Where is the “Knight Rider” cast now? See the stars 40 years after the finale

Skyler TrepelSun, September 13, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC

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David Hasselhoff, Peter Parros, Edward Mulhare, and Patricia McPherson. KITT not pictured, but don’t worry, he’s watching over them allCredit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Cue the catchy ‘80s synth music, mullets, and talking cars because it’s time to check in on the cast of Knight Rider.

David Hasselhoff plays Michael Knight, who becomes a special agent for billionaire Wilton Knight’s (Richard Basehart) public justice organization FLAG (Foundation for Law and Government). The best perk of the job? A slick, black Pontiac Firebird named KITT.

To say the least, KITT is not your average car; it (he?) is virtually indestructible, features AI technology, and even talks in the voice of the incomparably soothing William Daniels.

In each episode, Michael is assigned a mission by FLAG’s leader Devon Miles (Edward Mulhare). His chief technicians — Dr. Bonnie Barstow (Patricia McPherson) in seasons 1, 3, and 4; April Curtis (Rebecca Holden) in season 2 — are there to help him carry out each job. (The romantic tension is just a bonus.)

Yes, those were the simpler days of television — when fast cars, alternating love interests, and witty barbs were more than enough to keep us entertained. It belongs on the shelf right next to shows like TheA-Team and Magnum P.I.

Knight Rider led to a handful of spinoffs, TV movies, and sequel and revival series. But the OG remains the one people remember. As for the future, Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald are developing a feature film version.

Put on your best leather jacket and read up on everything to know about where the cast of Knight Rider is today.

01 of 07

David Hasselhoff (Michael Knight)

David Hasselhoff as Michael / Hasselhoff in Monaco in 2022Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty; Valery HACHE / AFP via Getty

David Hasselhoff played Michael Knight, new identity of former LAPD detective Michael Long, whose face was reconstructed after he was shot.

The role launched Hasselhoff into the mainstream. He later called playing the classy, smooth ladies’ man and lone-wolf crusader “the best job ever.”

“They said ‘action’ and I got to drive with 10 cars around me, driven by stuntmen paid not to hit me,” Hasselhoff said in 2022. “I also remember when I threw my wedding ring in the water, after I got married and my wife was killed, and KITT (the car) said, ‘Where are we going, Michael?’ And I said, ‘Let’s go home, KITT, let’s go home.’ I loved that moment.”

“The Hoff” originally found fame as Dr. Snapper Foster on The Young and the Restless. After Knight Rider’s four-season run, he found an even more iconic role: Mitch Buchannon on the sunny international smash Baywatch.

As the years went on, the Baltimore native regularly took advantage of his larger-than-life persona, playing parodic versions of himself in Dodgeball (2004), The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), and a handful of other movies and TV guest appearances. Meanwhile, he found another niche as a talent show judge on America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent.

Hasselhoff’s lengthy music career has resulted in 15 albums over four decades, finding particular success in German-speaking countries.

The icon later showed up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and the meta comedy Killing Hasselhoff (2017). More recently, he starred in the travel docuseries  Hoff Roading with Rhys Darby.

Hasselhoff has been married to Hayley Roberts since 2018. He has two daughters from a previous marriage.

02 of 07

William Daniels (KITT)

KITT / William Daniels, the voice of KITT, before a ‘1776’ screening in 2015Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection; Mark Davis/WireImage

The legendary William Daniels served as the wise, calming voice of Michael’s indestructible, multipurpose Firebird, KITT.

Daniels would often record his lines for an episode in less than an hour — and felt fortunate that he didn’t have to be out on set like costar Hasselhoff.

“I’d go in there and knock it off in maybe 50 minutes a show, and I remembered Hasselhoff… he said, ‘You son of a gun. How long does it take you to do that? I said ‘About 50 minutes.’ He said ‘Well, I’m out there on the road in the desert sweating… Some lady reads your lines but later we put them together and it seems to work,’” Daniels said in a 2018 interview. “I said, ‘Yes I guess it did’... It went on for a while and it was very nice.”

Daniels has had an illustrious career spanning decades, from playing Dustin Hoffman’s father in The Graduate (1967) to a fiery, obstinate John Adams in the classic musical 1776 — both in the original stage production and the Oscar-nominated big-screen adaptation.

In the years he was voicing KITT, he was pulling double duty as Dr. Craig on the influential medical drama St. Elsewhere, for which he won two Emmys.

Of course, more recent generations know him as Mr. Feeny, the tough sage on Boy Meets World — as teacher, neighbor, and eventually principal— for the bulk of the ’90s. He later reprised the role in a few episodes of the legacy sequel series Girl Meets World.

In 2025, at 98 years old, he appeared on Dancing with the Starsalongside Topanga actress Danielle Fishel.

In one of Hollywood’s lengthiest relationships, Daniels and actress Bonnie Bartlett have been married since 1951. The couple share three children and have acted together a number of times, including all six seasons of St. Elsewhere.

In one of Hollywood’s lengthiest relationships, Daniels and actress Bonnie Bartlett have been married since 1951. The couple have two sons and have acted together a number of times, including on St. Elsewhere throughout its six-season run.

03 of 07

Edward Mulhare (Devon Miles)

Edward Mulhare as Devon Miles / Mulhare in Beverly Hills in 1985Credit: Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank; Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Edward Mulhare played FLAG’s sharp, witty leader, who gave Michael and KITT their missions while acting as the organization’s public spokesman.

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An acclaimed stage actor, Mulhare found a foothold in television in the 1950s and in 1968 booked the lead role of Captain Daniel Gregg on the supernatural sitcom The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, for which he earned his only career Emmy nomination. He continued to be a regular small-screen presence in subsequent years before Knight Rider gave him another full-time gig.

The Irish actor’s decades-spanning career also included roles in the World War II adventure Von Ryan’s Express (1965), the spy comedy Our Man Flint (1966), and Frank Tashlin’s Caprice (1967), alongside Doris Day and Richard Harris.

His final TV role was a reunion with Hasselhoff on a 1996 episode of Baywatch Nights. Mulhare died of lung cancer in 1997 at age 74.

04 of 07

Patricia McPherson (Bonnie Barstow)

Patricia McPherson as Bonnie Barstow / McPherson in 1986Credit: Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank; Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Patricia McPherson played Dr. Barstow, who made KITT the best he could be while managing her frustrations and romantic tension with Michael.

McPherson was fired after season 1, but following fan backlash and support from her costars, she was brought back for season 3. Although Hasselhoff regretted not fighting for her at the time due to his own concerns about job security, he was thrilled when she was brought back.

“It was a real emotional scene when she came back,” Hasselhoff told TV Guide in 1986. “What you saw on the screen was happening on stage.”

In the immediate wake of Knight Rider’s cancellation, McPherson scored guest work on MacGyver, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Dynasty. She largely stepped away from acting in the early ‘90s and dedicated herself to conservation work, though she has occasionally returned to the screen.

05 of 07

Rebecca Holden (April Curtis)

Rebecca Holden as April / Holden at the premiere of ‘Wake Up’ in 2022Credit: Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank;  Michael Tullberg/Getty

Rebecca Holden played Bonnie’s replacement, April — albeit only for one season.

“I loved doing Knight Rider. It’s basically a modern day morality play in which my character aids Michael and KITT in their fight against the evil forces,” Holden said. “April was smart, creative, and resourceful; she was the one who invented new techniques and powers to enable KITT to help Michael conquer the bad guys… I’ve always felt she was a terrific role model for young women and a joy to play.”

Holden began her career in modeling and had small roles on shows like Three’s Company, Happy Days, and Magnum P.I. prior to Knight Rider. After her single-season run, she wound up on Night Court, Remington Steele, and in a particularly memorable stint as the villainous Elena on General Hospital.

The Dallas native is also a country musician; she had two songs chart on the U.S. Hot Country Singles chart in 1989.

Holden continues to act, with recent credits including Peacock’s Saved By the Bell reboot and the films Canaan Land (2020) and Was Once a Hero (2024).

06 of 07

Peter Parros (RC3)

Peter Parros as RC3 / Parros at the Hollywood Museum in 2024Credit: Gary Null/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank; Amanda Edwards/Getty

Peter Parros played charming street vigilante turned FLAG driver RC3 (that’s short for Reginald Cornelius III).

Parros has spoken in recent years about his fond memories from the show — and revealed one key detail about his character’s arc if the show had continued past season 4.

“That was really kind of my dream job… Working with David was a lot of fun. I remember Knight of the Rising Sun was one of my favorite episodes because I’m fighting ninjas with a snow shovel,” Parros told Reel in Films in 2023. “At that time… action shows were going out and sitcoms were coming in, but if we had one more season RC was going to get a motorcycle that was like KITT.”

The actor later scored a lead role in another crime adventure series, The New Adam-12, which lasted for two seasons in the early ’90s. But he found an even bigger niche in soap operas, making the rounds from The Young and the Restless to Santa Barbara to, eventually, his most famous role as Dr. Ben Harris on As the World Turns.

His most recent soap hit was Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots, whose eight-season run ended in 2021.

Parros has two children with ex-wife Jerri Morgan.

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07 of 07

Richard Basehart (Wilton Knight)

Richard Basehart as Wilton KnightCredit: Denis Plehn /American Broadcasting Companies via Getty

Richard Basehart portrayed Wilton Knight, the self-made billionaire who paid for Michael’s facial reconstruction, gave him a new identity, and founded FLAG. Basehart’s character dies in the first episode, but his voice is heard in the opening narration throughout the series.

Basehart had a long varied career that included prestigious epics, international dramas, and Broadway. His early work includes genre classics like The House on Telegraph Hill (1951), Samuel Fuller’s Fixed Bayonets! (1951), and Fourteen Hours (1951). He went on to star in a pair of Fellini films, La strada (1954) and The Swindle (1955), before playing Ishmael in John Huston’s adaptation of Moby Dick (1956).

Not long afterward, he landed a BAFTA nomination for the film Time Limit (1957), starred as Ivan in The Brothers Karamazov (1958), and took on his popular, four-season role as Admiral Harrison Nelson in the sci-fi series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

One of the veteran actor’s last film roles was a supporting part in Being There (1979). Basehart died at age 70 in 1984, just two years after Knight Rider’s premiere. He was survived by his wife of 22 years, Diane Lotery, and three children, including one from his marriage to Italian star Valentina Cortese.

Where is Knight Rider streaming?

Knight Rider is currently available to stream on Tubi and The Roku Channel.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”