David Soul (born August 28, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor and British citizen and singer best known for his role as the “seat-of-the-pants” California police detective Ken ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (opposite co-star and long-time friend Paul Michael Glaser) in the cult television program Starsky and Hutch (1975-79).
Life and work
Originally David Richard Solberg, he was born the son of a Lutheran minister. His father, Dr. Richard Solberg, was a senior representative for Lutheran World Relief during the reconstruction of Germany after World War II, and the family moved frequently while Soul was growing up. Soul’s brother is a Lutheran minister and social activist.
Soul first gained attention as the mysterious “Covered Man” on several appearances on The Merv Griffin Show in 1967 in which he sang while wearing a ski mask and explained, “My name is David Soul, and I want to be known for my music”.
Soul then appeared as level-headed Joshua Bolt on the television program Here Come the Brides, and later Arthur Hill’s law partner on, “Owen Marshal: Counselor At Law”. Superstar status came when he portrayed Detective Hutchinson on Starsky and Hutch. He has also made guest appearances on shows such as I Dream of Jeannie, McMillan and Wife, Cannon, Gunsmoke, World War III (miniseries), Star Trek, and The Streets of San Francisco. His best known film appearance was opposite Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force (1973). Soul also appeared in the mini-series and feature film based on Stephen King’s horror classic “Salem’s Lot” (1978).
After a successful singing career, including hits such as “Don’t Give Up on Us” and “Silver Lady”, Soul fell into relative obscurity during the 1980s, fought a long battle with alcoholism, although frequently made guest appearances in various US television series, with the occasional small film role.
In the 1990s, Soul moved to London, and forged a new career on the West End stage. He also notably participated in the successful 1997 election campaign of Martin Bell. In September 2004, he became a British citizen, but has kept his US citizenship and ties with the US. He is a big fan of English football (soccer) and is an Arsenal supporter.
In 2004, he appeared in Agatha Christie’s Poirot - Death on the Nile in the role of Andrew Pennington. On July 12, 2004, he took over playing the role of Jerry Springer in Jerry Springer - The Opera at the Cambridge Theatre in London which was televised by the BBC in 2005. He returned to the West End in 2006, playing Mack in a new production of Jerry Herman’s musical Mack and Mabel at the Criterion Theatre alongside Janie Dee, directed by John Doyle.
Quotes
“ People thought me a bit strange at first; a blond haired, blue-eyed Norwegian who sang Mexican folk songs, but I used it to my advantage and got a job. And so the music became my ticket to education. ”
