From 1975 to 1979, Starsky & Hutch drew in audiences with its action scenes, car chases, and two stars, Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, who played David Michael Starsky and Richard "Hutch" Hutchinson, respectively. The buddy cop show is one of the '70s most well-remembered series, so of course, Glaser and Soul are forever attached to the Starsky and Hutch names.
That said, their careers in show business didn't slow down after the cop show ended. Both actors went on to work in other aspects of entertainment, including writing and directing for Glaser and music and theater for Soul. Read on to learn more about their lives today, including their enduring friendship.
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Glaser has continued acting over the years with some of his more recent roles being on Ray Donovan and Grace and Frankie. He's also worked as a writer and directed movies and TV shows, including The Running Man, Kazaam, and Las Vegas. In recent years, he has been focusing on his art.
Ahead of his first solo show in 2018, he told The Hollywood Reporter, "It's a dangerous slippery slope when you're known for one thing and you go to do something else. People have a tendency not to let you out of the cubby hole. To me, it's all the same; it's all storytelling. I try in my paintings and drawings to capture and pose a narrative with, maybe, an unresolved question."
Like Glaser, Soul continued acting following Starsky & Hutch, focusing mostly on theater roles in England, where he lives. "I fell in love with Britain many years ago and found myself drawn to live here," he told The Sunday Post in 2019. "I have never regretted it. Over here I wasn't just Hutch, I was respected for my music and various forms of acting, including the theatre, which I have also loved very much."
Soul's singing career began before his television fame, and he had a number one hit in 1977 with "Don't Give Up on Us."
"Some people wondered why this guy who was all about driving fast cars and flinging himself at bad guys could suddenly think he was a pop star," Soul told The Sunday Post. "They didn't realize that I was a singer and musician long before I made any mark as an actor."
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Glaser married his wife Elizabeth Glaser in 1980 and they welcomed their first child, Ariel, in 1981. When she gave birth, Elizabeth received a blood transfusion, and she, Ariel, and, later, their son Jake unknowingly contracted HIV, but didn't find out until years later. Tragically, Ariel died at age seven, and Elizabeth passed away in 1994. Jake is now 37 years old.
"It challenged me to survive," Glaser told Page Six of the situation in 2021. "I was very fortunate. I had a really good teacher who I worked with for a long time to get past my rage and anger and gain some insight into what happened to me and what I could or could not do with it."
Glaser and Elizabeth both advocated for more research and education on how AIDS affects children, and the latter's namesake organization, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, continues that work today.
Glaser went on to marry second wife Tracy Barone in 1996, and they remained together until 2007. The former couple share a daughter, Zoe.
Soul has been married five times and had six kids during his marriages. He has opened up about his regret regarding a situation in which he became violent toward his wife while drinking in the '80s. He ended up in jail and had to take an anger management course, according to the Evening Standard.
In 2012, he told The Guardian, "Winning back my children's trust wasn't easy. I've got six kids now—and six grandchildren—and the best thing I can do is to be there for them as much as I can be." Referring to the fact that he lives in the U.K., he said, "I make my trips back and forth and I'm on the phone with them and I'm trying to be there for them, even in spite of the fact that I'm not present."
Glaser and Soul retained their personal relationship following Starsky & Hutch. "One thing David and I had and still have is a very deep friendship,"Glaser told Page Six. As for Soul, he told The Sunday Post, "We knew each other before Starsky & Hutch and have been close friends all these years since."
Asked whether the show should ever be revived, Soul said, "It wasn't that good the first time, it just caught the imagination and everyone liked the car. I liked the car. Maybe the car could make a comeback but I don't think Paul and I could run around like we used to."
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