The Tragic Death of TV's 'Starsky & Hutch' and 'Here Come the Brides' Actor David Soul - A Look Back

Photo byClassic TV Preservation Society

It's been seven months since beloved actor David Soul died from cancer at 80 years old. He is best known as Hutch alongside Paul Michael Glazer as Starsky in the 1970s TV detective series Starsky & Hutch.

A Closer Look

David Soul was born David Solberg in Chicago on August 28, 1943. He spent his childhood between South Dakota and post-Second World War Berlin.

His father, Dr. Richard Solberg, was a professor of history and political science and an ordained minister. The patricarch relocated his family to Berlin where he was a religious affairs adviser to the United States high commission.

Before finding fame in acting, Soul was first interested in music, as folk singing warm act for Frank Zappa, The Byrds and The Lovin' Spoonful.

Sould had initially chosen music as a teen in Mexico, where his father was a professor at a college for young diplomats.

Beyond Starsky & Hutch, Soul was known for roles in feature films like Magnum Force, TV-movies such as the horror-geared Salem's Lot, and other TV shows including The Yellow Rose and Here Come the Brides. The latter was an essential small screen weekly take on the 1954 movie musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and also starred Bobby Sherman, Robert Brown, Bridget Hanley, and cinematic legend Joan Blondell.

Soul and Glaser reprised their roles in the 2004 big-screen comedic remake of Starsky & Hutch, which starred Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.

Soul was a three-pack-a-day cigarette smoker for five decades. He had stopped smoking ten years before his demise, but was seriously affected by COPD and had a lung removed due to cancer.

Conclusion

David Soul amassed a legion of loyal fans by way of Starsky & Hutch, who will forever cherish his memory and talents.