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Knight Rider follows the adventures of former police detective, Michael Arthur Long (David Hasselhoff), who is shot in the face but escapes death when he’s rescued by a self-made billionaire, Wilton Knight (Richard Basehart), who performs plastic surgery and gives him a new identity.
Now known as Michael Knight, he is selected by Wilton to be the primary field agent in a new public justice organization, the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG). Michael Knight’s partner, KITT (an acronym for Knight Industries Two Thousand), is a heavily modified and nearly indestructible black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am controlled by a computer with artificial intelligence.
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Devon Miles (Edward Mulhare) leads the FLAG team, and gives Michael and KITT their orders.
Dr. Bonnie Barstow (Patricia McPherson) serves as Devon’s technical assistant and KITT’s chief engineer. She was dropped after season one and replaced with Rebecca Holden (April Curtis). Due to heavy lobbying from both Hasselhoff and Mulhare and outcry from fans, Holden was written back in for seasons three and four.
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Main Cast
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Michael Knight | David Hasselhoff |
| Devon Miles | Edward Mulhare |
| Voice of KITT | William Daniels |
| Narrator | Richard Basehart |
| Bonnie Barstow | Patricia McPherson |
| April Curtis | Rebecca Holden |
| ‘RC3’ Reginald Cornelius III | Peter Parros |
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Additional Cast
| Character | Actor | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Cab Driver | Harold Frizzell | 1982-1986 |
| Dugan | Jack Gill | 1982-1985 |
| Adrianne Margeaux | Ann Turke | 1983-1985 |
| Stephanie ‘Stevie’ March | Catherine Hickland | 1983-1986 |
| Hagen | Jack Starrett | 1983-1985 |
| Luger | Alex Kubik | 1982-1985 |
| Federal Agent | Bruce Neckels | 1982-1986 |
| Cabby | Michael Masters | 1982-1985 |
| Singer | Deborah Ludwig Davis | 1982-1984 |
| ‘Acid’ John Byrock | Ramon Bien | 1982-1985 |
| Jennifer Shell | Anne Lockhart | 1982-1983 |
| Micki Bradburn | Judy Landers | 1982-1985 |
| Boyd LaSalle | John Considine | 1984-1985 |
| Jeff Barnes | James T, Callahan | 1982-1985 |
| General Duncton | Alan Oppenheimer | 1982-1985 |
| Hannigan | Joe La Due | 1983-1985 |
| Christopher Stone | Lance LeGault | 1982-1984 |
| Mac Thomas | John Crawford | 1983-1985 |
| Gilbert Cole | Don Galloway | 1983-1985 |
| Riggins | Guy Stockwell | 1983 |
| Cindy Mattheson | Mary Beth Evans | 1984-1986 |
| Police Lt. Dickerson | Don Gordon | 1982-1985 |
| Edward Grant | Jason Evers | 1982-1984 |
| Jack | Allen Williams | 1982-1984 |
| Liberty Cox | Robin Dearden | 1983-1985 |
| Archibald | George Murdock | 1983-1984 |
| Alfredo Diaz | Sam Vlahos | 1983 |
| Karen Bennett | Lenore Kasdorf | 1984-1986 |
| Cameron Zachary | John Vemon | 1984-1986 |
| Barnswell | Norman Burton | 1983-1986 |
| Connie Chasen | Angel Tompkins | 1983 |
| Jake Simpson | Robert O’Reilly | 1984-1985 |
| Dr. Klaus Bergstrom | Peter Mark Richman | 1984-1985 |
| Officer Rex Saunders | Grainger Hines | 1982-1985 |
| Edgar | Logan Ramsey | 1982-1985 |
| Maggie | Pamela Susan Shoop | 1982-1985 |
| Hower | Nicholas Worth | 1984-1985 |
| Christine Brooks | Victoria Bass | 1985 |
| Bloodworth | Tim Rossovich | 1982-1984 |
| Helmut Gras | Kai Wulff | 1983-1985 |
| Claudia Torrell | Kathy Shower | 1985-1986 |
| Jason Keller | M.C. Gainey | 1982-1986 |
| Danton | Ken Foree | 1984-1986 |
| Monk | Michael Champion | 1982-1984 |
| Miller | Rene Assa | 1984-1985 |
| Joey Rome | Cliff Carnell | 1985 |
| Conrad Morris | Bill Cross | 1982-1984 |
| Ray | Fred Lemer | 1982-1983 |
| Gino | Ken Scott | 1983-1984 |
| Erika | Julie Ronnie | 1984-1985 |
| Lon | Tom Williams | 1985 |
| Lonnie | Shawn Southwick | 1983 |
| Fletcher | Paul Tuerpe | 1985-1986 |
| Kim, the Bartender | June Christopher | 1982 |
| O’Malley | Jimmy Murphy | 1982-1985 |
| D.D. | Arell Blanton | 1984 |
| Harry | Doninick Brascia | 1984-1985 |
| Chuck | Louie Elias | 1982-1985 |
| Arthur Abrams | Tom Gilleran | 1982-1984 |
| Coyote | Luis Contreras | 1984-1985 |
| Alex Webster | David S. Cass Sr. | 1982-1985 |
| Brown | Dick Durock | 1983-1986 |
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Trivia
Pontaic supplied the Trans Am for KITT and, after the show debuted, Pontiac was overwhelmed with customer requests for black Firebird Trans Ams with T-tops and red lights on the front bumper.
The “jumping” Trans Am was a hollow-fiberglass replica Trans Am.
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William Daniels (the voice of KITT) and David Hasselhoff (Knight) didn’t meet until after six months of filming. Their meeting was the first-time Hasselhoff saw the voice behind the black Trans Am.
The Super-Pursuit Mode was written in to the show to keep viewers interested in a fourth season.
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KARR (Knight Automated Roving Robot), known to everyone as the “evil Trans Am,” was the prototype for KITT. The difference? KARR’s system was only programmed for self-preservation, whereas KITT was programmed to regard and protect human life. Voice actor Peter Cullen supplied the voice of KARR but is better known for voice roles in Transformers, The Predator and “Winnie-The-Pooh.
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The KITT car was originally supposed to be a Datsun 280ZX, according to Car and Driver Magazine.
The roving red sensor on the hood of KITT is modeled after the Cyclon’s roving eye in the series Battlestar Galactica. During close-up and moving shots, it has the same sound effect.
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After becoming a hit, and for several years after it was cancelled, aftermarket kits were sold to add the “scanner-eye” to Trans Ams.
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