The Stars Of This Hit '80s Sci-Fi Series Didn't Meet Until Months After The Premiere
Michael Knight wasn't alone when he fought crime for four seasons in the '80's sci-fi show "Knight Rider." He had his artificially intelligent super-car, KITT, for company — but David Hasselhoff, the actor behind the wheel, rode solo behind the scenes. It wasn't until months after the premiere that he met the voice of the talking automobile, William Daniels.
As Glen A. Larson, creator of the NBC series, explained in an interview with The Television Academy, a script supervisor read KITT's lines opposite Hasselhoff on the set while filming. Daniels recorded his side of the conversation later.
"Those two are a comedy team, essentially, but they'd never met," Larson said. Driver and car finally interacted directly at a Christmas party after the September 26, 1982, series premiere.
In another interview with The Television Academy, Daniels recalled that meeting. "You son of a gun, how long does it take you to do it?" Hasselhoff said to him. Daniels answered that it took "about 50 minutes" to record KITT's lines, prompting The Hoff to reply, "Well I'm out there on the road in the desert sweating!"
William Daniels was a lot closer when KITT participated in the Roast of David Hasselhoff
William Daniels lent his voice to KITT until "Knight Rider" ended in 1986. What's probably his best-known role came in the next decade, as Daniels played Principal George Feeny on the beloved ABC sitcom "Boy Meets World" from 1993 to 2000.
Daniels wasn't completely done with KITT, though. He reprised the role in the television film "Knight Rider 2000," which aired on NBC in 1991, voiced the car's cameo appearances in the 2006 film "The Benchwarmers," the Fox animated series "The Simpsons," and a couple of commercials in the 2010s.
In one instance, KITT was even on stage for "The Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff" in 2010. Daniels was backstage so he could voice KITT's lampooning of The Hoff. Speaking as the car, Daniels mocked Hasselhoff about an alleged time he'd thrown up inside KITT.
"Don't worry, the vomit dried up," KITT told Hasselhoff. "Just like your career."