David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952),[1] nicknamed "The Hoff",[2] is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set aGuinness World Record as the most watched man on TV.[3] Hasselhoff first gained recognition onThe Young and the Restless (1975–1982), playing the role of Dr.Snapper Foster. His career continued with his leading role asMichael Knight onKnight Rider (1982–1986) and as L.A. County LifeguardMitch Buchannon inBaywatch (1989–2000). He also producedBaywatch from the 1990s until 2001 when the series ended withBaywatch Hawaii.
Hasselhoff has released a total of 15 studio albums, which found success mostly in German-speaking parts of Europe, where he has garnered multiple gold and platinum awards, with the single "Looking for Freedom" reaching number one in Germany and Switzerland. Hasselhoff has also worked as a talent show judge on television shows such asAmerica's Got Talent (2006–2009) andBritain's Got Talent (2011).
Early life and education
Hasselhoff was born inBaltimore, Maryland, the son of Dolores Theresa (née Mullinex; 1930–2009), a homemaker, and Joseph Vincent Hasselhoff (1925–2014), a business executive.[1][4] His family isRoman Catholic with German, English, and Irish descent.[4][5][6] His great-great-grandmother, Meta, emigrated with her family to Baltimore fromVölkersen,Germany in 1865.[7]
Hasselhoff portrayed Dr. "Snapper Foster" onThe Young and the Restless from 1975 to 1982, leaving the series as the show wrote out many of their original characters. His feature film debut was in 1974 as "Boner" inRevenge of the Cheerleaders, which he did to get accredited into theScreen Actors Guild. At the time, he believed that the film would not be released, but it was: two years later, also appearing under the titleCaught with their Pants Down.[11] In 1979, he played "Simon" inStarcrash. He launched his singing career with guest appearances on the first season of children's programKids Incorporated, performing "Do You Love Me". He guest-starred on two episodes ofDiff'rent Strokes and the soap operaSanta Barbara as himself in 1984.
Knight Rider
Hasselhoff was recruited by then-NBC-presidentBrandon Tartikoff to star in theactioncrime drama seriesKnight Rider from 1982 to 1986 asMichael Knight. The actor has describedKnight Rider as more than a TV show: "It's a phenomenon. It's bigger thanBaywatch ever was." On the success ofKnight Rider – "It's because it was about saving lives, not taking lives, and it was how one man really can make a difference."[12]
Hasselhoff returned to television onBaywatch which premiered in 1989. Although it was canceled after only one season, he believed the series had potential, so Hasselhoff revived it for the first-run syndication market in 1991, investing his own money and additionally functioning as executive producer. His contract stipulated royalties to be paid to him from the rerun profits, which gave him the financial liberty to buy back the rights toBaywatch fromNBC.
In its second incarnation,Baywatch was much more successful. It ran for a total of 11 years and, from the 1990s until its series finale in 2001, was watched by almost 1 billion viewers across 140 countries, solidifying his status among the world's foremost television personalities of the said period.[15]This success combined with his royalties and his other ventures have placed Hasselhoff's fortune at more than $100 million.[16]
In 1991, Hasselhoff reprised his role as Michael Knight in the television filmKnight Rider 2000 as a sequel to the original series. The movie served as a pilot for a proposed new series, but despite high ratings, the plan was abandoned.
In 1996, Hasselhoff was given a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame. In 1997, he performed a duet with Filipino singerRegine Velasquez, which was used as the main theme for his 1998 movieLegacy. He made his Broadway debut in 2000 in the title role ofJekyll & Hyde. In August 2001, he hosted an event at theConga Room, in Los Angeles honoring the Latin rock bandRenegade for record sales in excess of 30 million units worldwide, taking the stage with the Latin rockers and singing in Spanish.[17] Beginning on July 16, 2004, he played the lead role in London performances ofChicago for three months.[18]
Hasselhoff in 2005
Hasselhoff has made severalself-parodic appearances in movies. He had a major role inThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, released November 19, 2004, starring as himself (though resembling his bygoneBaywatch character) and meetingSpongeBob andPatrick (his full name is heard once in the movie; he is referred to as "Hasselhoff"). Hasselhoff also had another short appearance in the movieDodgeBall: A True Underdog Story as thedodgeball coach to the German national dodgeball team, Team Hasselhoff. Berating his team after being eliminated from a tournament, he shouts "Ihr seid alleSchweine!" (translated: "You are allpigs!", a common German insult) and smashes a photo of himself in hisBaywatch attire. In 2004'sEuroTrip, Hasselhoff appears in a washroom. In the 2006Adam Sandler filmClick Hasselhoff portrays Sandler's despicable boss. Hasselhoff also appears in an episode ofWildboyz. In 2007, he again played himself in theJamie Kennedy comedyKickin' It Old Skool.[citation needed]
In his music video for "Jump in My Car", he engages in self-parody; this time parodying his performance as Michael Knight inKnight Rider. The car in the video was a blackPontiac Trans Am with a pulsingLED and an interior nearly identical to that of theKITT car in the series. The video was shot in Sydney, Australia using aright-hand drive KITT replica, including KITT'sejection seat system.[19]
Hasselhoff waving the checkered flag at the 2008Gumball 3000
In February 2008, towards the end of theKnight Rider 2008, he reprised his career-making role as Michael Knight as he walked on to introduce himself to his on-screen son, Mike Traceur. On November 12, 2008, he became the first celebrity downloadable character for thePlayStation Network's video gamePain.[citation needed]
In 2010, Hasselhoff guest hosted professional wrestling'sWWE Raw in London, England. On August 15, 2010,Comedy Central aired a special "roast" of Hasselhoff.[29]
Hasselhoff returned toThe Young and the Restless, reprising his role as "Snapper" for a short arc that aired in mid-June 2010.[30] Hasselhoff appeared as a contestant onseason 11 ofDancing with the Stars. His professional dance partner wasKym Johnson. On September 21, 2010, they were the first couple eliminated from the competition. Coincidentally, Hasselhoff competed againstBrandy Norwood, who judged alongside him in thefirst season ofAmerica's Got Talent.[31]
In October 2010, it was announced that he would be playingCaptain Hook in theNew Wimbledon Theatre production of the pantomimePeter Pan from December 2010 to January 2011.[32] He has reprised his role of "Hoff the Hook"[33] for 2012 at theManchester Opera House.
On February 24, 2014, he opened his own 10-week talk show in Sweden onTV3, in English.[35] A similar show was later recorded inFinland, premiering onSub on April 2, 2015.[36]
Hasselhoff had a major role inSharknado 3: Oh Hell No! which premiered globally on July 22, 2015. He then starred in a new musical,Last Night a DJ Saved My Life at theBlackpool Opera House, late in 2015.[40]
Hasselhoff also appeared in a cameo role in theGuardians of the Galaxy sequel,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as himself. He additionally performed the song "Guardians Inferno" heard over the closing credits of the film and lent his appearance to a retro styled music video for the track found on the film's DVD and Blu-Ray release.
In 2006, fans of David Hasselhoff launched a tongue-in-cheek website "Get Hasselhoff to Number 1"[46] in an attempt to get the 1989 hit "Looking for Freedom" to the top of theUK music charts through Internet downloads of the single. The campaign attracted attention on British radio and television broadcasts, in the national press[47] and on the Internet.[48][49] Over 40,000 people signed up to receive the "Hoff Alert" e-mail when the time had come to purchase the single. The focus of the campaign shifted to "Jump in My Car", when that was actually released as a single, andBBC Radio 1 DJScott Mills lent his support.[50] On October 3, 2006, "the Hoff Alert" was sent out, and Hasselhoff promptly gained his highest ever UK chart entry (number 3) on October 8, 2006.[citation needed]
HoffSpace
Hasselhoff with journalistIrina Slutsky promoting social networking venture HoffSpace, 2008
In 2008, Hasselhoff launched a MySpace-likesocial networking site, known as "HoffSpace".[51] The site is now defunct.
The Hasselhoffs
Hasselhoff and his daughters, Taylor-Ann andHayley, starred in a reality series onA&E calledThe Hasselhoffs. The series launched on December 5, 2010, and focused on Hasselhoff's attempts to resuscitate his career and launch his daughters onto the Hollywood stage.[52]
On December 10, 2010, A&E confirmed in a statement that, after airing just two episodes,The Hasselhoffs had been canceled. According to Nielsen Co. ratings, the first episode was seen by 718,000 viewers. Viewers dropped to 505,000 for the second installment, which aired on the same evening. The full series aired in the UK on May 30, 2011, onThe Biography Channel.[53]
Hasselhoff stars in a casino-style game series online, produced in partnership withEric Bischoff[citation needed] with Europe being among the first markets to roll out the game. In keeping with internet and online gambling culture in the UK, "The Hoff" series of games includes video slots and scratch-card type games, all played for real money in Europe's online casino environment. The first in the series of games launched on Valentine's Day in early March 2013, with media and promotional activities commencing in early February.[54]
In 2014, UK channelDave announced that it had commissionedHoff the Record, a sitcom series in which Hasselhoff plays a fictionalized version of himself. The series started airing on June 18, 2015.[55]
It's No Game and The HoffBot
In 2017 Hasselhoff appeared in short filmIt's No Game by directorOscar Sharp, playing "The HoffBot". Hasselhoff's lines were generated by a neural network artificial intelligence (called Benjamin) using a statistical model trained on his own 80s and 90s television performances. Hasselhoff said the A.I. "really had a handle on what's going on in my life and it was strangely emotional".[56]
Motivational speaking
Hasselhoff works as a motivational speaker.[57] In January 2014, he spoke before hundreds of students atNew College Nottingham inNottingham, England.[58] In April 2019, Hasselhoff spoke before thousands of attendees atTwitchCon Europe inBerlin, Germany.[59]
Hoff the Beaten Track
In late 2023, Hasselhoff alongside New Zealand comedianRhys Darby were filming a New Zealand television series,Hoff the Beaten Track.[60] The show was produced by the now defunct production company, Stripe Studios.[61] It was later revealed that the company owed money to Hasselhoff.[62] Stripe Studios along with nine other related entities went into receivership in March 2024 due to financial and legal issues.[63] It is unsure if the television show will ever be publicly released. Managing director of Stripe Studios,Alex Breingan said thatHoff the Beaten Track was currently in post-production in December 2023.[62]
Music career
1970s
On February 2, 1977, David Hasselhoff made his musical debut onThe Merv Griffin Show performing "Nadia's Theme", the theme song from the American television soap operaThe Young and the Restless, the show in which Hasselhoff was starring at the time. Ten years later his version of the song was included on his second albumLovin' Feelings (1987).[64]
1980s
Six years after his debut live performance, Hasselhoff released in 1983, his debut single "I Get the Message".[65] In 1984, Hasselhoff made a guest appearance on the first season ofKids Incorporated, performing "Do You Love Me", which became the lead single from his upcoming debut studio album,Night Rocker, which was released in January 1985. The album was a big success in Austria, reaching number one there and being certified Platinum. In 1987, Hasselhoff released his second studio album,Lovin' Feelings, which reached the top-twenty in Austria andWest Germany, and being certified Gold in the former country. That same year, due to the popularity ofKnight Rider in Europe at the time, Hasselhoff embarked on his first headlining tour across Austria, with a special guest appearance fromKITT.[66]
In 1988, Hasselhoff released the song "Looking for Freedom", which became a hit in Europe, especially in West Germany, where it reached number one for eight consecutive weeks.[citation needed] The song was also certified Platinum in West Germany and became the best-performing single of 1989 in the country.[citation needed] "Looking for Freedom" also topped the charts in Austria and Switzerland; and reached the top-twenty in France and Belgium.[citation needed] Due to its success, Hasselhoff released it on June 21, 1989, his third studio albumof the same name, which was produced by German music producerJack White. The album was a commercial success, reaching the top-five in Austria, West Germany and Switzerland; and being certifiedthree-times Platinum in Europe.[67] He was noted for his performance of the song at theBerlin Wall on New Year's Eve 1989, two months after the Wall hadcome down, but nine months beforeunification took place. Wearing a piano-keyboard scarf and a leather jacket covered in motion lights, Hasselhoff stood in a bucket crane and performed the song along with the crowd. The performance has had a lasting impact onGerman pop-culture with Hasselhoff commenting that the song became an "anthem" and "song of hope" for the people ofEast Germany. In 2004, Hasselhoff lamented the lack of a photo of him in theCheckpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin.[68][69] In July 1989, Hasselhoff released his first compilation album,Knight Lover, which contains 17 greatest hits from his first two albumsNight Rocker andLovin' Feelings. The album reached the top-twenty in Switzerland; and the top-forty in West Germany.
1990s
Following the breakthrough success ofLooking for Freedom, Hasselhoff embarked on his second tour, The Freedom Tour, which took around April and May 1990, across West Germany and Switzerland. In August of that year, Hasselhoff released his fourth studio album,Crazy for You, which topped the charts in Austria and Switzerland, as well as reached the top-ten in West Germany, eventually becoming Hasselhoff's biggest-selling album in his career. In September 1991, Hasselhoff released his fifth studio album,David, which matched the success of its predecessor, with both the album and its lead single "Do The Limbo Dance" reaching number one in Austria. That same year, in order to promoteDavid, Hasselhoff embarked on his third tour, the Dreams Come True Tour, which took around November and December 1991, across Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In late 1991, two compilation albums were released:Looking for Freedom andFor You, with the former album including hits from 1989 and 1990, and the latter including hits from 1985 to 1987; however, both albums failed to chart. In September 1992, Hasselhoff released his sixth studio albumEverybody Sunshine, which became his last album being produced byJack White, who collaborated with Hasselhoff since 1988. Though the album was certified Gold in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, it failed to reach the commercial heights of his three previous albums,Looking for Freedom,Crazy for You andDavid.
In November 1993, Hasselhoff released his seventh studio albumYou Are Everything, which also met with moderate success in Europe, though it reached the top-ten in Austria and was certified Gold. The songs "If I Could Only Say Goodbye" and "Wir zwei allein" became hits in Europe, with the former becoming his firstUK chart entry ever peaking at number 35, and the latter becoming another top-ten hit in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. That same year, he released the single "Pingu Dance" based on the children's showPingu, and his fourth compilation album,Crazy for You, which contains several hits from 1989 to 1991, however, both releases failed to chart. In 1994, Hasselhoff toured across Germany in order to promoteYou Are Everything. That same year, he was scheduled to perform a concert onpay-per-view from Atlantic City. The concert was expected to help his singing career in the United States. However, on the night of the concert,O. J. Simpson was involved in hisslow-speed chase in southern California. Viewership of the concert was significantly lower than expected due to the live coverage of the chase, and the event was ultimately a $1.5 million loss.[70] Hasselhoff joked that "90 million people watched O. J. and three people watched me, including me and my mom and my dad".[71] Following this, Hasselhoff released his eighth studio albumDu, which became Hasselhoff's first studio album not to receive any certification in Europe, and also met with moderate success on European charts.
In 1995, Hasselhoff released four greatest hits albums, including his self-titled fifth compilation album,David Hasselhoff, released on April 11, 1995, in the United States, which became his first album in eight years sinceLovin' Feelings (1987) to be released in the US. The record includes several songs from the albumsYou Are Everything andDu. A new recording, called "Fallin' in Love", was released as the only single from the album. To promoteDavid Hasselhoff, Hasselhoff performed for the first time "Fallin' in Love" onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno aired on April 13, 1995. As attempting to launch his singing career in the US, both the album and the single "Fallin' in Love" were commercially unsuccessful, as failed to enter anyBillboard chart. His sixth and seventh compilation albums,Watch Out for the Bay andIs Everybody Happy were released in mid-1995, with the former album including songs from 1985 to 1987; and the latter, from 1989 to 1991; however, both albums failed to chart as well. His eighth compilation album,Looking for... the Best was released in October 1995, which contains 18 greatest hits from 1989 to 1994, including the hits "Looking for Freedom" (1988), "Crazy for You" (1990), "Do The Limbo Dance" (1991), "Everybody Sunshine" (1992), "Wir zwei allein" (1993) and "Du" (1994), as well as the US single "Fallin' in Love" (1995), and a new recording, titled "I Believe" withLaura Branigan. The album charted in Austria, peaking at number 50.
Two years later, in 1997, Hasselhoff signed withPolydor Records and released his ninth studio album,Hooked on a Feeling. The album became Hasselhoff's least successful album to that point in his career, becoming his first studio album that failed to chart in Germany. In 1999, a ninth compilation album was released,Watch Out for Hasselhoff.
2000s
Between 2001 and 2004, two more compilations were released,The Very Best Of andGreatest Hits. Seven years after the release ofHooked on a Feeling, Hasselhoff returned to the music scene with his tenth studio album,David Hasselhoff Sings America, released in August 2004, with the album performing slightly better on European charts, peaking at numbers 11 and 27 in Austria and Germany, respectively. That same year, Hasselhoff released his eleventh studio album, which became his first Christmas album,The Night Before Christmas. The album met with negative reviews and failed to enter any chart. In 2006, Hasselhoff released "Jump in My Car", which debuted at number three on theUK Singles Chart, becoming Hasselhoff's first and only top-ten single in the UK. It also became his first and onlyAustralian chart entry, peaking at number 50.
In May 2006, Hasselhoff was mentioned in an interview ofDirk Nowitzki, anNBA star playing for theDallas Mavericks and a native of Germany. Nowitzki was asked what he does to concentrate when shooting foul shots. Dirk replied that he sings "Looking for Freedom" to himself. He meant this as a joke but it was thought to be a serious answer. Shortly thereafter, Hasselhoff attended the May 26, 2006, Mavericks home playoff game where they faced thePhoenix Suns in the NBA Western Conference Finals. Interviewed byCraig Sager, Hasselhoff stated he was as much a fan of Nowitzki as Nowitzki was a fan of him. In The2006 NBA Finals, fans of theMiami Heat in theAmerican Airlines Arena held up facial photos of Hasselhoff and chanted his name when Nowitzki went to the foul line. On August 2, 2006, he proclaimed himself "King of the Internet" in a tongue-in-cheek advertisement forPipex.[72] In December 2008, he sang thenational anthem at theNCAALas Vegas Bowl. Although the game was televised live byESPN, the station chose not to broadcast Hasselhoff's performance.[73] In 2008, a twelfth compilation was released under the title ofDas Allerbeste.
2010s
Hasselhoff performing in April 2018
Seven years after his last album, Hasselhoff released in 2011 his twelfth studio album,A Real Good Feeling, which reached number three in Austria, the top-thirty in Germany and became Hasselhoff's first album in fourteen years sinceHooked on a Feeling (1997) to chart in Switzerland. Hasselhoff toured across those countries to promote the album. In 2012, he released his thirteen studio albumThis Time Around, however, it failed to chart.
In 2015, he recorded the single "True Survivor", accompanied by a music video, which featured as the lead track for the 2015 Swedish short filmKung Fury.[74] The song was composed byMitch Murder (Johan Bengtsson). Recorded in Sweden, the song and the video is designed as an ostentatious over-the-top 1980s homage/parody, with the video featuring dinosaurs, kung fu,Adolf Hitler, skateboarding, Norse Gods and time travelling. Hasselhoff claimed that he had received the offer to record the song and the video by a request fromSweden Universal to "sing a tribute to the '80s".[75] Hasselhoff performed a live version of the song during the 2016Guldbagge Awards.[76][77] "True Survivor" debuted and peaked at number 94 on theCanadian Hot 100, becoming his first chart entry in Canada. In 2017, a retro music video called "Guardians' Inferno" was released as a bonus on theGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 home release, where Hasselhoff does the singing.[78]
In September 2019, Hasselhoff released his fourteenth studio album,Open Your Eyes. The album consists of covers of popular songs such as "Sweet Caroline" and "Lips Like Sugar", with all but one song featuring collaborations from other artists, includingTodd Rundgren andSteve Stevens. The album charted in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, with the former reaching the top-thirty there.[79] A promotional music video for the title track was released on YouTube on September 9,[80] followed by the album's release on CD,vinyl, digital download and streaming services on September 27, 2019.[81] To promote the album, as well as celebrating the 30th anniversary of the albumLooking for Freedom and thesong of the same name, Hasselhoff toured across Austria, Germany and Switzerland on the Freedom! The Journey Continues Tour, which took place in October 2019.
2020s
On December 10, 2020, Hasselhoff released his first heavy metal song titled "Through The Night". The song was recorded alongside CueStack, an Austrian duo who also enlisted the help ofBeartooth frontmanCaleb Shomo to produce a retro synth-wave remix of the song.[82]
Personal life
Hasselhoff's autobiographyMaking Waves was released in the UK in September 2006. In an interview in April 2006, he said the book would present the "last chapter" regarding controversial elements of his personal life.[83]
In November 2015, Hasselhoff posted aYouTube video in which he announced that he had changed his name to "David Hoff".[84] It was then reported that he was not changing his name; that the video was an excerpt from an upcoming advertising campaign.[85]
Hasselhoff was married to actressCatherine Hickland from March 24, 1984, to March 1, 1989.[1] Their wedding was recreated in theKnight Rider season 4 episode "The Scent of Roses" which first aired on January 3, 1986.[citation needed]
Hasselhoff married actressPamela Bach in December 1989.[87] The couple had two daughters: Taylor Ann Hasselhoff, born May 5, 1990,[88] who attended theUniversity of Arizona and was cast for the 2015 season ofRich Kids of Beverly Hills, and actressHayley Hasselhoff, born August 26, 1992.[89] In January 2006, Hasselhoff announced he was filing for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.[87] Their divorce was finalized in August 2006.[90] Bach was given custody of one daughter and Hasselhoff custody of the other,[91] until Hasselhoff later obtained custody of both.[90] As of December 2010[update] he resided inSouthern California with his daughters.[92][needs update]
In May 2016, Hasselhoff said he could not affordalimony of $252k a year to Bach anymore, because he had less than $4000 in cash to his name.[98] He made $112k a month, but spent $66k and due to alimony, taxes and living expenses he had little left.[98] In September 2017, Hasselhoff filed formal requests to end alimony payments and cited his ex-wife's "failure to make any efforts to become self supporting, contribute to her own support, or even make any efforts to gain job skills."[99] Hasselhoff and Bach reached an agreement which reduced payments since December 1, 2017, from $10,000 to $5,000 per month.[99] Bach was found dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound at her home on March 5, 2025.[100][101] Her death was ruled a suicide by theLos Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office.[102]
Alcoholism
On May 3, 2007, a viral video surfaced online of Hasselhoff appearing to be severelydrunk inside his home. His daughter, Taylor Ann, who filmed the video, can be heard interrogating him and asking him to stop abusing alcohol. She also warns her father he could be jeopardizing his spot on the Las Vegas production ofThe Producers he starred in at the time.[103] In the wake of theleaked clip, Hasselhoff issued a statement saying it was recorded by Taylor Ann so that he could see how he behaved while intoxicated and the footage was deliberately released.[104][105] As a result of the video, Hasselhoff's visitation rights with his two daughters were suspended on May 7, 2007, for two weeks until the video's authenticity and distributor were determined.[106] In May 2009, Hasselhoff's attorney, Mel Goldsman, described Hasselhoff as "a recovering alcoholic".[107]
^Kohlhöfer, Philipp (November 3, 2010)."Trying to Be German in South L.A."Der Spiegel. RetrievedMay 17, 2010.I thought for a moment. I needed examples of internationally famous German stars. But all I could offer in the way of music, aside from the great bard Hasselhoff, was The Scorpions
^"The Powered By Pipex commercial". Archived from the original on March 7, 2007. RetrievedFebruary 9, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) featuring David Hasselhoff
^ab"Ex-Attorney Sues Pamela Bach".The Washington Post. Associated Press. August 24, 2007.Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. RetrievedJuly 22, 2012.Bach replaced [attorney Debra A]. Opri with Mark Vincent Kaplan several days after losing custody of the couple's two teenage daughters.
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