David Hasselhoff

David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American actor, singer and songwriter best known for his lead roles on Knight Rider and Baywatch. He also crossed over to a successful music career, primarily in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.

Early acting career

David Hasselhoff's first ever acting job was playing Mitchell Penn, whose famous quote was, "You show bout dait," as a child.

Hasselhoff played Dr. Snapper Foster on the soap opera The Young and the Restless for six years. At about this time he posed for a series of now infamous and much sought after posters wearing only a leather jacket and black bikini briefs. He later went on to star as Michael Knight in the Glen A. Larson-created series Knight Rider from 1982 to 1986. He launched his singing career with guest appearances on the children's program Kids Incorporated and also obtained permission to produce a Knight Rider episode ("Let It Be Me") focused on his singing talents, which served as a springboard for his 1985 debut album Night Rocker.

Singing career

Once having solidified his position as an actor, he attempted to cross over into the music industry and made his debut with the 1985 album Night Rocker while still working on the show. After two moderately successful albums, he recorded "Looking for Freedom" in the summer of 1989 and released just as the Berlin Wall came down.

In Germany, his song became an anthem of sorts at the time, and the album went gold and triple platinum, topping the charts for three months whilst the single managed a mere eight weeks. He was later announced as the best selling artist of 1989 in Germany even prompting the newspaper headline "Hasselhoff: not since the Beatles". Since then another six of his albums have gone platinum in Europe.

In early 2005, it was reported that Hasselhoff had teamed with rapper Ice-T and was planning to record a rap album under the handle of Hassel the Hoff."Ice-T Producing David Hasselhoff Rap Album By Nolan Strong", All Hip Hop, 21 May 2004 As of the end of 2005, the recording had not been released. In fact, Ice-T went on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to confirm that he was not involved in any such project. In June 2006 Hasselhoff confirmed that the project was a "prefabrication" on The Kevin and Bean Show on KROQ, Los Angeles.

Taking back Baywatch

His contract stipulated royalties to be paid to him from the rerun profits, which gave him the financial liberty to buy back the rights to Baywatch from NBC.

Baywatch had premiered in 1989, but was cancelled after only one season. Feeling the series had potential, Hasselhoff revived it for the first-run syndication market in 1991, investing his own money and additionally functioning as executive producer.

Baywatch in this second incarnation was much more successful, and ran in syndication in the US for another ten seasons. It was also well-received internationally and has been shown in over 140 countries around the world.

This success combined with his royalties and his other ventures have placed Hasselhoff's fortune at more than $100,000,000."Former 'Baywatch' Hunk Hasselhoff Files for Divorce", ExtraTV.com, 13 January 2006

Late career

In 1994, he was scheduled to perform a concert on pay-per-view from Atlantic City. It was supposed to help reignite his singing career in the United States. On the night of his concert, O.J. Simpson was involved in a police chase on the California highway. People who were watching the concert switched over to watch the news. Since then, Hasselhoff has not attempted another concert.

In 1996, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2004, Hasselhoff played the lead role in London performances of Chicago, for three months, starting July 16.

Hasselhoff has made several self-parodic appearances in movies. He had a cameo appearance in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, released November 19, 2004, starring as himself (though very much in bygone Baywatch character) and meeting SpongeBob and Patrick. He also had another short appearance in the movie A True Underdog Story as, fittingly, the dodgeball coach to the German national dodgeball team. Scolding his team to play better, he shouts "Ihr seid alle Schweine!" (translated: "You are all pigs!") and smashes a photo of himself in his Baywatch attire. In 2004's Eurotrip, Hasselhoff lip-syncs his song "Du" in a fantasy sequence. In a cameo as himself in John Waters' 2004 effort A Dirty Shame, Hasselhoff defecates in an airplane's washroom. Prior to Hasselhoff making self-deprecating cameos, Frank Coraci's Click is the first film in which Hasselhoff plays a character, such as Adam Sandler's despicable boss.

In his music video for Jump Into My Car, Hasselhoff again demonstrates a penchant for self-parody, this time of his performance as Michael Knight in Knight Rider — with the car in question being a black Pontiac Trans Am with a pulsing LED and an interior nearly identical to that of K.I.T.T. (except for the passenger seat being on the left) — including an aptly-timed use of K.I.T.T.'s seat ejection system.

David presented a musical award with Gretel Killeen at the ARIA's on Sunday October 23, 2005 in Sydney, and during the course of the night, he was apparently French kissed in a celebratory fashion by musician, Ben Lee. He was recently signed to Pepsi appearing in a massive outdoor campaign in January 2006. David will also tour Australia with his band mid-2006.

Hasselhoff has also become something of an internet phenomenon / figure of fun. Numerous websites (e.g. www.dropitlikeitshoff.com) have appeared and there is currently a campaign to get "the Hoff" to a number 1 spot in the UK singles charts (www.gethasselhofftonumber1.com)

In May 2006, Hasselhoff returned to the spotlight after he was mentioned in an interview of NBA star and native of Germany, the Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk was asked what he does to concentrate when shooting foul shots. Dirk replied irconically that he sings "Looking for Freedom" to himself. Shortly thereafter, Hasselhoff attended the May 26, 2006 Mavericks home playoff game where they faced the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Western Conference Finals. Interviewed by Craig Sager, Hasselhoff stated he was as much a fan of Nowitzki as Nowitzki was a fan of him.

Today, Hasselhoff, along with Grammy-winning singer/actress Brandy Norwood and British media icon Piers Morgan is a co-judge on NBC's America's Got Talent, a program that showcases America's best amateur entertainers.

Personal life

After failing out of Atlanta's Marist School, Hasselhoff attended and graduated high school at Lyons Township High School, with campuses located in Western Springs, Illinois and La Grange, Illinois. He participated in many extracurricular acting and singing events at the "Corral" near the south campus of Lyons Township.

Hasselhoff was married to actress Catherine Hickland from March 24, 1984 to March 1, 1989, when they divorced. Their marriage has been recreated in Knight Rider Season 4 Episode The Scent of Roses first aired on January 3, 1986.

Hasselhoff had been married to actress Pamela Bach since December 9, 1989, with whom he has two daughters, Taylor Ann and Hayley Amber. Although Hasselhoff was raised Roman Catholic, he and his family attend non-denominational church services.

On January 13, 2006, Hasselhoff announced his filing for divorce from his wife Pamela Bach after 16 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. His publicist has stated that the couple has agreed to an amicable settlement. However, on March 9, 2006, Bach accused Hasselhoff of violent behavior towards her"Hasselhoff 'violent' claims wife", BBC, 9 March 2006. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark A. Juhas signed the order March 6, 2006 ordering the former "Baywatch" star to stay at least 100 yards (91 m) from Bach except for "peaceful contacts related to court ordered visitation" of one their two teenage daughters. Pamela is seeking sole custody of their two daughters.

Hasselhoff's memoir, called "Making Waves," will be released in the UK in September 2006. In an interview in April 2006, he promised that the book will present the "last chapter" regarding controversial elements of his personal life.

On June 29, 2006, Hasselhoff suffered a freak injury when he hit his head on a chandelier while shaving. The broken glass severed a tendon in Hasselhoff's right arm, and surgery was performed that day to repair the damage. Hasselhoff was released from the hospital the following day and is reported to be doing fine.

Alcohol problems

Hasselhoff received media attention in 2003/2004 for an alleged drinking problem. He attended a rehabilitation program in 2002, at the Betty Ford Center.

His problems with alcohol abuse apparently continued, as he was arrested on June 5, 2004, on suspicion on driving while intoxicated (considered a misdemeanor in Los Angeles.) He was bailed out with $15,000 and his lawyer once requested the case be continued and the arraignment was postponed to October 28, 2004. On that court day, his lawyer entered his no contest plea while he was absent from the court hearing. He was fined $390 (due to California's "Alcohol Abuse Education and Prevention Assessment" law, and other fees, the total amount paid to the court is assumed to be over $1400), sentenced to self-supervised probation for 3 years, ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice a week for 6 months, spend six months in a DUI program (several hundred more dollars), and to perform 200 hours of community service. While his driver's license was restricted for the next 90 days, he could drive only to his work, to take his children to school, and to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In 2006, Hasselhoff was allegedly thrown out of a Wimbledon court-bar for drinking and rioting. However, The All England Club, which runs the Wimbledon championship, denies this. "Hasselhoff tennis ejection denied", BBC, 5 July 2006

"Get Hasselhoff to number one"

On April 21, 2006 anonymous fans of David Hasselhoff launched the tongue-in-cheek website Get Hasselhoff to Number 1 in an attempt to generate the momentum required to send the 1980s hit, "Looking for Freedom", to the top of the UK music charts based on internet downloads of the single. The campaign is ongoing and has attracted attention in the British national press ^*" target="_blank" >^*. Over 20,000 people have signed up so far. When the total number of sign-ups on the site reaches 75,000 the owners of the site will send a "Hoff Alert" email to all those who have registered alerting them that the time has come to purchase the single. The intention is that the surge in sales generated will propel the former hit to the top spot in the British chart ensuring radio plays and television appearances for Hasselhoff.

Trivia

Norm MacDonald, Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update newscaster, had a running joke that always ended with "Which once again proves my theory - Germans love David Hasselhoff."
Looking for … the Best has become an exceptionally highly rated CD on Amazon.com, receiving an incredible number of 5-star ratings. This was the culmination of a spontaneous internet joke"Looking For-Best of David Hasselhoff," amazon.com that has been going on for several years, in which Amazon customers review the album. Almost all give it 5 stars and pen sarcastic reviews which include egregious misspellings of Hasselhoff's name and usually end with the phrase, The song "Hot Shot City" is particularly good!. (Equally amusing, however, are the incredulous entries on the site from those people impervious to blatant sarcasm and therefore completely bemused at the plaudits).
Also in May 2006, Hasselhoff was shown on American Idol, openly crying after Taylor Hicks was announced as the next American Idol. This has become fodder for TV hosts such as Jay Leno and Kevin Pereira.
At every gig the British band The Automatic play they request a shrine to David Hasselhoff.
In 1995, he and Kathy Ireland were among the first celebrities to watch the first ever Toronto Raptors regular season basketball game in Toronto.
In 2006, As a judge on America's Got Talent he announces that he hates Jugglers .

Filmography

The Lion Roars Again (1975) (uncredited as Logan's Run costume model)
Revenge of the Cheerleaders (1976) (full frontal naked scene in a shower - character's name is Boner)
Starcrash (1979)
Footloose (1984) (Cameo in diner Scene)
Strong Times (1988)
Lovable Zanies II (1988)
Witchery (1988)
Bail Out (1989)
The Final Alliance (1990)
Dear God (1996) (Cameo)
Legacy (1998)
The Big Tease (1999)
The Target Shoots First (2000) (documentary)
Welcome to Hollywood (2000) (documentary)
Layover (2001)
The New Guy (2002) (Cameo)
Fugitives Run (2003)
A True Underdog Story (2004)
A Dirty Shame (2004) (Cameo)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
''Eurotrip (special appearance in Scott Thomas' dream singing Du)
Click (2006)

Upcoming:

Knight Rider: The Movie (2007)

Television Work

The Young and the Restless (cast member from 1975-1982)
Pleasure Cove (1979)
Semi-Tough (1980) (canceled after a few episodes)
Knight Rider (1982) (pilot for series)
Knight Rider (1982-1986)
The Cartier Affair (1984)
Bridge Across Time (1985)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake (1988)
Baywatch: Panic at Malibu Beach (1989) (pilot for series)
Fire and Rain (1989)
Baywatch (cast member from 1989-2000)
Knight Rider 2000 (1991)
The Bulkin Trail (1992)
Baywatch: River of No Return (1992)
Ring of the Musketeers (1992)
Avalanche (1994)
Baywatch: Forbidden Paradise (1995)
Baywatch Nights (1995-1997)
Gridlock (1996)
NightMan (1997) (pilot for series)
Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay (1998)
Nick Fury: Agent of Shield (1998)
One True Love (2000)
Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical (2001)
Shaka Zulu: The Citadel (2001)
Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
America's Got Talent (2006)

Discography

Albums released include:

(2005) David Hasselhoff Sings America Gold Edition
(2004) The Night Before Christmas
(2004) David Hasselhoff Sings America - Germany #27, Austria #11
(2000) Magic Collection
(1997) Hooked on a Feeling - Switzerland #41
(1995) David Hasselhoff - USA Billboard New Artists #2
(1995) Looking for … the Best
(1994) Du - Germany #43, #41 Switzerland
(1993) You are Everything - Germany #20, Switzerland #27
(1992) Everybody Sunshine - Germany #21, Switzerland #17
(1991) David - Germany #12, Switzerland #7
(1990) Crazy for You - Switzerland #1
(1989) ''Looking for Freedom - Germany #1, Switzerland #3
(1989) Knight Lover - Switzerland #17
(1987) ''Lovin' Feelings
(1985) Night Rocker

Singles released include -

(2006) Jump In My Car- Australia #50
(2005) Do the Limbo Dance (Remix by DJ Ostkurve) - Germany #2
(1993) Wir zwei allein (Duet with Gwen) - Germany #9, Switzerland #10
(1992) Everybody Sunshine - Switzerland #27
(1991) Do the Limbo Dance - Germany #12, Switzerland #19
(1990) Crazy for You - Germany #18, Switzerland #21
(1989) Is Everybody Happy? - Germany #14, #8 Switzerland
(1989) Our First Night Together - Switzerland #14
(1989) Looking for Freedom - Germany #1, #1 Switzerland, #22 Netherlands

References

External links

DavidHasselhoff.com - Official Website
hasselhoff.info - Official German Fan Club
agodamongmen.com - A God Among Men - David Hasselhoff Shrine
The Hoffenator - A selection of 'Hoff' images
David Hasselhoff e-cards
Swiss Charts - 'Hoff' entries in Swiss music charts
Jump in my car - Google video of new single Jump in My Car
Get Hasselhoff to Number 1 - Internet campaign to get David Hasselhoff to number 1 in the UK music charts
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=389507&in_page_id=1773 - articles about the campaign to get Hasselhoff to number one in the UK pop charts in London newspaper "The Metro" and the "Daily Mail" respectively.

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