Actor David Hasselhoff first built up a fan following on the daytime TV soaper The Young and the Restless, where from 1975 through 1982 he played Bill "Snapper" Foster. He graduated to Prime Time as crimefighter Michael Knight on the fantasy actioner Knight Rider; this one lasted from 1982 to 1986. With his American career in temporary doldrums after Knight Rider's cancellation, Hasselhoff took advantage of his fluency in the German language to establish a phenomenal successful singing career in Europe. It is likely that nothing has brought him as much professional satisfaction as his Berlin Wall concert, an event that drew 500,000 spectators. In 1989, Hasselhoff signed on for another TV series, the initially unremarkable adventure weekly Baywatch. Few people need to be reminded of David Hasselhoff's success in this last endeavor: as of this writing, Baywatch is the single most popular television series in the world, beaming out to an estimated audience of one billion viewers.
David Hasselhoff
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- Knew he wanted to be a performer at a young age and took acting, singing and dancing lessons.
- Achieved fame as Dr. Snapper Foster on The Young and the Restless from 1975 to '82.
- Became an enormously popular singer in Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria, and in 1989 performed atop the remains of the Berlin Wall on New Year's Eve.
- Starred on the action-adventure series Knight Rider before being cast on Baywatch in 1989; although the show was canceled after one season, he bought the rights and launched it successfully into syndication, which made him a multimillionaire.
- Earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.
- Served as a judge on America's Got Talent for four seasons.
- Released Don't Hassel the Hoff: The Autobiography in 2007.
- In 2010, competed on Dancing With the Stars.