FAMOUS for his roles in action-thriller films and television series, the late actor also scored one US hit single and five hit songs on the UK music charts.
David Soul may be best known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the 1970s series Starsky & Hutch, but he continued acting – and singing – well into the 2010s.
Who was Starsky & Hutch star David Soul?
David Richard Solberg, known professionally as David Soul, was born on August 28, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois.
His mother, June Joanne Nelson, was a teacher, while his father, Dr. Richard W. Solberg, was a Lutheran Minister and Director of Higher Education for the Lutheran Church in America.
Dr. Solberg was also a professor of History and Political Science at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which Soul attended for two years.
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After his family moved to Mexico City, Soul attended the University of the Americas for one year.
While in Mexico, he learned how to play the guitar, and began pursuing a music career.
In the mid-1960s, Soul became a founding member of the Firehouse Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Firehouse produced experimental, absurdist, and avant-garde theatrical productions.
In 1966 and 1967, Soul appeared on The Merv Griffin Show as a masked singer.
From then, Soul booked minor roles in TV shows like I Dream of Jeannie, Flipper, Star Trek, and All in the Family.
From 1968 to 1970, he starred as Joshua Bolt in Here Comes the Brides, an American comedy western series.
Soul's big break in the movie business came in 1973 when he was cast by Clint Eastwood as Officer John Davis in Magnum Force.
The movie also starred Eastwood as cop Harry Callahan, originally seen in Dirty Harry.
Soul's biggest role to date, however, came when he portrayed Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson in Starsky & Hutch, an action TV series.
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He starred in the show alongside Paul Michael Glaser, who played Sergeant David Michael Starsky.
The show ran from April 1975 to August 1979 on ABC, airing one 72-minute pilot film and 92 50-minute episodes.
After his breakthrough role, Soul continued to act, appearing in several TV series including The Yellow Rose, Unsub, and Murder, She Wrote.
He also made a cameo appearance in the 2004 film adaptation, Starsky and Hutch, starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.
Besides a flourishing acting career, Soul also continued to pursue singing throughout his life.
He released five studio albums and seven compilation albums and had several hit singles on both the US and UK charts.
Soul is perhaps best known for his 1976 song Don't Give Up On Us, and the 1977 hit Silver Lady.
In February 2023, the actor, along with his Starsky & Hutch costar, Paul Michael Glaser, jokingly pitched themselves for a planned Starsky & Hutch reboot.
He took to X, formerly Twitter, to share his thoughts, writing:
"Every article mentions the ‘original’ actors by name."
"So why not just reboot Paul and me—as a couple of old farts solving piddly-ass crimes at the assisted living facility where we would now live?"
He added, "Who can do Starsky and Hutch better than him and me?"
What was his cause of death?
On Friday, January 5, 2024, David Soul's wife, Helen Snell, revealed that he had tragically passed away a day earlier.
She released a statement to the media, sharing a sweet tribute to her late husband:
“David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother – died yesterday (4 January) after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family.
“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as an actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist, and dear friend.
“His smile, laughter, and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”
It is unclear at this time what led to Soul's passing.
Soul is survived by his wife, Helen, and six children from his four previous marriages, including five sons and one daughter.
Was David Soul married?
David Soul was married five times throughout his life.
He married his first wife, actress Mirriam Solberg, in 1964.
The couple did have a child together, but the marriage was over after a year.
In 1968, he married actress Karen Carlson.
The couple also had a child, but ended up divorcing in 1977.
While filming Starsky & Hutch, Soul was in an open relationship with actress Lynne Marta, who also appeared on the show.
In 1980, Soul married Bobby Sherman's ex-wife, Patti Carnel Sherman.
The duo ended up separating shortly thereafter.
In 1987, Soul married for the fourth time, linking up with actress Julia Nickson.
The couple had a daughter, China Soul, who is currently a singer-songwriter.
In June 2010, Soul married Helen Snell.
The couple had known each other since 2002 when they met on the British stage production of Deathtrap.
