David Soul, an American-British singer and actor, originally rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the famed “Starsky & Hutch” investigation team. Throughout a more than 50-year career, Soul has left a lasting impact on the entertainment industry.
Classics like “Don’t Give Up on Us” demonstrate his strong musical heritage in addition to his acting career. As of my most recent information update in January 2022, David Soul’s estimated net worth is in the millions, which is a testament to his continued success in both acting and music.
David Soul Net Worth
American musician and actor David Soul was worth $1 million when he passed away. On August 28, 1943, David Richard Solberg was born in Maidstone, Chicago, Illinois. On January 4, 2023, he died at the age of 80.
David is well known for his roles in 92 episodes of the wildly successful television show “Starsky and Hutch,” in which Paul Michael Glaser played Detective Dave Starsky.
David played the charming, blonde, blue-eyed Detective Kenneth Hutchinson from 1975 to 1979. He also made a cameo in the 2004 film adaptation of the show, which starred Owen Wilson as Hutch and Ben Stiller as Starsky, Soul, and Glaser.
Soul was a well-known vocalist who released several albums. Two of his worldwide hits that peaked at number one were Don’t Give Up on Us Baby and Silver Lady. When he was twenty-four, a talent scout watched him perform in a musical revue in North Dakota and offered him a studio contract.
He pursued acting training at The Actors Company’s Irene Daly School and Hollywood’s Columbia Workshop. His television début came in supporting roles on shows including Flipper (1964), All in the Family (1971), and I Dream of Jeannie (1965).
David Soul’s Early Life
Born on August 28, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, Soul was of Norwegian descent. Dr. Richard W. Solberg, his father, was the director of Higher Education for the Lutheran Church in America (now a part of the ELCA), a political science and history professor, and a Lutheran preacher.
June Joanne (Nelson), his mother, was a teacher. Both of Soul’s grandfathers were clergymen. Dr. Solberg worked as a senior representative for Lutheran World Relief during the post-World War II reconstruction of Germany, from 1949 to 1956.
Soul’s family moved around a lot throughout his early years as a result, and he knew German and Spanish proficiently. His brother Daniel went on to become a Lutheran preacher.
David Soul’s Death
David Soul, who rose to fame for his part in the classic 1970s television series “Starsky & Hutch,” has reportedly passed away, according to his wife.
His wife Helen Snell stated, “David, Soul-beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother-died on Thursday, January 4, after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family.”
He was not only a close friend and gifted actor, singer, and storyteller, but he also left the world with many other special gifts. Many people he had an impact on will recall his smile, sense of humor, and enthusiasm for life.
For his performance of real-life cold-blooded police killer Michael Lee Platt in The F.B.I. Murders (1988), he won accolades from critics. It was highly contentious due to the extraordinary cruelty in a made-for-TV show.
David Soul carried on with his theatrical and cinematic endeavors, as well as his global theater tours, well into the 1990s and beyond. Soul has long been an advocate for social concerns; he frequently utilizes his wealth to assist causes like ending the American steel industry, HIV education, animal welfare, world poverty, and the effects of the Vietnam War.
David Soul’s Personal Life
Soul’s five marriages produced five sons and one daughter. At the age of 21, he married his high school love, Mirriam “Mim” Solberg (née Russeth), in 1964. The son was the sole child of the couple. The pair separated after a year of marriage.
Actress Karen Carlson, whom Soul had originally worked with on the television series Here Come the Brides, was married to him in 1968. Their son, Kristjian Solberg, was born on April 3, 1971. The couple separated in 1977.
Soul and actress Lynne Marta had an open relationship during Starsky & Hutch’s filming. In 1980, Soul married Patti Carnel Sherman, the ex-wife of Bobby Sherman. For her two children, Soul adopted the position of stepfather.
Soul’s attack on her during her seven-month pregnancy resulted in her incarceration and a mandate to undergo alcohol treatment sessions. Before filing for divorce, they briefly reconciled. In 1987, Soul married Julia Nickson, an actress. The couple’s daughter, China Soul, is a singer-songwriter.
China currently resides in the United Kingdom and holds dual citizenship with the United States. In 1989, Soul gave in to Nickson’s pressure and checked himself into a rehab facility to address his binge drinking.
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David Soul’s Career
Soul began performing on stage when he became a founding member of the Minneapolis Firehouse Theater in the mid-1960s. He traveled to New York City with the company in 1965 and took part in two shows there: Bertolt Brecht’s Baal and John Arden’s Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance.
Wearing a mask, Soul made his television debut as the “Covered Man” on The Merv Griffin Show in 1966 and 1967, garnering a lot of attention. “My name is David Soul, and I want to be known for my music,” he clarified. That same year, he made his television debut in Flipper.
In 1967, after playing some cameos, including “The Apple” in the second season of Star Trek, he inked a deal with Columbia Pictures. The television series Here Come the Brides cast him as Joshua Bolt, where he starred with Bobby Sherman, Robert Brown, and Bridget Hanley.
The series ran on the ABC television network from September 25, 1968, until September 18, 1970. In the 1972 film Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, he costarred with Arthur Hill. He had several TV guest parts, including The Streets of San Francisco, before Clint Eastwood cast him in the film Magnum Force.