David Soul

David Soul (born David Richard Solberg, August 28, 1943) is an American-British actor and singer. He is known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television series Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979. He became a British citizen in 2004.[1]

David Soul
Soul in 2013
Born	David Richard Solberg August 28, 1943 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Education	Augustana College (withdrawn) University of the Americas (withdrawn)
Occupation	Actor, singer
Years active	1961–present
Known for	Detective Kenneth Richard "Hutch" Hutchinson – Starsky & Hutch
Spouse(s)	Mirriam Russeth ​ ​ (m. 1964⁠–⁠1965)​ Karen Carlson ​ (m. 1968⁠–⁠1977)​ Patti Carnel Sherman ​ ​ (m. 1980⁠–⁠1986)​ Julia Nickson ​ (m. 1987⁠–⁠1993)​ Helen Snell ​ (m. after 2010)​
Children	6
Website	davidsoul.com

Early life

Soul was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 28, 1943, and is of Norwegian extraction. His mother, June Johnanne (Nelson), was a teacher, and his father, Dr. Richard W. Solberg, was a Lutheran minister, Professor of History and Political Science, and Director of Higher Education for the Lutheran Church in America (now part of the ELCA).[2][3] Both of Soul's grandfathers were evangelists.[4] Dr. Solberg was also Senior Representative for Lutheran World Relief during the reconstruction of Germany after World War II from 1949 until 1956. Because of this, the family moved frequently during Soul's youth.

After graduation from Washington High School (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Soul attended Augustana College (where his father taught political science and history) but after two years, withdrew to move to Mexico with his family where he studied for one year at the University of the Americas in Mexico City.[5] While in Mexico, inspired by students who taught him to play the guitar, Soul changed his direction and decided to follow his passion for music. His first appearance upon returning from Mexico was in a club in Minneapolis, The 10 O'Clock Scholar.

Career

Soul first gained attention as the "Covered Man" appearing on The Merv Griffin Show in 1966 and 1967, on which he sang while wearing a mask. He explained: "My name is David Soul, and I want to be known for my music."[6] The same year, he made his television debut in Flipper. In 1967, he signed a contract with Columbia Pictures and following a number of guest appearances, including the episode "The Apple" from the second season of Star Trek, he landed the role of Joshua Bolt on the television program Here Come the Brides with co-stars Robert Brown, Bobby Sherman and Bridget Hanley. The series was telecast on the ABC network from September 25, 1968, to September 18, 1970.[7] In 1972 he co-starred as Arthur Hill's law partner on Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law. Following numerous guest-starring roles on TV, including Streets of San Francisco, he was cast by Clint Eastwood in the film Magnum Force.

His breakthrough came when he portrayed Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson on Starsky & Hutch, a role he played from 1975 until 1979. Soul also directed three episodes of Starsky and Hutch: "Huggy Can't Go Home" (1979), "Manchild on the Streets" (1977), and "Survival" (1977). Throughout his career, he made guest appearances on Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, McMillan & Wife, Cannon, Gunsmoke, All in the Family, and numerous TV movies and mini-series, including Homeward Bound (1980), World War III and Rage (1980) a TV movie commended on the floor of the U.S. Senate and for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. Soul also starred with James Mason in the 1979 TV miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot, which was edited and released as a theatrical feature film in some countries.

During the mid- to late 1970s, Soul returned to his singing roots. Produced by Tony Macaulay, he recorded hits including "Don't Give Up on Us" (1977) which reached No. 1 in the US and the UK, and "Silver Lady" (1977), which topped the charts in the UK. From 1976 until 1978, he had five UK Top 20 singles and two Top 10 albums. From 1976 to 1982, he toured extensively in the U.S., Europe, Far East and South America.

In the U.S., he continued to make guest appearances in various television series. He starred in the miniseries The Manions of America as Caleb Staunton in 1981. He starred in the short-lived 1983 NBC series Casablanca, playing nightclub owner Rick Blaine (the immortalized role that was made famous by Humphrey Bogart in the 1942 film Casablanca), and co-starred in the NBC series The Yellow Rose during the 1983-1984 season. He also starred in the television adaptation of Ken Follett's wartime drama The Key to Rebecca (1985) directed by David Hemmings. He later starred as the infamous Florida robber Michael Platt in the TV movie In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988), which depicted the 1986 FBI Miami shootout and which was subsequently used as an FBI training film. Soul also directed the episode "No Exit" of the 1980s TV series Miami Vice. In 1987, Soul was cast as Major Oldham in the movie The Hanoi Hilton.

In the mid-1990s, Soul moved to England, forging a new career on the West End stage, including the role of Chandler Tate in Comic Potential and The Narrator in Blood Brothers. He also participated in the successful 1997 election campaign of his personal friend Martin Bell who ran as an MP for Tatton, as well as Bell's unsuccessful campaign in Brentwood in Essex in the 2001 General Election.

In 2001 and 2002, he appeared in Holby City as Alan Fletcher.[8]

In 2003, he appeared (as himself) in the first series of the BBC's Little Britain. In 2004, he appeared in Agatha Christie's Poirot – Death on the Nile in the role of Andrew Pennington (he had also starred in the 1989 film adaptation of Christie's Appointment with Death). Soul was a guest on the BBC's Top Gear. He was one of the fastest drivers to have appeared on the show, finishing the lap in 1:54:00,[9] but managed to break the car's gearbox (and subsequently that of the backup car) very close to the finish.[10]

Soul at the 2018 East Coast Comicon in Secaucus, New Jersey

On July 12, 2004, he took over playing the role of Jerry Springer in Jerry Springer - The Opera at the Cambridge Theatre in London, 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. The production co-starred Janie Dee and was directed by John Doyle. He also appeared in the TV series Dalziel & Pascoe (Game of Soldiers). He had a brief cameo in the 2004 movie version of Starsky & Hutch, alongside original co-star Paul Michael Glaser.

In August 2008, Soul appeared in the reality TV talent show-themed television series Maestro on BBC Two.[11]

He appeared with Fred Ward and Willem Dafoe in the film Farewell directed by Christian Carion, which received its U.S. release in 2010.

In June 2012, Soul made a one-week appearance with Jerry Hall at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin in a reprise of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play by A.R. Gurney, Love Letters.[12] On 29 July 2012, Soul appeared in an episode of the British television detective drama series Lewis, playing a murder victim. He was also featured in the hit album by Fosseytango, singing on the track "Landlord". In 2013, Soul appeared in a cameo role in the Scottish film Filth lip-syncing his own recording of "Silver Lady". In 2014, Soul appeared in a British television commercial for National Express singing "Silver Lady" while driving a coach.

Personal life

Soul has been married five times and has five sons and a daughter. He first married the actress Mirriam "Mim" Solberg (née Russeth), in 1964. The couple had one child together, but the marriage lasted only a year.[13]

Soul married actress Karen Carlson in 1968, after they met on the set of the television series Here Come the Brides. The couple also had a child, but divorced in 1977.[13]

During the years he was filming Starsky & Hutch, Soul had an open relationship with actress Lynne Marta.[13]

Soul married Patti Carnel Sherman in 1980, ex-wife of Bobby Sherman, David's co-star in Here Come the Brides and 1960s pop idol. They had three children and divorced in 1986. Soul was jailed and ordered to attend therapy classes for alcoholism after attacking her when she was seven months pregnant.<https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1419225/David-Soul-talks-of-guilt-after-beating-his-wife.html>

In 1987 Soul married actress Julia Nickson. The couple had one child, China Soul, who is a singer/songwriter.

Soul married his fifth wife, Helen Snell, in June 2010. They had been in a relationship since 2002 after meeting when Soul was working in the British stage production of Deathtrap.[14]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1971	Johnny Got His Gun	Swede
1973	Magnum Force	Officer John Davis
1975	Dogpound Shuffle	Pritt
1977	The Stick Up	Duke Turnbeau
1979	Salem's Lot	Ben Mears
1983	Through Naked Eyes	William Parrish
1985	The Key to Rebecca	Alex Wolff
1987	The Hanoi Hilton	Maj Oldham
1988	Appointment with Death	Jefferson Cope
1989	Prime Target	Peter Armetage
1992	Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive	Sam Haney
1994	Pentathlon	Mueller
2004	Starsky and Hutch	The Original Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson	Cameo
2013	Filth	Punter

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	I Dream of Jeannie	Gerhard - the Orderly	1 episode: "My Master, the Weakling"
1967	Flipper	Ranger Dennis Blake	1 episode
1967	Star Trek	Makora	Episode: "The Apple"
1968–1970	Here Come the Brides	Joshua Bolt	52 episodes
1971	All in the Family	Szabo Daborda	1 episode
1972	The Streets of San Francisco	Jim Martin	1 episode: "Hall of Mirrors"
1973	Cannon	Sean Cadden, Udo Giesen	2 episodes
1973	Circle of Fear	James Barlow	1 episode: "The Phantom of Herald Square"
1974	The Disappearance of Flight 412	Captain Roy Bishop	Television film
1975–1979	Starsky & Hutch	Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson	92 episodes
1977	Little Ladies of the Night	Lyle York	Television film
1979	Salem's Lot	Ben Mears	Miniseries
1980	Rage!	Cal Morrisey	Television film
1982	World War III	Colonel Jake Caffey	Miniseries
1983	Casablanca	Rick Blaine	5 episodes
1983–1984	The Yellow Rose	Roy Champion	22 episodes
1985	The Key to Rebecca	Alex Wolff	Television film
1986	The Fifth Missile	Capt. Kevin Harris	Television film
1988	The Secret of the Sahara	Lieutenant Riker	4 episodes
1988	In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders	Mike Lee Platt	Television film
1989	Unsub	John Westley "Westy" Grayson	8 episodes
1989	Prime Target	Peter Armetage	Television film
1991	Murder, She Wrote	Casino Owner Wes McSorely	1 episode
1991	Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann	Terry Anderson	Television film
2003	Little Britain	Himself	1 episode
2012	Lewis	Paul Yelland	1 episode

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Title	Details	AUS[15]	NL[16]	NZ[17]	UK[18]	US[19]
1976	David Soul	Released: November 1976 Label: Private Stock	8	13	17	2	40
1977	Playing to an Audience of One	Released: 1977 Label: Private Stock	30	-	9	8	86
1979	Band of Friends	Released: 1979 Label: Energy	-	-	-	94	163
1982	The Best Days of My Life[20]	Released: 1982 Label: Energy	-	-	-	-	-
1997	Leave a Light On...[21]	Released: 1997 Label: Self-released	-	-	-	-	-

Compilation albums

Year	Title	Details	UK[18]
1979	Moods	Released: 1979 Label: K-tel	-
1990	The Best Of...	Released: 1990 Label: Connoisseur Collection Europe release	-
1993	The Magic Collection	Released: 1993 Label: ARC	-
1994	The Best Of	Released: March 1994 Label: Music Club UK release of 1990 compilation	-
2008	Looking Back – The Very Best Of	Released: October 2008 Label: Vibrant	-
2010	Don't Give Up on Us – The Very Best of David Soul	Released: 29 November 2010 Label: Music Club Deluxe	-
2020	Gold	Released: 6 March 2020 Label: Crimson	28

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions
		AUS[15]	BE (FLA)[22]	BE (WA)[23]	CAN	CAN AC	IRE[24]	NL 40[25]	NL 100[26]	NZ[27]	UK[18]	US[28]	US AC[29]
1966	"The Covered Man" (Promo; US-only release)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Before" (US-only release)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1967	"No One's Gonna Cry (For You Baby)" (Promo; US-only release)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1970	"The Train" (US-only release)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1976	"Don't Give Up on Us"	1	4	40	1[30]	1[31]	2	3	3	1	1	1	1
1977	"Going in With My Eyes Open"	10	12	49	58[32]	14[33]	7	17	13	12	2	54	14
	"Silver Lady"	5	12	39	70[34]	36[35]	1	20	16	5	1	52	23
	"Let's Have a Quiet Night In"	-	-	-	-	-	5	-	-	-	8	-	-
1978	"It Sure Brings Out the Love in Your Eyes"	-	-	-	-	-	6	-	-	-	12	-	-
1980	"Surrender to Me"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1981	"Fool for Love"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Dreamers" (Netherlands-only release)	-	20	-	-	-	-	-	41	-	-	-	-
	"I Can't Afford That Feeling Anymore" (Netherlands-only release)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1982	"How Can You Tell You Got It (If You Don't Ever Give It Away)" (UK-only release)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1985	"Amoureus Sans Bagages" (with Claire Séverac; France and Italy-only release)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1988	"Dream With Me" (with Claire Séverac; France and Italy-only release)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1995	"Smoke With No Fire" (with Claire Séverac; France-only release)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Bibliography

• Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 by Joel Whitburn – 2003
• The Life, The Legend by David Tailford – 1987

See also

• List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

1. David Soul: My home is where my art is. The Independent, October 20, 2004.
2. "David Soul Biography (1943-)". Filmreference.com. 1943-08-28. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
3. "Lutheran Pastor, Advisor, Historian, Educator, Richard Solberg, Dies". wfn.org.
4. "The Souls' Dark Night".
5. Renshaw, Eric (10 January 2018). "Looking Back: How David Soul made it from Sioux Falls to 'Starsky and Hutch'". Argus Leader. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
6. David Soul
7. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Ballantine Books, 1979
8. "David Soul joins Holby City - BBC News p.20 December 2000". Retrieved 26 March 2020.
9. "Lap Times". Top Gear.
10. "David Soul Breaks Two Lianas December 2000". Retrieved 30 January 2021.
11. "Eight passionate amateurs bid to become BBC Two's Maestro" (Press release). BBC. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
12. "Jerry Hall and David Soul launch 'Love Letters' at The Gaiety Theatre which opens tonight". contactmusic.com. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
13. Darrach, Brad; Diliberto, Gioia (April 18, 1983). "The Souls' Dark Night". People.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
14. "OK! Magazine: First For Celebrity News :: Lifestyle :: Interview: David and China Soul". Ok.co.uk. 2011-01-25. Archived from the original on 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 280. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
16. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
17. "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
18. "DAVID SOUL | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
19. "David Soul". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
20. The Da Capo Companion to 20th-century Popular Music - Page 879 0306806401 Phil Hardy - 1995 In the eighties he recorded only intermittently (The Best Days of My Life, Energy, 1982) before giving up music to concentrate on his acting career. ...
21. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 515. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
22. "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
23. "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
24. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
25. Top 40, Stichting Nederlandse. "David Soul". Top40.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-08-07.
26. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
27. "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
28. "David Soul". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
29. "David Soul". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
30. Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
31. Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
32. Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
33. Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
34. Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
35. Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-07.

External links

• Official website
• David Soul at IMDb