Greg Evigan explains why he declined ‘Knight Rider’ lead role

Actor Greg Evigan has revealed that he turned down the lead role in the television series ‘Knight Rider’ to avoid being typecast. During an interview on the Pop Culture Retro podcast, the 72-year-old actor explained that the role felt too similar to his previous work in the 1970s sitcom ‘B. J. and the Bear’.

Evigan noted that in ‘B. J. and the Bear’, he played a truck driver who communicated with a pet chimpanzee, whereas ‘Knight Rider’ featured a character who interacted with a sentient car. He stated that he did not want to repeat the same dynamic and expressed concerns that taking the role would make it difficult to secure different types of work.

Following his decision, David Hasselhoff took the lead role as Michael Knight. Evigan later went on to star in the sitcom ‘My Two Dads’ from 1987 to 1990.