David Hasselhoff was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the only boy in a family that includes four sisters. Due to his father's work, his family moved around frequently, so it was in Jacksonville, Florida, at the ripe old age of eight, playing Major Domo in the play Rumpelstilsen, that the young Hasselhoff discovered his life's work: performing.
His new interest in performing didn't come as much of a surprise to Hasselhoff's parents, Joe and Dolores. "As a child, David was always gregarious and would perform anyplace," recalled his father. "He'd even find telephone poles and talk to them."
The Hasselhoff clan soon moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where David took acting, singing, and dancing lessons and appeared in his sixth grade's productions of Peter Pan, Annie Get Your Gun, and Blithe Spirit. Ever mobile, Hasselhoff 's family eventually moved to LaGrange, Illinois, and David landed the lead in several high school plays. After high school graduation, he distinguished himself on the dinner theatre circuit around the Chicago area.
Hasselhoff went on to higher acting education at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pontiac, Michigan, and the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California. "I was at a bit of a crossroads at the time," he relates, "I thought my career was going to go in the direction of musicals and Broadway."
But fate took a hand in the actor's decision in 1975 when he was cast in the role of young Dr. Snapper Foster in the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, a role he held until leaving the show in 1982 to star as Michael Knight in the NBC prime time series Knight Rider.
Knight Rider definitely worked, and Hasselhoff became an international star overnight. The show, which ran from 1982-86, was the first of Hasselhoff's shows to go worldwide, to the tune of eighty-two countries.
"I was shocked when I went to Europe on a promotional tour and thousands of fans were at every airport to greet me." Hasselhoff, during his Knight Rider tour of duty, also starred in two movies-of- the-week: The Cartier Affair, with Joan Collins, and Terror at London Bridge, with Stephanie Kramer.
Following the cancellation of Knight Rider, the actor hit a television slump, but fortunately he returned to his music and was signed by CBS Epic Records to a lucrative recording contract. "The first record must have sold all of seven copies in the United States," he laughs. "But it was a huge hit in Austria. So the next thing I knew I was off for Europe." Hasselhoff was suddenly thrust into the role of pop star, selling out seventeen concerts to more than 150 thousand fans in only a few weeks.
He returned to the United States to guest star in the television movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake. The ratings went through the roof, and once again television was beckoning.
However, Hasselhoff opted to return to Europe and continue his music career. He immediately struck gold in Europe when the album Looking for Freedom and its name- sake single went to the top of the charts and stayed there for several months.
On the strength of his hit album, Hasselhoff performed a series of twenty sold-out concerts in Germany before more than 250,000 fans. His music career reached historic proportions when, on New Years Eve 1989, Hasselhoff was invited to sing "Looking for Freedom" on the Berlin Wall. "Close to a million East and West Germans stood together in the freezing cold at midnight, watching me perform. They were all singing the lyrics along with me in English. I was really overcome with emotions"
Hasselhoff returned to the States when the producers of the fledgling show Baywatch got him in their sights for the role of veteran lifeguard Mitch Buchannon. It was the chance of a lifetime, but Hasselhoff initially said, "Thanks but no thanks. I didn't want to be Michael Knight in a bathing suit." Fortunately, he and his long-time manager, Jan McCormack, reconsidered the offer, one they couldn't refuse, and the rest is history. Another layer of success was added recently when Hasselhoff turned private investigator (as well as Executive Producer) for his spin-off series, Baywatch Nights, and most recently when he starred in the NBC movie-of-the-week Gridlock in 1995. It is certainly no mystery as to why David Hasselhoff, in life as well as in fiction, has become the role model for millions of people all over the world.
David Hasselhoff is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "The Most Watched TV Star in the World," thanks to starring roles in both "Knight Rider" and "Baywatch." Born in Baltimore, MD, he initially hoped for a music career, but his first professional job came on the CBS soap opera, "Young and the Restless," playing Dr. Snapper Foster.
After six years he was lured to NBC by Brandon Tartikoff to take the starring role in "Knight Rider," leading him to a People's Choice Award for Most Popular Actor. The show is still playing in over 82 countries. In 1989 he headed the cast of "Baywatch," which, after being canceled by NBC, was acquired by Hasselhoff and his partners. They became the executive producers, and TV history was made.
Today, "Baywatch" is viewed in 140 countries by over one billion viewers each week. Along the way Hasselhoff appeared in several feature films, including Layover, Legacy, Final Alliance, Don’t Call Me, John Waters’ A Dirty Shame, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and most recently was seen in the family favorite The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. He will soon star in Adam Sandler’s Click, a new feature film to be released next summer. TV movies include "One True Love," "Shaka Zulu," "Nick Fury," "Gridlock,” "Avalanche,” “Baywatch Hawaiian Wedding” as well as guest appearances on TV series such as “Just Shoot Me” and “Yes, Dear.”
His remarkable musical career took off in the late 1980s when he recorded the album, Looking for Freedom, at the end of the Cold War. The song became an anthem for the German people and remained at the top of their charts for eight weeks. The album went triple platinum in Europe, and Hasselhoff was named "Most Popular and Best Selling Artist of the Year" in Germany. He sang "Looking for Freedom" from atop the Berlin Wall during the German reunification celebration. His most recent album, “David Hasselhoff Sings America,” is a selection of his favorite American pop standards. His concerts play to standing-room-only audiences throughout the world and he has released six other albums in Europe which have all gone platinum and gold.
Hasselhoff recently made his long-awaited theatrical debut in the Broadway musical “Jekyll and Hyde,” which was also filmed by Broadway Television Network. He went on to make his West End debut this past summer in the hit musical “Chicago.”
Hasselhoff founded the charity, "Race for Life," and is a frequent visitor to children's hospitals during his travels around the world. He was a key participant in "Camp Baywatch," dedicated to disadvantaged youth in Los Angeles, and is still active with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Hasselhoff was recently honored with the International Star of the Year Award for Outstanding Contribution to Global Entertainment by the Bollywood Awards.
Hasselhoff is also a Judge of the Show "America got Talents" David Hasselhoff will play the flamboyant director Roger DeBris in the comedy Musical "The Producers" in Las Vegas Former “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff is divorcing wife Pamela Bach after 16 years of marriage. Hasselhoff, 53, also known for starring in the TV drama “Knight Rider,” has two daughters with Bach.
David Hasselhoff is officially divorced since Wednesday, July 26, 2006.
First Name: David
Middle Name: Michael
Last Name: Hasselhoff
Date Of Birth: July 17th 1952
Birthplace: Baltimore/Maryland (USA)
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 93 kg
Haircolor: brown
Eyecolor: blue
Parents: Joseph and Dolores Hasselhoff
Ex-Wife: Catherine Hickland (March 24th 1984-1988)
Ex-Wife: Pamela Bach (December 9th 1989- July26 2006)
Kids: Taylor-Ann (Date Of Birth: May 5th 1990)
Hayley Amber (Date Of Birth: August 26th 1992)
Thanks to Hasselhoff-Friends Official David Hasselhoff Fan Club for submitting the biography.
Source: http://www.hasselhoff.info
