David Soul

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This article is about the American actor and singer. For the Scottish rugby union player, see David Sole.

David Soul
Soul in 2013
Born
David Richard Solberg

(1943-08-28)August 28, 1943
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 2024(2024-01-04) (aged 80)
London, England
Citizenship
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1961–2013
Known forJoshua Bolt – Here Come the Brides
Detective Kenneth Richard "Hutch" Hutchinson – Starsky & Hutch
Spouses
  • Mirriam Russeth
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1964; div. 1965)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1968; div. 1977)​
  • Patti Carnel Sherman
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1980; div. 1986)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1987; div. 1993)​
  • Helen Snell
    ​
    (m. 2010)​
Children6, including China Soul
Websitedavidsoul.com

David Soul (born David Richard Solberg; August 28, 1943 – January 4, 2024) was an American and British actor and singer. With a career spanning five decades, he rose to prominence for portraying Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the American television series Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979. His other notable roles included Joshua Bolt on Here Come the Brides from 1968 to 1970 and as the lead actor in the 1979 American TV movie Salem's Lot. Soul also had moderate success as a film actor when he portrayed Officer John Davis in Magnum Force in 1973.

During his career he also found success as a singer, achieving a number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Don't Give Up on Us", which also peaked at number one in the UK and Canada. Soul achieved a further four top 10 entries and an additional number one single on the UK Singles Chart with "Silver Lady". In the 1990s he moved to the United Kingdom and found renewed success on the West End stage. He also made cameo appearances in British TV shows, including Little Britain, Holby City, and Lewis.[1][2]

Early life[edit]

Soul was born on August 28, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, United States,[3] and was of Norwegian descent. His mother, June Joanne (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).[4][5] Both of Soul's grandfathers were evangelists.[6] 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 and he became fluent in both German and Spanish.[4] His brother Daniel became a Lutheran Pastor.[4]

The family was living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where Soul's father taught political science and history at Augustana College, when Soul graduated from that city's Washington High School. Soul attended Augustana College for two years before the family moved again, this time to Mexico City, where he studied for one year at the University of the Americas.[7] 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.[citation needed] His first on stage appearance upon returning from Mexico was in a club in Minneapolis, The 10 O'Clock Scholar.[citation needed]

Career[edit]

Soul began performing on stage as an actor in the mid-1960s, when he became a founding member of the Firehouse Theater in Minneapolis. He traveled with the company to New York City in 1965, appearing in Bertolt Brecht's Baal and John Arden's Serjeant Musgrave's Dance.[8][9] Soul first gained national 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."[10] The same year, he made his television debut in Flipper. [4]

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,[4] 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 television network from September 25, 1968, to September 18, 1970.[11] 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 The Streets of San Francisco, he was cast by Clint Eastwood in the film Magnum Force.[4]

His breakthrough came when he portrayed Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson on Starsky & Hutch, a role he played from 1975 until 1979.[4] Soul also directed three episodes of Starsky and Hutch: "Huggy Can't Go Home" (1979), "Manchild on the Streets" (1977), and "Survival" (1977). During his career he made guest appearances on Star Trek,[4] I Dream of Jeannie,[4] McMillan & Wife,[4] Cannon,[4] Gunsmoke,[4] All in the Family, and numerous TV movies and mini-series, including Homeward Bound (1980), World War III,[4] and Rage (1980),[4] 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.[4]

During the mid-1970s, Soul returned to his singing roots. He scored one US hit with "Don't Give Up on Us" (1977) which reached No. 1 in the US and the UK. "Silver Lady" (1977) hit No. 1 in the UK. From 1976 until 1978, he had five UK top 20 singles and two top 10 UK albums. From 1976 to 1982, he toured extensively in the U.S., Europe, Far East, and South America.[12]

In the U.S., he continued to make guest appearances on 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,[4] playing nightclub owner Rick Blaine (the 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.[4] He later starred as the infamous Florida robber Michael Lee Platt in the TV movie In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988),[4] which depicted the 1986 FBI Miami shootout, subsequently used as an FBI training film. Soul also directed the episode "No Exit" of the 1980s TV series Miami Vice.[4] In 1987, Soul was cast as Major Oldham in the movie The Hanoi Hilton.[4]

In the mid-1990s, Soul moved to the United Kingdom, 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 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.[13]

In 2001 and 2002, he appeared in Holby City as Alan Fletcher.[14]

In 2003, he appeared (as himself) in the first series of the BBC's Little Britain.[12] 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).[12] Soul was a guest on the BBC's Top Gear.[12] He was one of the fastest drivers to have appeared on the show, finishing the lap in 1:54:00,[15] but managed to break the car's gearbox (and subsequently a backup car's) very close to the finish.[16]

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.[12]

In August 2008, Soul appeared in the reality TV talent show-themed television series Maestro on BBC Two mentored by Natalia Luis-Bassa.[17]

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.[18] On July 29, 2012, he 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.[12]

Personal life[edit]

Soul was married five times and had five sons and a daughter.

In 1964, twenty-year-old Soul's first marriage was to his high school sweetheart, Mirriam "Mim" Solberg (née Russeth). The couple had one child, a son, Chris. The marriage lasted 18 months, ending in divorce.

Soul's second marriage was to actress Karen Carlson, a woman he met when they each were twenty-one years old. They married in 1968, after they met on the set of the television series Here Come the Brides in which Carlson has a small role. Their shared Scandinavian heritage bonded them. They had a son together, Kristjian Solberg, born April 3, 1971. The couple divorced in 1977.


During the years he was filming Starsky & Hutch, Soul had an open relationship with actress Lynne Marta.[19]

On October 12, 1980, three years after his second divorce, Soul married Patti Carnel-Sherman, ex-wife of Bobby Sherman, teen idol and cast member of the television series Here Come the Brides. Soul became stepfather to Carnel-Sherman's two children with Bobby Sherman. Soul was ordered to attend therapy classes for alcoholism and anger management after attacking her when she was seven months pregnant with his child.[20][2] They reunited temporarily, divorcing shortly thereafter in 1986.

A year later In 1987, Soul married Singapore-American actress Julia Nickson.[12] They had a daughter, China Soul, who is a singer-songwriter.[21]

Nickson urged Soul to seek help for his excessive drinking, persuading him to enter a rehabilitation facility in 1989.

Soul married his fifth and last wife, Helen Snell, on June 26, 2010. Snell was an English public relations officer in the British stage production of Deathtrap. They had been in a relationship since 2002 after meeting when Soul was working in the play.[22] Thereafter, he referred to her as his soulmate.

In 2004, Soul obtained British citizenship.[23] He credited his relationship with Snell as his reason for obtaining citizenship and stated that, "I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life in the U.K. with Helen."

Soul was a three-pack-a-day cigarette smoker for fifty years. Although he had stopped smoking ten years prior to his death, he was seriously affected by COPD and had also had a lung removed due to cancer. Soul died in a London hospital, surrounded by his family, on January 4, 2024, at the age of 80.[12]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

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
2009 Farewell Hutton, Ronald Reagan's adviser
2013 Filth Punter

Television[edit]

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 F.B.I. Clifford Wade 1 episode: "The Runner"
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 Sergeant 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
1990 The Young Riders Jeremy Styles "Gathering Clouds", 2 episodes
1991 Murder, She Wrote Casino Owner Wes McSorely 1 episode
1991 Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann Terry Anderson Television film
2001 Holby City Professor Alan Fletcher 1 episode
2003 Little Britain Himself 1 episode
2004 Poirot Andrew Pennington 1 episode
2004 Dalziel and Pascoe Gus D'Amato 1 episode: "A Game of Soldiers"
2012 Lewis Paul Yelland 1 episode

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Year Title Details AUS[24] NL[25] NZ[26] UK[27] US[28]
1976 David Soul 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[29]
  • Released: 1982
  • Label: Energy
 - - - - -
1997 Leave a Light On...[30]
  • Released: 1997
  • Label: Self-released
 - - - - -

Compilation albums[edit]

Year Title Details UK[27]
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 -
2020 Gold
  • Released: March 6, 2020
  • Label: Crimson
 28

Singles[edit]

Year Single Chart Positions
AUS[24] BE (FLA)[31] BE (WA)[32] CAN CAN AC IRE[33] NL 40[34] NL 100[35] NZ[36] UK[27] US[37] US AC[38]
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[39] 1[40] 2 3 3 1 1 1 1
1977 "Going in with My Eyes Open" 10 12 49 58[41] 14[42] 7 17 13 12 2 54 14
"Silver Lady" 5 12 39 70[43] 36[44] 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[edit]

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

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Williams, Zoe (January 5, 2024). "David Soul: the British-American star who made crime-fighting cool". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Hayward, Anthony (January 5, 2024). "David Soul obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 2328. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "David Soul Biography (1943-)". Filmreference.com. August 28, 1943. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  5. ^ "Lutheran Pastor, Advisor, Historian, Educator, Richard Solberg, Dies". Wfn.org.
  6. ^ "The Souls' Dark Night". People.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Renshaw, Eric (January 10, 2018). "Looking Back: How David Soul made it from Sioux Falls to 'Starsky and Hutch'". Argus Leader. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  8. ^ Adams, Jan Thatcher. Football Wife; Coming of age with the NFL as Mrs. Karl Kassulke. Franklin Green Publishing. (2011) ISBN 9781936470426 P. 161
  9. ^ "David Soul to Star in London's Jerry Springer". Broadway.com. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "The Merv Griffin Show". Archived from the original on October 27, 2006. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  11. ^ Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Ballantine Books, 1979
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Gallagher, Charlotte; Savage, Mark (January 5, 2024). "David Soul: Starsky & Hutch actor dies aged 80". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  13. ^ Nick Smurthwaite (April 10, 1999). "How we Met: Martin Bell & David Soul" (Press release). independent.co.uk.
  14. ^ "David Soul joins Holby City - BBC News p.20 December 2000". December 20, 2000. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  15. ^ "Lap Times". Top Gear. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  16. ^ "David Soul Breaks Two Lianas December 2000". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  17. ^ "Eight passionate amateurs bid to become BBC Two's Maestro" (Press release). BBC. May 23, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2008.
  18. ^ "Jerry Hall and David Soul launch 'Love Letters' at The Gaiety Theatre which opens tonight". contactmusic.com. June 18, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  19. ^ Darrach, Brad; Diliberto, Gioia (April 18, 1983). "The Souls' Dark Night". People. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  20. ^ Womack, Sarah (January 18, 2003). "David Soul talks of guilt after beating his wife". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  21. ^ "Fame Magazine September 2010". Famemagazine.co.uk. September 10, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  22. ^ "OK! Magazine: First For Celebrity News :: Lifestyle :: Interview: David and China Soul". Ok.co.uk. January 25, 2011. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  23. ^ David Soul: My home is where my art is. The Independent, October 20, 2004.
  24. ^ a b 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.
  25. ^ "Dutch Charts". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  26. ^ "New Zealand charts portal". Charts.nz. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  27. ^ a b c "DAVID SOUL | full Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  28. ^ "David Soul". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  29. ^ 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. ...
  30. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 515. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  31. ^ "ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  32. ^ "ULTRATOP BELGIAN (Wallonia) CHARTS". ultratop.be. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  33. ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  34. ^ Top 40, Stichting Nederlandse. "David Soul". Top40.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved August 7, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  35. ^ "Dutch Charts". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  36. ^ "New Zealand charts portal". Charts.nz. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  37. ^ "David Soul". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  38. ^ "David Soul". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  39. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (April 23, 1977). "Image : RPM Weekly April 23, 1977". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  40. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (April 30, 1977). "Image : RPM Weekly April 30, 1977". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  41. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (June 25, 1977). "Image : RPM Weekly June 25, 1977". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  42. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 9, 1977). "Image : RPM Weekly July 9, 1977". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  43. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (November 19, 1977). "Image : RPM Weekly November 19, 1977". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  44. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (November 26, 1977). "Image : RPM Weekly November 26, 1977". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved August 7, 2020.

External links[edit]

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