The one lesson I’ve learned from life: David Hasselhoff, 67, says never stop taking risks
- Actor, singer and producer David Hasselhoff, 67, is famous for Baywatch role
- Has two daughters from second marriage and lives in California with third wife
- He said he was taught by his mother from an early age that life isn’t fair
Actor, singer and producer David Hasselhoff, 67, is most famous for his roles in Knight Rider and Baywatch.
He has two daughters from his second marriage, and lives in California with third wife, Hayley.
You are strong and will endure
From an early age, I was taught by my mother that life isn’t fair. There’s nothing you can do about that, she’d say, so just move on. But that’s so much easier said than done.
David Hasselhoff, 67, is most famous for his roles in Knight Rider and Baywatch and lives in California with his third wife Hayley
Just recently, I spent 20 minutes on the phone to an actor friend of mine in America called Rich who’s terminally ill with cancer. I can’t change that, but I can try and make him laugh. His circumstances are pretty grim, but that’s no reason not to focus on the positive.
Bonnie Langford, my co-star in the recent West End production 9 to 5, went out and bought a book for me called The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, by Dr Joseph Murphy. The message it preaches is that you should believe in yourself.
My trouble is that I’m a perfectionist, so if something small goes wrong, I tend to dwell on it. Show me ten reviews for a performance I’ve given; nine can be great, the tenth less so. Guess which one plays on my mind?
Sometimes I’d get back to my dressing room and I’d know I’d only given 96 per cent of what I was capable. And that would trouble me.
Even so, I tell my daughters: we’re strong and we’re going to endure. You stumble and fall? Then do what it says in the song I recorded on my last album. It’s called That’s Life and there’s a verse that sums up everything I believe:
Each time I find myself flat on my face/I pick myself up and get back in the race.
Never stop taking risks. Maybe you’re going to fall, but nothing ventured . . .
I’m motivated by the word no. My daughter Hayley told someone never to say no to me because I’ll stand on the pavement and sell CDs at a dollar a time until I’ve sold a million.
So, try and be your best but don’t take yourself too seriously.
I was in Wales when I first met my wife, also called Hayley. She’s much younger than me. ‘Tell me,’ she said, ‘who did you play on Baywatch?’ And I laughed so loud. It was the perfect opening gambit.