David Michael Hasselhoff Was born July 17, 1952, nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, producer, and businessman. David Hasselhoff is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch. The acting bug first hit when David was seven and so he took acting, singing and dancing lessons. David Hasselhoff was very shy off stage in front of girls because he was tall and thin, but when he was on stage he was in his element. Due to his father's work, his family (he has four sisters) moved around frequently