David Soul, who starred in the popular TV series “Starsky and Hutch,” recently died. In addition to his iconic role as Hutch, he also appeared in dozens of films and TV shows over his career, which spanned five decades.
Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul from the television program Starsky and Hutch. Public Domain
Although his entertainment credits are widely known, the role faith played in his life may not be as apparent. His father served as a Lutheran minister and history professor. The Soul family moved to Berlin after his father accepted a position as religious affairs advisor for the U.S. government. Soul recalled how his parents showed the love of Christ to those fleeing East Berlin. Faith was very much at the heart of his upbringing.
“The atmosphere was strict when I was growing up but tempered by love,” he said. “We were a very, very religious family. We weren’t fundamentalists, just very worshipful and gave credit to God for almost everything.”
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Although his family put God first, Soul went through a prodigal season as he got older. “I went through a stage of rejection, but I didn’t reject it by saying anything; it was by acting it In the days when I was, as they used to call me. ‘one of the biggest stars in television,’” he said. “’I got the balance wrong.”
While Soul lived focused on the things of this world, it damaged many relationships, including with his children and parents. However, the seed planted by his parents’ faithfulness remained, and he eventually realized the error of his ways.
“The caring about what I looked like, what I sounded like, what I represented to other people was more important than being with my family,” he said. “That was the sadness of that period. But it doesn’t mean I don’t have time for other people now.”
By age 80, Soul had spent time mending the bridges he could from his past. When he passed away, his wife Helen said he did so “in the loving company of family.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice