Richard Dean Anderson’s Life After TV: Why He ‘Retired’ and ‘Hasn’t Looked Back’

MacGyver actor Richard Dean Anderson is looking healthy and happy in a rare public outing and a source exclusively tells Closer he’s got plenty of offers to return to acting if he wants to – although these days he’s a lot happier focusing on family and charity work while enjoying his retirement.

“He still gets offered guest spots on different shows and, if he wanted, he could probably land a series again like his old pal Tom Selleck did. But Rick just doesn’t seem to be interested,” the insider explains. “He still reads scripts here and there, but nothing has piqued his interest enough to get him to sign on.”

“Rick lives on the outer reaches of Malibu right at the beach. He has a big property and a dream house that he built there some years back. He still does charity work and goes to the occasional fan convention to sign autographs because he does love his fans,” the source reveals.

“But as far as acting, he retired in 2013 to focus on raising his daughter Wylie, who was 15 at the time, and he really hasn’t looked back,” the insider dishes.

“She’s now all grown up and in the business herself and Rick is very supportive of everything she does. She’s a producer and director so working together is something they’ve talked about, if she ever wants him to do something it will be a yes, he’s the ultimate doting dad and would do anything for her, he’s so proud!” the source gushes.

Richard, 75, was most recently photographed out and about in Malibu in May, smiling to the paparazzi on his way to get a haircut. That same month, the Stargate SG-1 actor appeared at fan conventions in London, England, and the South Texas Comic Con in McAllen, Texas. He attended both with his Stargate SG-1 castmate, Michael Shanks.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota, native got his start on TV playing Dr. Jeff Webber on the ABC soap opera General Hospital from 1976 through 1981. Richard went on to star in the prime-time series Emerald Point N.A.S. and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers before landing the iconic role of resourceful covert operative MacGyver in 1985. The series ran on CBS for seven seasons through 1992.

Richard reprised the role in several MacGyver TV movies and landed another legendary role as Jack O’Neill on Stargate SG-1 from 1997 through 2007. He reprised the part for six episodes of Stargate: Universe in 2009.

While Richard’s last TV appearance was on a 2013 episode of the ABC comedy Don’t Trust the B In Apartment 23 playing himself, the star keeps busy with his numerous charitable ventures.

He’s active with the international non-profit marine wildlife conservation organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Richard has been active in the group’s fundraising, attending their 40th anniversary gala in Beverly Hills in 2017. He happily posed for pictures on the red carpet.

The Malibu oceanfront resident is also a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a coalition of more than 170 local community leaders who “take personal responsibility for the health of the waterways and communities they represent.”

In addition to his environmental causes, Richard is active with the Challengers Boys and Girls Club, which provides “optimal social development for at-risk youth ages 6 to 17.”

He also supports the USC Pain Center at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California “to raise awareness of neuropathic and other chronic pain conditions such as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).”

In another charitable venture, Richard works with the non-profit Brain at the UCLA Foundation, which raises money for the UCLA Neuro-Oncology Program’s brain cancer research, while raising public awareness of the disease.