David Hasselhoff relished the role of the good guy in TV shows like Knight Rider and Baywatch. His ex-wives, however, tell a different—and much darker—story.
1. He's A Golden Boy
Despite a mountain of bizarre headlines and tabloid scandals, things seem to have a habit of going in David Hasselhoff's favor. Does he have a guardian angel, or is there something more sinister behind his good luck? Let’s let these facts decide.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
2. He Started Young
In 1952, David Hasselhoff was born in Baltimore, but the Hasselhoff family soon moved to a sunnier locale—first, to Jacksonville, Florida, and then to Atlanta, Georgia. Somewhere in between all the moves, Hasselhoff made his own move: to the stage.
At the tender age of seven, he made his debut in Peter Pan—on Broadway no less. After appearing on the stage, young Hasselhoff made himself a promise.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
3. He Was On The B-List
As a child, Hasselhoff longed to one day have a career on Broadway. And though he eventually achieved this goal, he did so in the most roundabout way possible. His first step toward his dreams was a teen comedy called Revenge of the Cheerleaders—but this B-movie wasn't exactly his crowning achievement.
By his own admission, Hasselhoff only took the role as his way into the Screen Actors Guild. In fact, he was sure the producers of the movie would never even release the film...At least, that's likely what he hoped. \
Cheerful Productions, Revenge of the Cheerleaders (1976)
4. It Came Back To Haunt Him
Revenge of the Cheerleaders was the kind of film that sent home actors who were not willing to bare all for the camera. But if Hasselhoff thought people would quickly forget this embarrassing beginning to his career, well—no such luck. Much later—in 1996—B-movie lover Quentin Tarantino chose it for his First Quentin Tarantino Film Fest.
At the time, however, Hasselhoff was still an unknown actor—but thanks to an odd twist of fate, this would help him land his next role.
5. He Was Unknown
The creators of the soap opera The Young and the Restless only wanted unknown actors for their show. For this reason, Hasselhoff was perfect. Except for his role in Revenge of the Cheerleaders, nobody knew him from Adam. Hasselhoff was 23 years old when he snapped up the role of Snapper Foster—and ended up staying with the show for an astonishing seven years.
While still paying his dues in soap opera purgatory, Hasselhoff got a big break.
6. It Was In A Distant Galaxy
The end of the 1970s saw Hasselhoff appearing in Starcrash. The iconic sci-fi film Star Wars had just made its stunning debut, and Starcrash hoped to do the same. The Sound of Music’s Christopher Plummer was also along for the ride in this adventure set in a distant galaxy. Sadly, it missed the mark completely.
One critic called it “a masterpiece of unintentionally bad filmmaking”. So far, Hasselhoff had a soap opera and two disastrous films under his belt. Not exactly a stellar beginning to a career as an actor. Don’t feel too sad though: a huge opportunity was just around the corner.
7. He Could’ve Been Boba
After the crash and burn of Starcrash, Hasselhoff got a call for the second installment of the Star Wars franchise: Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back. The character was Boba Fett, a cool intergalactic bounty hunter, and it would certainly make people forget all about Starcrash and see Hasselhoff as a real movie star. Sadly the role went to Jeremy Bulloch.
Hasselhoff had to walk away from Star Wars with his tail between his legs.
Lucasfilm, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
8. Someone Came Knocking
With his disappointment at missing out on playing Boba Fett, Hasselhoff returned to the dependable paycheck of The Young and the Restless. Sure, it wasn’t fulfilling his dream of performing on Broadway, but it was still an acting gig. That’s when NBC president Brandon Tartikoff came knocking at Hasselhoff’s door.
He had an idea for a primetime show, and it was a little weird.
9. He Said Yes
NBC president Tartikoff pitched Hasselhoff the idea for the show. Likely Hasselhoff would have said yes to anything where he was the lead on a primetime series. Even still, I assume Hasselhoff hesitated when the idea for the show was this: a detective working with a talking car called KITT, which stood for “Knight Industries Two Thousand”.
Hasselhoff did say yes, and he said it faster than another hopeful: Miami Vice’s Don Johnson. Hasselhoff knew immediately that Knight Rider was going to be a tough job.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
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10. It Was A Real Challenge
David Hasselhoff knew that he was integral to the success of Knight Rider. According to him, acting on the show was more difficult than acting on a movie with a well-written script. His examples of these kinds of movies are The Godfather or Lawrence of Arabia (sorry Marlon Brando and Peter O’Toole).
Hasselhoff claimed it was much harder to act on Knight Rider because he had to "talk to a car". Clearly, he was already talking like a big star—but he also had a difficult side.
11. He Was A Tall Order
Hasselhoff waved goodbye to his soap opera days and dove into primetime television. However, as an actor, he could be unreasonably demanding. Hasselhoff is a tall guy, and for this reason, he had a special request: All the women who appeared as his love interest on the show had to be tall too. Hasselhoff had quickly moved into the role of a primetime diva—and he was just getting started.
12. He Wanted Her Back
On the first season of Knight Rider, Hasselhoff’s co-star and love interest was Patricia McPherson, who was KITT’s head technician. When it came time for season two, producers had an adjustment to make. Apparently, McPherson didn’t have enough appeal for male viewers, so they replaced her with model Rebecca Holden.
Hasselhoff knew he was the star of the show, and he knew he could put his foot down. Hasselhoff did complete season two with Holden, but made his intentions clear about season three. He wanted McPherson back. With a little arm twisting—and backed by some fan support—the producers brought McPherson back and ditched Holden.
NBC, Knight Rider (TV Series 1982–1986)
13. They Weren’t Creative
While making Knight Rider, Hasselhoff started dating actress Catherine Hickland. Quite aptly, after he popped the question, she also played his character's fiancée. So, she was Hasselhoff’s fiance playing Michael Knight's fiance. Well, hang on, because things are about to get really, really weird.
14. It Was A Huge Coincidence
Hasselhoff and Hickland tied the knot in 1984, and they even recreated the wedding on Knight Rider. As it turned out, however, there were two Michael Knights on television. One was the character played by Hasselhoff in Knight Rider and the other was the real name of an actor on the soap opera All My Children. Get ready for the biggest coincidence in Hollywood.
When Hasselhoff and Hickland eventually divorced, she ended up marrying the other Michael Knight. So, Hickland had three weddings. One to Hasselhoff who played Michael Knight, one on Knight Rider to Michael Knight, and a third to soap star Michael Knight.
Ron Galella, Ltd, Getty Images
15. He Had A Plan
Back when they were still together, Hasselhoff asked Hickland if she could sing. A weird question unless you knew that Hasselhoff was planning his next venture: a singing career. His first album was cheekily called Night Rocker in an obvious reference to his character Michael Knight.
One of the songs that Hickland joined Hasselhoff on was “Let It Be Me," which was also the name of one of the episodes of Knight Rider she appeared on.
NBC, Knight Rider (TV Series 1982–1986)
16. He Got Tired
As if there weren’t already too many Knights around, the writers at Knight Rider decided to introduce Garthe Knight—an evil character who, for a very complicated reason, looked exactly like Michael Knight. The character was a hit, and fans wanted to see more of him. Hasselhoff, on the other hand, wasn’t such a fan of Garthe’s.
He told the producers that playing both Michael Knight and Garthe Knight was too exhausting. Maybe Hasselhoff had no energy left for acting because he was getting his second career going.
NBC, Knight Rider (TV Series 1982–1986)
17. He Reached Gold
Knight Rider lasted on the air for four seasons and finally went down in 1986. Now, don’t forget, Hasselhoff also had a music career going, so now—free of a weekly series—he had tons of time to give to his music. His 1987 album, Lovin’ Feelings, featured the song “Life is Mostly Beautiful With You,” which went gold. Well…not in the US.
No, it went gold in Austria and hit the top 20 in Germany. Wait. Why was Hasselhoff suddenly a singing star in Europe?
NBC, Knight Rider (TV Series 1982–1986)
18. He Brought KITT Back
As it turned out, Germans and Austrians had recently started watching Knight Rider and were big fans of Hasselhoff’s. They were such big fans that Hasselfhoff had an idea: an Austrian tour. He embarked on the tour and when things got boring, Hasselhoff asked an old friend to join him on stage.
Yes, Hasselhoff brought KITT the car out of retirement for live performances and the audiences loved it.
NBC, Knight Rider (TV Series 1982–1986)
19. He Spoke To Them
Hasselhoff soon realized that he had something going on in Germany and Austria and decided to see where he could take it. In 1988, he put out the song “Looking for Freedom”. This song was number one for an astonishing eight straight weeks in Germany, where it eventually went platinum.
It also soared in France, Belgium, Austria, and Switzerland. There was something about Hasselhoff’s voice that really spoke to western Europeans. Little did he know, he was about to play a major role in a world-changing event.
Pictorial Parade, Getty Images
20. They Tore It Down
On November 9, 1989, Germans began the destruction of the infamous wall that separated the east from the west. Earlier that year, Hasselhoff released his album Looking For Freedom which went triple platinum in Europe. Clearly, Germans were looking for freedom and Hasselhoff was there to help them find it.
On News Year's Eve, the wall was down but the two sides had not yet been unified. Hasselhoff put on his best outfit and went to unify Germany.
picture alliance, Getty Images
21. He Sang For Hope
Hasselhoff arrived at the remnants of the Berlin Wall wearing a very unique leather jacket, which he’d covered it in motion lights. If that wasn’t enough, he even wore a scarf with a keyboard on it. Hasselhoff sang “Looking For Freedom” from the bucket of a crane. According to Hasselhoff it was a “song of hope” for East Germans.
Clearly Hasselhoff could do no wrong in Europe. He then set his sights on the good ol’ USA.
picture alliance, Getty Images
22. He Had A Plan To Win America
Hasselhoff wanted to make it as a singer in his own country, and he had a plan. He was going to perform in Atlantic City and make the performance available to everyone as a pay-per-view. Surely this was a way to get Americans interested in his singing career. He set the concert date for June 17, 1994.
Sadly, for Hasselhoff, this was the same day that OJ Simpson climbed into his white Ford Bronco and just started driving.
23. Nobody Watched Him
Even though almost every American had their eyes glued to the footage of accused OJ Simpson driving in LA, Hasselhoff had to go through with his concert. He later made light of the situation and said that “90 million people watched OJ and three people watched me”. Those three people were him and his parents.
It was not what Hasselhoff’s singing career needed for a boost. Instead, it was a complete bust that cost $1.5 million. Hasselhoff’s singing career never fully recovered—even in Europe.
NBC, Baywatch (TV Series 1989–2001)
24. It Flopped
Now through all this success as a singer, Hasselhoff was still making TV. In 1989, Baywatch hit TV screens in America and did a big belly flop. One season was all America wanted with this silly show about lifeguards in LA, but Hasselhoff wouldn’t give up.
He made himself executive producer and in 1991—with the help of the original producers—brought the show back for first-run syndication. In a shrewd career move, Hasselhoff insisted that he get the royalties from the reruns. If the show caught on, he’d be rich.
NBC, Baywatch (TV Series 1989–2001)
25. He Believed In Baywatch
Likely, most people thought the royalties of a failed TV show like Baywatch wouldn't amount to much. They were wrong. Hasselhoff did make money, and he took the earnings and bought the rights to Baywatch from NBC—who still had no faith in the show. For some reason, Hasselhoff believed in Baywatch and there was something behind his deep faith in it.
NBC, Baywatch (TV Series 1989–2001)
26. He Got Rich
Hasselhoff brought Baywatch back, and it became a huge hit. The show lasted for 11 years and boasts an overall viewership of one billion. Those viewers came from 140 countries and made Hasselhoff a leader in television personalities. It also made him rich. Some say his accumulated income at the time was over $100 million.
Baywatch also spawned spin-offs like Baywatch Nights, as well as three films that were direct to video. Hasselhoff was on top of the world, riding a wave of popularity.
NBC, Baywatch (TV Series 1989–2001)
27. He Was A Parody
After Baywatch, Hasselhoff didn’t really need to work—but he did anyway. Because Baywatch had become an international sensation, the years following it saw Hasselhoff doing things like playing himself, or turning up surprisingly in small roles in popular movies.
He even brought back his Michael Knight character for a music video for an Australian band. Hasselhoff’s career had certainly gone well above and beyond anything that he could have imagined. There was, however, something he’d promised himself when he was a seven-year-old boy: He still needed to make it on Broadway.
28. He Closed The Show
Hasselhoff did get a lead part on Broadway, but the experience ended up being bittersweet. In the year 2000, Hasselhoff landed the coveted dual role of Jekyll and Hyde in Jekyll & Hyde. The show had already been running for four years when Hasselhoff stepped into the role. Sadly, Hasselhoff only lasted a few months as the show ended its long run on Broadway.
One failed show does not, however, stop the Hoff.
superde1uxe, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons
29. It Was A Dumping Ground
Not one to be put off by a little Broadway bad luck, Hasselhoff returned to musical theater with Chicago. This time, however, it wasn’t on Broadway but in London’s West End. This production of Chicago had a slightly embarrassing reputation. It was a kind of dumping ground for TV personalities who wanted to try their hand at theater.
In fact, his role was also played by TV tabloid talk show host Jerry Springer. Hasselhoff didn’t care. He’d take fame wherever he could find it: even in sports.
Alfred Nitsch, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
30. It Helped Him Focus
The 2000s saw Hasselhoff continuing to benefit off his popularity in Europe. He released albums, went on tour and promoted himself any chance he had. In 2006, German NBA player Dirk Nowitzki told reporters that when he’s focusing on sinking a foul shot, he sang Hasselhoff’s song “Looking for Freedom” in his head.
Most believed that Nowitzki was joking. Not Hasselhoff, he saw an opportunity for more fame.
31. It Was A Bromance
After hearing Nowitzki’s comment, Hasselhoff immediately became a fan of Nowitzki’s team: the Dallas Mavericks. At one of their games, he told the press that he liked Nowitzki as much as Nowitzki liked him. Fans got a hold of this “bromance” and started jeering Nowitzki with photos of Hasselhoff meant to derail his concentration when shooting foul shots.
It may have seemed to be a bromance between Hasselhoff and Nowitzki, but Hasselhoff was still a fan of the ladies.
Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons
32. She Was A Model
Although his marriage to Bach had given him two daughters, it also gave Hasselhoff a world of pain. Even still, after it ended, Hasselhoff was still shopping around for another relationship. In 2011, Welsh model Hayley Roberts walked up and asked Hasselhoff for an autograph. Hasselhoff countered her request by asking for her phone number.
Well, watch out Roberts, you’re about to get swept off your feet.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
33. He Was Serious
For their first date, Hasselhoff didn’t go for the usual dinner and a movie. No, he took Roberts to a spa...in Switzerland. He said later that he didn’t want to just bed this young woman, but that he wanted to let her know that he liked her. And I guess nothing does that better than a spa in Europe. The two tied the knot in Italy in 2018.
Crosa, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons
34. He Returned To His Roots
Remember, Hasselhoff got his start playing in the daytime drama The Young and The Restless. Since then, he's had two TV shows, movie roles, a singing career, and more. Even after all this fame, when The Young and The Restless came calling, Hasselhoff said yes to returning to the show. In 2010, Hasselhoff was “Snapper” once again.
It’s hard to tell when Hasselhoff is doing things just for the money, for fun, or just to keep his name up in lights.
Herman Caroan, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons
35. He Was Hugely Enjoyable
In 2015, Hasselhoff appeared as a version of himself in a British series called Hoff the Record. In the show, Hasselhoff’s career is winding down, and he moves to the UK for a bit of a reboot, and in it, the actor enjoys poking fun at almost every aspect of his career.
Well, Hasselhoff is a bit of an open book after all. Some may even say he overshares.
36. He Wanted It Everyday
As Hasselhoff was getting on in years, people wanted to know if he could still perform in the bedroom. When asked if he used medication like Viagra, Hasselhoff said he didn’t need it. In fact, he went on, he was looking for the “anti-Viagra” because his girlfriend was tired of him wanting it everyday. Okay, Hasselhoff, we get it. You’re no puritan. Or are you?
Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons
37. He Said Absolutely Not
Clearly, Hasselhoff is no prude, but there was one thing he did say absolutely no to. When a very intimate video tape of his Baywatch co-star Pamela Anderson went viral, Hasselhoff took a firm stand. He said that there was no way he was going to watch his co-star in that video because he said it would be like watching his sister.
There was, however, another interesting story about Hasselhoff and Anderson.
Sebaso, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons
38. He Didn’t Want Her
Back when Anderson was auditioning to join the cast of Baywatch, something interesting happened. When they asked Hasselhoff if they should hire her, he said no. Apparently, he didn’t want anyone who’d posed in Playboy to be on Baywatch. However, the producers had the final say in the end.
OlafJanssen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
39. He Was Broke
Back in the 1990s, estimates put Hasselhoff’s fortune in excess of $100 million. In 2016, however, Hasselhoff said he had a cash flow problem. He told his ex-wife Bach that he could no longer afford to pay her the alimony he’d agreed to: $252,000 per year.
He said that he only earned $112,000 a month and after paying alimony he had very little left for himself. He then turned around and blamed Bach for the problem.
CHR!S, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons
40. He Blamed Her
When explaining why he couldn’t pay alimony to his ex-wife anymore, Hasselhoff said that Bach hadn’t done anything to find a job, or get any skills to make it on her own financially. In his view, she had just been enjoying the gravy train of alimony for too long. The court saw his point…sort of.
In 2017, the court cut his alimony payments down to $5,000 a month.
Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons
41. He’s Done It All
You can’t say Hasselhoff has shied away from much. He’s been on Dancing with the Stars, he’s been a judge on America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent, and Belgian Idols. He’s tried his hand at reality TV with The Hasselhoffs, which failed miserably. He’s sold his likeness to video games like Playstation’s Pain, and he’s even hosted WWE Raw.
It turns out, however, Hasselhoff isn’t calling it quits yet. In 2020, he surprised everyone with a new song “Through the Night''. This was a huge change for Hasselhoff: The song is heavy metal.
42. He Had Girls
Obviously, David Hasselhoff was a huge financial success. He was also newly single and ready to mingle. In 1989, he met and married Pamela Bach who, like Hasselhoff, had also been on The Young and The Restless. By 1992, the couple had two daughters: Taylor Ann and Hayley. Sadly, the marriage wasn’t going to last.
In 2006, Hasselhoff told the world that his marriage was over. While Hasselhoff said that the reason was “irreconcilable differences," the truth came out later—and it was painful.
43. It Was A Mistake
The real reasons for Hasselhoff’s divorce from Bach were meant to be kept a secret. Hasselhoff’s own lawyers, however, made everything public. The lawyers accidentally opened up a 66-page document about the divorce to the clicking public. So, suddenly everyone knew the couple’s secrets. Not only were they embarrassing, but they were also potentially career ending.
Georges De Keerle, Getty Images
44. He Had Three Problems
What we learned from the released documents was that Bach had a drug problem and even attended their daughter's sweet sixteen party under the influence. Hasselhoff, however, came off much worse. His problems revolved around illicit substances, drinking, and anger problems.
Apparently, he let his arguments with Bach get physical at times over the course of their lengthy marriage. When asked about this difficult year, Hasseloff cast aside the thought and said that his “career’s actually blossomed”. If this wasn’t damaging enough, there was more in store from Hasselhoff’s disastrous divorce.
45. An Ambulance Arrived
The sharing of the two Hasselhoff children between dad and Bach certainly had its moments of drama. In September of 2006, ambulances arrived at Bach’s home to pick up Hasselhoff's 14-year-old daughter, Hayley. A neighbor walking by heard one of the ambulance attendants say that it was likely Hayley had tried to take her own life.
If this were true, it would not look good for Bach’s reputation as a parent. The truth of what actually happened, however, was something totally different.
Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images
46. It Was A Twisted Game
As it turned out, Hayley had been playing with the family cat, and the thing scratched her. Hasselhoff says that his older daughter called him to let him know her sister was bleeding. Hasselhoff wasted no time and called for an ambulance out of concern for his daughter. Bach, however, tells the story a little differently.
She says that Hasselhoff called for an ambulance and suggested to the operator that his daughter had tried to take her own life. According to her, he did this to make Bach look like a bad mother. The next bit of drama would make Hasselhoff look even more like a troubled parent.
47. He Ate Off The Floor
For a while, Hasselhoff and Bach shared custody of the girls peacefully. Then, in May 2007, a scandalous video surfaced. The video showed Hasselhoff in an extremely inebriated state. In the video, he embarrassingly tries to eat a cheeseburger that had fallen on the floor. Also during this video, you can hear an off-camera voice begging him to stop drinking.
The surprising thing about this video is who the voice belonged to.
48. She Wanted Him To See
The person holding the camera and asking the questions of the tipsy Hasselhoff was his own daughter. Yes, Taylor Ann Hasselhoff had had enough. She wanted to show her dad how bad he was when he drank. Now the release of the video to the public is a little suspect. Hasselhoff says they released it on purpose, but that seems a little unlikely.
Did Hasselhoff really want the world to see the real Hoff: out of his mind and eating off the floor?
Gustavo Caballero, Getty Images
49. He Came Out
The release of the video didn’t do much for Hasselhoff's reputation as a father. In fact, a court canceled his visitation rights. He now had no right to see either of his daughters. Hasselhoff’s attorney then went public with a devastating announcement: The actor had an addiction problem.
In fact, he’d been at the Betty Ford Clinic as far back as 2002. Surely, this would mean that Hasselhoff would never live with his daughters again.
50. She Left in Tears
Hasselhoff must have the best attorney in Hollywood. The announcement of his addiction didn’t harm his reputation, it somehow elevated it. First of all, the court gave Hasselhoff his visitation rights back. Then, just one month later, Hasselhoff somehow got full-time custody of both children.
Bach left the courtroom in tears, and of course, reporters were there to ask her what had happened. Sadly, Bach could not say anything due to a court order. The mystery of how Hasselhoff got his kids back is still just that: a complete mystery.
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