Current:Home > InvestDavid Soul, the actor who portrayed the blond half of TV’s ‘Starsky and Hutch,’ dies at 80-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
David Soul, the actor who portrayed the blond half of TV’s ‘Starsky and Hutch,’ dies at 80
View Date:2024-12-23 22:39:11
LONDON (AP) — Actor-singer David Soul, a 1970s heartthrob who co-starred as the blond half of the crime-fighting duo “Starsky & Hutch” and topped the music charts with the ballad “Don’t Give Up on Us,” has died at the age of 80.
His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that “David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family.”
“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” Snell said in a statement. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”
Born David Solberg, Soul was a Chicago native whose acting career dated back to the 1960s, when he joined the avant-garde Firehouse Theater in Minnesota. He continued to appear on stage and screen well into the 20th century, but he was best known for his work in the 1970s.
Soul portrayed detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson alongside dark-haired Paul Michael Glaser as detective David Starsky in “Starsky & Hutch, which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1979 and grew so popular it spawned a line of children’s toys.
He also had success as a singer, starting in 1976 with “Don’t Give Up on Us” and following with such hits as “Going in With My Eyes Open” and “Silver Lady.”
Soul first gained national fame in the 1960s appearing on “The Merv Griffin Show” as “The Covered Man,” a singer disguised in a stocking cap who shouted out lyrics such as “That is why I hide my face, because a man has to be free.”
His other TV credits included early appearances on “Star Trek,” “All in the Family” and “”I Dream of Jeannie,” the miniseries “Salem’s Lot” and a short-lived version of the film classic “Casablanca,” in which Soul took on Humphrey Bogart’s role as nightclub owner Rock Blaine.
Soul’s movies included “Magnum Force,” “The Hanoi Hilton” and a cameo with Glaser in the 2004 big-screen remake of “Starsky & Hutch,” starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.
By the 1990s, Soul had moved to Britain, where he performed several stage roles. In 2001, he won a libel case against a journalist who called “The Dead Monkey,” a play that Soul was in, the worst production he had ever seen - without having seen it. He also played the titular talk-show host in “Jerry Springer - The Opera” in London’s West End.
veryGood! (69)
Related
- Trump breaks GOP losing streak in nation’s largest majority-Arab city with a pivotal final week
- Lutz is good on second chance with 36-yard field goal in Broncos’ 24-22 win over Bills
- Kelly Clarkson’s Banging New Hairstyle Will Make You Do a Double Take
- Here's why people aren't buying EVs in spite of price cuts and tax breaks.
- Who will save Florida athletics? Gators need fixing, and it doesn't stop at Billy Napier
- Inflation eased in October as cheaper gas offset overall price increases
- South Carolina jumps to No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports women's basketball poll ahead of Iowa
- Nepal's government bans TikTok, saying it disrupts social harmony
- Jordan Chiles Reveals She Still Has Bronze Medal in Emotional Update After 2024 Olympics Controversy
- San Diego State coach Brady Hoke to retire at end of the season
Ranking
- Bohannan requests a recount in Iowa’s close congressional race as GOP wins control of House
- USA TODAY Network and Tennessean appoint inaugural Beyoncé reporter
- University of Minnesota issues safety alert after man kidnapped, robbed at gunpoint
- White House hoping Biden-Xi meeting brings progress on military communications, fentanyl fight
- Two 'incredibly rare' sea serpents seen in Southern California waters months apart
- Man dies after being shot in face by fellow bird hunter in Iowa
- McDonald's and Crocs are creating new shoes inspired by Hamburglar and Grimace. Cost: $75.
- Pentagon identifies 5 U.S. troops killed in military helicopter crash over the Mediterranean
Recommendation
-
Drone footage captures scope of damage, destruction from deadly Louisville explosion
-
Why David Cameron is a surprising choice as new UK foreign policy chief after fateful Brexit vote
-
Pumpkin pie or apple? A state-by-state guide to people's favorite Thanksgiving pies
-
Chief of Cheer: This company will pay you $2,500 to watch 25 holiday movies in 25 days
-
Is Veterans Day a federal holiday? Here's what to know for November 11
-
Bobby Berk announces he's leaving 'Queer Eye' after Season 8 'with a heavy heart'
-
Why thousands of UAW autoworkers are voting 'no' on Big 3's 'life-changing' contracts
-
The Excerpt podcast: Thousands flee Gaza's largest hospital, others still trapped