Born David Michael Hasselhoff in Baltimore, Maryland, the young David soon became interested in acting, singing and dancing and attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Michigan and the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California. In 1973, he landed a regular role on the soap opera, The Young and The Restless.
In 1982 he went on to acquire one of the most famous roles of his career starring as Michael Knight on the hit show Knight Rider. The show was a huge success in the US and overseas and made him one of the most recognizable actors on TV.
The acclaim helped him launch his music career. His album went triple platinum in Europe and he was noted for his performance at the Berlin Wall on New Year's Eve, 1989.
Knight Rider ended in 1986, but David wasn't off the air for long. He returned to TV screens in 1989 to produce and star as Mitch Buchannon in the hit series Baywatch. The show about a group of lifeguards in California soon developed a following, especially overseas, and became one of the most watched series in TV history. It ran until 2000 and launched two spin-off series, Baywatch Nights and Baywatch Hawaii.
David made his debut on Broadway in Jekyll and Hyde in 2000, playing the title character. He has also appeared in a number of different theatrical productions, including a run in The Producers in Las Vegas in 2007.
In 2006, David returned to the small screen as a judge on the talent competition series, America's Got Talent. He then branched out into reality television in 2010 on The Hasselhoffs, with his daughters Taylor and Hayley. That same year saw David show off his fancy footwork as a contestant on Dancing With the Stars.
David continues to work in television and stage. In 2012, he performed a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and appeared in the Australian version of The Celebrity Apprentice that same year. In 2014 he opened his own 10-week talk show in Sweden.