Why didn't Hillerman have a bigger career?

[MagnumFan]

He obviously had great acting chops, to be a 48 year old Texan portraying a 60 year old upper class British veteran and aristocrat. Why didn't Hillerman have the lead, or at least a major supporting role in any major picture?

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

He obviously had great acting chops, to be a 48 year old Texan portraying a 60 year old upper class British veteran and aristocrat. Why didn't Hillerman have the lead, or at least a major supporting role in any major picture?

Hi MagnumFan,
There are only so many lead roles to go around. And a short, toupee wearing, average looking Texan isn't going to score the romantic lead and bag Julia Roberts. A roue he ain't.
99% of actors have to work second jobs and hope to get one acting gig a year, just ask the staff at any Manhattan bar/cafe.
However a really good character actor can have a much longer career than most stars, making a lot of moolah. Harry Morgan,Vito Scotti, Albert Salmi, Ben Johnson, Leo Gordon, as soon as you see their faces you may not know their names, but you have seen them scores of times on tv reruns.
John Hillerman has had a pretty good career, struck gold with Magnum against all the odds, maybe he wanted to enjoy his wife(?) and family and take a early retirement.
Reminds me of that wealthy widow who had no family after her husband died, so she paid for a permanent berth on the Queen Elizabeth and it's sister ocean liners. She lives on them full time, every need taken care of, first class medical facilities on board, constant flow of new people to meet and places to see.
Not my cup of tea, but maybe the leisure life is best for her and Hillerman.
I wish he had kept acting, I have been a fan of his since he nailed his part in Ellery Queen in 1975.

[Mrs. Higgins]

He almost did have a bigger career....and someone ELSE would have wound up playing Higgins.

I was reading Betty White's autobiography last year. As you may know, John was her co-star in her 1977 series. According to her book, a top-notch production crew was used to produce the pilot episode and CBS picked up the series. However, the series fizzled out after only 14 episodes because it was not given the same quality crew they had in the pilot. If they had, the series may have run several years and Betty's 1977 show would enjoyed the same kind of success as other post-Mary Tyler Moore programs like Valerie Harper's Rhoda, Cloris Leachman's Phyllis, Ed Asner's Lou Grant, and Gavin MacLeod's The Love Boat. Thankfully Betty went on to success in The Golden Girls, and John as our dear Higgy-Baby.

She didn't say much about John in her book other than he took it very hard when the show was cancelled. I'm paraphrasing, but she also said "...if he only knew the future success he would enjoy on Magnum P.I."

[ConchRepublican]

He almost did have a bigger career....and someone ELSE would have wound up playing Higgins.

I was reading Betty White's autobiography last year. As you may know, John was her co-star in her 1977 series. According to her book, a top-notch production crew was used to produce the pilot episode and CBS picked up the series. However, the series fizzled out after only 14 episodes because it was not given the same quality crew they had in the pilot. If they had, the series may have run several years and Betty's 1977 show would enjoyed the same kind of success as other post-Mary Tyler Moore programs like Valerie Harper's Rhoda, Cloris Leachman's Phyllis, Ed Asner's Lou Grant, and Gavin MacLeod's The Love Boat. Thankfully Betty went on to success in The Golden Girls, and John as our dear Higgy-Baby.

She didn't say much about John in her book other than he took it very hard when the show was cancelled. I'm paraphrasing, but she also said "...if he only knew the future success he would enjoy on Magnum P.I."

That right there is one of the scarier things I've read about the series. It's not exaggerating to say the show doesn't work without Hillerman playing Higgins. His excellent range: from stick up his a$$ Major Domo to compassionate father figure to experienced veteran makes the relationship with Selleck's Magnum, and the show, work. Subtract either one of them and the dynamic falls apart.

[308GUY]

That right there is one of the scarier things I've read about the series. It's not exaggerating to say the show doesn't work without Hillerman playing Higgins. His excellent range: from stick up his a$$ Major Domo to compassionate father figure to experienced veteran makes the relationship with Selleck's Magnum, and the show, work. Subtract either one of them and the dynamic falls apart.

"Quite".......