David Hasselhoff Biography
17 July 1952, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Although he is better known as a television and film actor, Hasselhoff is also a popular rock star in Europe where his records have achieved platinum status.
After relocating to California in his late teens, Hasselhoff initially cast for roles in musicals before landing the role of Dr. Snapper Foster on the CBS television soap opera The Young And The Restless. Sporadic daytime roles followed before Hasselhoff was cast as the lead in the NBC prime time show Knight Rider. The huge success of the series (which ran from 1982-86) propelled the actor to international stardom. After Knight Rider ended Hasselhoff declared his intent to pursue a career as a rock star. As unlikely as this seemed to many observers, he succeeded by achieving a series of big hit singles in Germany and Switzerland in the late 80s. The 1989 single "Looking For Freedom" topped the charts in West Germany for eight weeks, with its corny sentiment being taken at face value as an anti-communist anthem by the divided country. A string of hits followed throughout the 90s, with the formula differing little from album to album: Hasselhoff's competent rock voice coasting over a bed of slick AOR. His popularity remained confined to the German speaking markets, with his music career treated with bemused detachment by critics in his homeland. Although his music career never got off the ground in America, the huge success of the television series Baywatch (1989-2001) ensured Hasselhoff remained in the public eye. He starred as lifeguard Mitch Buchannon and was instrumental in bankrolling the series after its initial failure. In 2000, Hasselhoff made his Broadway debut in the title role of Jekyll & Hyde. Four years later he appeared in the London performances of Chicago.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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