David Soul, 'Starsky & Hutch' actor, dies at 80

Chicago [US], January 6 : David Soul, best known for his role in the popular 1970s TV series 'Starsky & Hutch', has passed away, his wife Helen Snell informed CNN in a statement.

He was 80.

"David Soul, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, died yesterday (4 January) after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family," his wife wrote.

"He shared many extraordinary gifts with 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."

No cause of death was shared.

The actor was born David Solberg in Chicago. His father, Richard Solberg, was an ordained minister and a professor of political science and history. He relocated the family to Berlin, where the elder Solberg worked for the US High Commission as an advisor on religious affairs and then as a senior representative for the Lutheran World Federation, an organisation that aids refugees.

The actor loved baseball, and after he graduated from high school, the then-18-year-old was given the opportunity to sign a contract to play with the Chicago White Sox.

However, he decided to move to Mexico City with his family during his sophomore year of college, as his father had taken a position as a teacher at Collegio American.

There, he picked up Spanish and almost by accident entered the entertainment business.

A group of students gave him a guitar and taught him indigenous music when he became involved in a movement to rid Mexico of corruption.

When he returned to the Midwest, he looked for work and was recruited to sing folk songs at the Ten O'Clock Scholar, a University of Minnesota coffee bar where Bob Dylan had previously played. According to his website, he got the job because he was a "blond, blue-eyed Norwegian" who could sing Mexican folk music.

Married at 21, with a child to support, he had a falling out with an actor buddy who also had a love interest in Solberg's wife. After an altercation with that buddy rendered the actor unable to perform in a play, Solberg took over the part.

Soon after his divorce, he changed his last name to "Soul" and began performing as "The Covered Man." He got signed without even seeing the William Morris talent agency after sending a photo of himself as "The Covered Man" and an audition tape.

His appearances on television in "I Dream of Jeannie," "Star Trek," and "Flipper" in the 1960s led to a major role as Joshua Bolt in the series "Here Come the Brides."

While he is most known for his part in "Starsky & Hutch," Soul also appeared in the Dirty Harry picture "Magnum Force," which he claims contributed to his casting in the blockbuster programme.

"Warner Bros. decided that Christmas would be the perfect time to release its version of how to keep peace in the world: MAGNUM FORCE premiered on this day 50 years ago. Peace, in the form of curbstone justice," Soul wrote in December on X.

"I'm not sure much has changed since then. I'm actually embarrassed to tell you that (but it was a job and it landed me a little role in 'Starsky & Hutch' so I'm not complaining)."

The pair's relationship helped popularise "Starsky & Hutch." They played opposite Paul Michael Glaser, who featured as Detective Dave Starsky.

The show emphasised not just their work as undercover cops, but also the backdrop of fictitious Bay City, California, which included plenty of attractive ladies and their two-door Ford Gran Torino vehicle.

Soul continued to work as an actor when "Starsky & Hutch" ended, but he never forgot his first love, music. He scored a hit with the single "Don't Give Up on Us" in 1976 and went on to create five albums.

In 2004, he and Glaser appeared in the criminal comedy film rendition of "Starsky & Hutch," this time as detectives Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

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