David Hasselhoff's Real Name: David Michael Hasselhoff

Quick answer: The actor and singer is known professionally as David Hasselhoff. Biography.com and Encyclopedia.com independently give the name David Michael Hasselhoff and date his birth to July 17, 1952, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Real name and early life

Independent publishers support the documented name David Michael Hasselhoff. Biography.com gives that name, dates the birth to July 17, 1952, in Baltimore, Maryland, and says his family moved frequently when he was a child and that he attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Michigan and the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California. Encyclopedia.com independently lists David Michael Hasselhoff, dates the birth to July 17, 1952, in Baltimore, Maryland, and says he is the son of Joe, a business executive, and Dolores Hasselhoff, and that he attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pontiac, Michigan, and the California Institute of the Arts.

Career highlights

Biography.com says that in 1982 he starred in prime time as Michael Knight on Knight Rider, a series that became a large success in the United States and overseas, and that in 1989 he returned to television to produce and star in Baywatch as Mitch Buchannon. The same account says Baywatch moved from network television to syndication after its first season, ran until 2000, and later led to spinoffs including Baywatch Nights and Baywatch Hawaii. Encyclopedia.com independently lists Knight Rider (1982–86) and Baywatch (1990–2000), and also records work as a producer on Baywatch. The two accounts differ on the start of his earlier soap-opera work: Biography.com dates a regular role on The Young and the Restless to 1973, while Encyclopedia.com lists Young and the Restless from 1975 to 1982. Biography.com says he released the album Looking for Freedom in June 1989, that the title single became a No. 1 hit in Germany, and that he performed the song on New Year's Eve 1989 at the Berlin Wall. Encyclopedia.com independently lists the 1989 album Looking for Freedom and says he was named best-selling music artist in Germany in 1989, and also lists earlier and later recordings including Night Rocker (1985). Biography.com later records a Broadway appearance in Jekyll and Hyde in 2000; Encyclopedia.com independently lists stage work including Jekyll and Hyde and later work as a judge on America's Got Talent in 2006–07.

Name notes for searchers

People looking up David Hasselhoff or David Michael Hasselhoff are looking for the same actor and singer, including the Knight Rider and Baywatch roles most often associated with his work. Biography.com and Encyclopedia.com support the name used in the title.