David Michael Hasselhoff was born on July 17, 1952, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Dolores Therese (Mullinex) and Joe Hasselhoff, a business executive. He is of German, English, and Irish descent.
The acting bug hit when David was seven, and he took acting, singing, and dancing lessons. He was very shy off stage in front of girls due to his tall and thin appearance, but when he was on stage, he was in his element. His family, including four sisters, moved around frequently due to his father's work.
American audiences first knew Hasselhoff as Dr. Snapper Foster on CBS's soap opera, The Young and the Restless, for six seasons. He then starred as Michael Knight in NBC's hit series Knight Rider, earning a "People's Choice Award" for most popular actor and gaining a huge following overseas.
After Knight Rider ended, Hasselhoff launched a successful recording career in Europe, with his single "Looking for Freedom" staying at number one on the German charts for eight consecutive weeks. He has continued to perform regularly in concert and has released nine albums to date.
Hasselhoff returned to episodic television as Mitch Buchannon on Baywatch, which debuted on NBC in 1989. Although the show was canceled after one season, Hasselhoff and his partners acquired the rights and revived the show, which became a global phenomenon.
Throughout his career, Hasselhoff has taken on various projects, including the epic miniseries Shaka Zulu, shot on-location in Morocco. He is an outdoor sports enthusiast, enjoying activities such as scuba diving, hiking, white water rafting, tennis, and jogging. He has also parachuted with the US Army Parachute Demonstration Team, The Golden Knights, and flown with the US Navy's Blue Angels.
Hasselhoff is an avid sports fan and has traveled extensively throughout the world, visiting children's hospitals and supporting charitable causes. He was married to actress Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff, with whom he has two daughters, Taylor-Ann and Hayley Amber.
