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Michael Knight | |
---|---|
Knight Rider character | |
First appearance | "Knight of the Phoenix" |
Last appearance | Knight Rider (2008 film) |
Portrayed by | David Hasselhoff Larry Anderson (Michael Long, pilot only) |
In-universe information | |
Alias | Michael Arthur Long Michael Long |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Police officer (1970s–1982) Army Intelligence officer (1970s; 1982–1990) Test driver (2000) |
Family | Garthe Knight ("twin-brother") Jennifer Knight ("sister") Wilton Knight (deceased "father") Elizabeth Knight (estranged "mother") |
Spouse | Stephanie March Mason (girlfriend/wife, deceased) Jennifer Traceur (girlfriend, deceased) |
Children | Mike Traceur (son) Dawn Alice Knight (daughter) |
Michael Knight is a fictional character and the protagonist of the 1980s television series Knight Rider , played by David Hasselhoff. The character first appeared in the opening scenes as Michael Long, played by Larry Anderson in the beginning of the pilot. [1] His last appearance was in the 2008 film Knight Rider.
In the storyline of Knight Rider, Michael Arthur Long was born on January 9, 1949, outside Los Angeles, California, and raised by a blue-collar working family. In the 1960s, Michael joined the Army, spending three years in counter-intelligence work in Vietnam. He was captured while on a mission. Michael escaped but suffered a serious injury that required brain surgery, and a metal plate was inserted into his skull. [2] Michael was later discharged from the service, returning to Los Angeles in the 1970s, where he joined the LAPD, starting as a patrolman, eventually becoming a detective lieutenant with the LAPD's 11th precinct. Michael resided at 1834 Shoreborne Avenue, Wilmington, California, in the zip code 90744. [3]
In the pilot episode, Michael (played by Larry Anderson) is betrayed by an informant and shot in the head by industrial espionage expert Tanya Walker (Phyllis Davis).His metal plate deflected the round, but Michael suffered serious facial damage.
Michael was declared dead to the public, with his medical care taken over by FLAG (Foundation for Law And Government), a private crime-fighting arm of Knight Industries, an organization founded by Wilton Knight (Richard Basehart), a dying billionaire philanthropist. Michael was not Wilton's first choice for the pilot program, but changed his mind and reopened the foundation due to Michael's arrival. Wilton picks up Michael, passed out in front of his car, on a desert highway.
Michael is given a new face via facial reconstructive surgery, and is renamed Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff). Together with the high-tech automobile KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), Michael carries on Wilton's crusade of aiding the powerless. He is given mission objectives by the new director of FLAG, Wilton's longtime friend and confidant, Devon Miles (Edward Mulhare). Michael was selected for his high level of self-defense training, intelligence, law enforcement experience, and his ability and preference to work alone without assistance or back-up.
Michael avoided violence whenever possible and generally refrained from using firearms (although in several episodes he is seen with a .38 revolver and uses a MAC-10 when arresting some corrupt US Army troops). Although most of Knight's cases were based in Southern California, where FLAG was headquartered, the operation was not confined there, travelling to whatever part of the country trouble arose in, sometimes even crossing borders into Mexico. The organization also owned a semi-trailer truck that served as a mobile office offering technical support for KITT.
In addition to playing Michael Knight, Hasselhoff also played a double role in the Season Two feature-length episodes "Goliath" and "Goliath Returns", portraying not only Michael Knight but Wilton's biological son, Garthe Knight, who was imprisoned in Africa at the time of Michael's surgery. Believing that his son would never be seen again, Wilton had Michael's face modeled after Garthe's. [4] The Garthe storyline didn't go beyond the second season as Hasselhoff requested that the doppelgänger villain be ended, due to the time it took to film both roles.
In 1984, Michael found out that the reason for him almost being shot in the pilot was having been the target of Tanya Walker's lover—and Wilton's long-standing enemy—Cameron Zachary (John Vernon). [5] (In episode #47 of the two part "Knight of the Drones" it is revealed that FLAG had a prospective "Knight" driver prior to Michael who was murdered; however, this was never mentioned in any other episode.)
Michael loved women, including his former fiancée Stephanie "Stevie" March Mason (portrayed by Hasselhoff's actual wife at the time, Catherine Hickland), eventually marrying her (seen in the episode "Scent of Roses") on the same day she is killed. [6] Michael retired from FLAG in 1990 with Team Knight Rider taking over his duties.
In the final episode of Team Knight Rider a mysterious man known as the "Shadow" appears, who Kyle suspects is actually Knight, explaining that nobody knows what happened to him. At the end of the episode, Team Knight Rider find Michael's grave. A man appears and tells them "I'm Michael Knight. Or at least I was."
In a 1991 sequel movie Knight Rider 2000 Devon convinces Michael to join FLAG's project, the Knight 4000, as the test driver. Michael is furious to discover that KITT has been disassembled and is ready to walk away, but later decides to rebuild KITT's AI unit. At the end of the movie Michael returns to retirement.
In the 2008 Knight Rider revival television movie, Michael Knight shows up at the funeral for his son's mother. He introduces himself to his estranged son, Michael Traceur, who asks if he will see Michael again. Michael replies, "I hope so."
Knight was again mentioned by Traceur in the first episode and reveals that his father's real name was Michael Long, with his co-workers making fun of it. Traceur decides to adopt the "Knight" family name in an attempt to start a new life, just like his father.
Michael Knight appears as a playable character in Lego Dimensions , voiced by Piotr Michael.
Knight Rider is an American action crime drama television series created and produced by Glen A. Larson. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from September 26, 1982, to April 4, 1986. The show stars David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a sleek and modern crime fighter assisted by KITT, an advanced, artificially intelligent, self-aware, and nearly indestructible car. This was the last series Larson devised at Universal Television before he moved to 20th Century Fox Television.
David Michael Hasselhoff, nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on The Young and the Restless (1975–1982), playing the role of Dr. Snapper Foster. His career continued with his leading role as Michael Knight on Knight Rider (1982–1986) and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch (1989–2000). He also produced Baywatch from the 1990s until 2001 when the series ended with Baywatch Hawaii.
William David Daniels is an American actor who is known for his television roles, notably as Mark Craig on the drama series St. Elsewhere, for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards; the voice of KITT on the television series Knight Rider; and George Feeny on the sitcom Boy Meets World, which earned him four People's Choice Award nominations. He reprised his Knight Rider role in the sequel TV movie Knight Rider 2000 and his Boy Meets World role in the sequel series Girl Meets World. He also portrayed Carter Nash in Captain Nice.
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KITT or K.I.T.T. is the common name of two fictional characters from the action franchise Knight Rider. In both instances, KITT is an artificially intelligent electronic computer module in the body of a highly advanced, very mobile, robotic automobile. The original KITT is known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand, which appeared in the original TV series Knight Rider as a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. The second KITT is known as the Knight Industries Three Thousand, which appeared first in the two-hour 2008 pilot film for a new Knight Rider TV series and then the new series itself, and appeared as a 2008–2009 Ford Shelby GT500KR.
Knight Rider 2000 is a 1991 American made-for-television science fiction action film based on the 1982–1986 television series Knight Rider.
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Team Knight Rider (TKR) is an American action science fiction crime drama television series that was adapted from the Knight Rider franchise and ran in syndication between 1997 and 1998. TKR was created by writer/producers Rick Copp and David A. Goodman, based on the original series created by Glen A. Larson, who was an executive producer. TKR was produced by Gil Wadsworth and Scott McAboy and was distributed by Universal Domestic Television and ran a single season of 22 one-hour episodes. The original series had a strong fan base and was beloved by many viewers. Comparisons between the two shows may have worked against "Team Knight Rider," as it failed to capture the same magic and nostalgia as the original.
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Knight Rider is a 2008 American made-for-television action film and the third installment of the Knight Rider film series, which was created to serve as a backdoor pilot for the new Knight Rider television series, a revival of the 1982–1986 series of the same name. This film makes no references to either the Knight Rider 2000 film or the Team Knight Rider television series, instead as a reboot.
Knight Rider is an American action television series that follows the 1982 television series of the same title created by Glen A. Larson and the 2008 television movie. The series aired on NBC from September 24, 2008 to March 4, 2009. The series stars Justin Bruening as Michael Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight; at the end of the pilot episode, Traceur renames himself Michael Knight II. The series also stars Deanna Russo as Sarah Graiman, Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest. Sarah is the daughter of Charles Graiman, played by Bruce Davison, is the creator of a new generation of KITT, which is voiced by Val Kilmer and based on a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR. The series was in production for just one season.
The first season of Knight Rider, an American television series, debuted on September 26, 1982, and ended on May 6, 1983. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on August 3, 2004.
The second season of Knight Rider, an American television series, began October 2, 1983, and ended on May 27, 1984. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on April 12, 2005.
The third season of Knight Rider, an American television series that ran from Sept 26, 1982 to Apr 4, 1986, began September 30, 1984, and ended on May 5, 1985. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on January 31, 2006.
The fourth and final season of Knight Rider, an American television series that ran from Sept 26, 1982 to Apr 4, 1986, began September 20, 1985, and ended on April 4, 1986. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on April 4, 2006.
Knight Rider is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of Knight Rider is its three television series: the original Knight Rider (1982–1986) and sequel series Team Knight Rider (1997–1998) and Knight Rider (2008–2009). The franchise also includes three television films, a short-lived spinoff series, computer and video games, and novels, as well as KnightCon, a Knight Rider convention. Beginning with the original television series and continuing with the subsequent films and series, the franchise has developed a cult following and spawned many pop culture references.