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David Soul Biography
Hugely popular television & recording star who achieved pop icon status as handsome, blond haired, blue eyed Detective "Kenneth Hutchinson" on the cult "buddy cop" TV series Starsky and Hutch, Soul additionally had a very successful singing career recording several albums, with world wide number one hits including "Silver Lady" & "Don't Give Up on Us Baby".Born in Chicago, Illinois, David Soul is the son of a religious minister who was at one time serving as the Religious Affairs Advisor to the US High Commission in Berlin. At 24 years of age, young Soul joined a North Dakota musical revue, was noticed by a keen eyed talent scout, and then signed to a studio contract. He then went on to study acting with the Irene Daly School of The Actors Company, and with the Columbia Workshop in Hollywood. Soul then first appeared on TV in small roles in shows including I Dream of Jeannie, Flipper and All in the Family. Regular TV work kept coming in for Soul including making masked appearances on The Merv Griffin Show, as the popular singer known only as "The Covered Man"!!
In 1973, Soul had the fortune to be cast as one of the corrupt motorcycle cops in the Clint Eastwood thriller Magnum Force, where his talents came to the attention of several TV execs who were looking for someone to play one of the lead roles in the upcoming Starsky and Hutch TV series. After four seasons, the show came to an end, yet Soul's talents were still in demand. He quickly went on to appear as the meek writer turned terrified vampire hunter, "Ben Mears", in the chilling telemovie Salem's Lot, and then as "Jake" in the interesting telemovie Homeward Bound.
Several undemanding telemovies, and TV series appearances followed for Soul, however in 1988 he scored rave reviews for his portrayal of real life, cold blooded cop killer "Michael Lee Platt" in the telemovie _In the Line Of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988)_ . The telemovie was also considered highly controversial for its intense level of violence in a made for TV production!
David Soul has continued to remain very busy throughout the 199's and beyond, in both film and on stage productions. He has toured internationally in several theater productions, including playing the Narrator in the critically acclaimed production of Willy Russell's Blood Brothers, plus Soul completed a successful UK tour performing in a production of Ira Levin's Deathtrap. Fans of the original TV series were glad to see Soul back with Paul Michael Glaser doing a cameo appearance in the big budget remake of Starsky & Hutch. Throughout his life, Soul has continually championed social causes often utilizing his own funds to raise awareness on issues including the impact of the Vietnam War, the shutdowns in the US steel industry, plus speaking on animal welfare, world hunger and HIV education. Soul has now for several years made his home in the United Kingdom, where he has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, and on several British TV shows......and US born Soul has even become a keen soccer fan supporting English club, Arsenal FC!
Trivia
Source provided by imdb (Copyright) - The Internet Movie Database.
