active in the Oahu high-society social scene, serving on dozens of committees and organizing numerous fund raising events. He is also Robin Masters' proxy on the King Kamehameha Club Board of Directors.

Jonathan has several nicknames, including "Higgy Baby" (T.C.), "El Higgo", and "Punkie" (West Yorkshire Regiment). He also has a catch phrase - "Oh, my God!" - that he uses when aggitated, or upset.



Orville Richard Wright (Larry Manetti) (161 episodes)

Rick Wright

"Bogie-Rick"

A suave, street savvy, hardworking, man-about-town of small stature who manages the King Kamehameha Club, a private beachfront club in southeast Oahu. Rick often provides situation-based comic relief in the show. He is often seen wearing humorous costumes or uniforms while assisting Magnum with his cases. A running gag in the series is that in brawls he is easily dispatched by the opponents!

He is a former U.S. Marine Corp door gunner, and weapons specialist, who served in the Vietnam War with T.C. and Magnum in the VMO-2 squadron. Like Magnum and T.C., he served three Tours of Duty in Vietnam. As a civilian, when needed, Rick usually arms himself with a Detonics CombatMaster .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol, or an Uzi submachine gun.

He has close ties with Hawaii's criminal underworld and often uses these connections to help Magnum in his investigations. His main source of information comes from an elder underworld boss named "Icepick".

Rick and his kid sister Wendy were born and raised in a tough inner city neighborhood of Chicago. In 1958, when he was 12, both of his parents were killed in a tragic automobile accident. Family friend Francis Hofstetler (aka "Icepick") assumes the role of stepfather by proxy and "looks after him" and Wendy. Wendy would later be murdered by a drug dealer in Oahu in 1983 (in "Distant Relative").

"Rambo-Rick"

Early Days

Orville loves the ladies and he loves to wager bets. He is a big fan of the 1942 classic movie Casablanca (and Humphrey Bogart) and he is skipper of the King Kamehameha II & III luxury yachts. He's a big baseball fan and grew up rooting for the Chicago Cubs. He has a fondness for expensive suits, tight designer jeans, and cuban heel shoes.

In the late seventies, he owned a glittery discotheque called Rick's Cafe Americain, otherwise known as The Snow Palace (!). Rick dressed, talked, and acted like Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca during this period. He even referred to the DJ as "Sam", even though that wasn't his real name. The club folded in 1980 due to financial problems and Rick soon became manager of the King Kamehameha Club.

He married Cleo Mitchell, a former prostitute, in 1988, in the show's last episode, although the words "I Do" were never seen uttered.



Theodore "T.C." Calvin (Roger E. Mosley) (159 episodes)

Theodore Calvin

Chopper Pilot

Industrious, fun-loving, athletic, powerfully built, small business owner and helicopter pilot, whose friendship with Magnum and Rick dates back to the late sixties and the Vietnam War, where he was a U.S. Marine Corp UH-1 ("Huey") helicopter pilot (Rick was his door gunner) involved in troop transport, reconnaissance, and attack missions with the VMO-2 squadron. He served three tours of duty and was a Prisoner of War (with Magnum) for three months.

He operates a helicopter tourist charter business called Island Hoppers at the Makai Pier in Makapuu. His chopper (a Hughes 500D) and combat-trained flight skills are often enlisted (begged) by Magnum during the course of an investigation.

T.C. is also a highly skilled mechanic. Helicopters, of course, are his speciality, but he is also a very good auto mechanic.

He grew up in New Orleans where his father was a shopkeeper. He has four brothers who were never seen or named in the show.

He graduated from Grambling State University in 1968, where he was an All-American Tight End in football and the 3rd all-time leading basketball scorer in school history. After college, he enlisted in the USMC. He trained at Camp Lejuene where he was a Light Heavyweight Gold Glove Boxing Champion. After his Vietnam service ended in the early 70s, he resigned from the USMC. He worked for Ken Enderlin Charters as a helicopter pilot, among other jobs, for "several years" before saving up enough money to start his own charter company in 1980. [pic]

Coach Calvin

Bare-Knuckler

Theo owns a house in central Oahu with a great view, high in the Waianae Range near the Kolekole Pass and the Schofield Barracks. He was previously married to Tina Calvin and has two children, a son (Bryant Calvin) and a daughter (Melody Calvin), who live on the mainland with their mother. In the series finale, T.C. reconciles with his wife. Theodore spends quite a bit of time volunteering for underprivileged kids and coaches a Little League baseball team. He is also a member of the Marine Forces Reserves.

T.C. is a southpaw. His hobbies include music (especially singing), reading (James Michener, Buck Gibson, Robin Masters & others) cajun-style cooking, dance (particularly ballet), basketball, softball and volleyball. He is an expert at street fighting and is a teetotaler (although he did drink several times in the first season). He can often be seen wearing a VMO-2 Da Nang baseball cap, blue jeans and striped suspenders.



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