Fans of 1980s TV still harbor fond memories of screen siren Patricia McPherson, the bombshell love interest of David Hasselhoff on Knight Rider.
The crime drama starred Hasselhoff as an undercover cop Michael Knight, whose partner is an artificially sentient car called KITT, voiced by William Daniels.
McPherson meanwhile featured as KITT’s mechanic Bonnie Barstow, whose chemistry with Knight was a fan favorite element of the program.
After Knight Rider ended, McPherson guest-starred on some of the premiere TV series of the era, only to then retire from acting in 1991 at the age of 36.
Now 71 years old, she was glimpsed this week proving she remains fit as a fiddle, as she clambered up onto her roof to perform some maintenance herself.
Cutting a hardy figure in a flannel shirt and dark trousers as well as a pair of work gloves, McPherson radiated a healthy glow while going about her work.
Fans of 1980s TV still harbor fond memories of screen siren Patricia McPherson, the bombshell love interest of David Hasselhoff on Knight Rider
McPherson featured on the show as Bonnie Barsow, the chief mechanic for the artificially sentient car KITT, which acts as the partner for Hasselhoff’s undercover cop character
McPherson was also spotted that day doing a bit of sweeping on the ground at her property, ensuring her Los Angeles home looked its best.
Born to an ex-navy commander in Oak Harbor, Washington in 1954, McPherson studied graphic communication and initially worked as a magazine artist.
In 1981 her looks landed her on a Salem Lights billboard, where she made such a mesmerizing splash that she was cast in her Hollywood big break the next year.
The star-making role came with Knight Rider, led by David Hasselhoff, who had become a sex symbol the previous decade on The Young and the Restless.
Knight Rider was yet another success for creator Glen A. Larson, whose previous shows included Battlestar Galactica and Magnum P.I.
The series prefigured the AI age, with the talking car KITT acting as the partner of the dashing undercover Los Angeles policeman played by Hasselhoff.
McPherson was a standout presence on season one as KITT’s chief technician Bonnie, who develops both a professional and romantic bond with Hasselhoff’s cop.
Audiences fell in love with the characters and were enraptured by the rapport between them – but the brass behind the show were less impressed.
Now 71 years old, she was glimpsed this week proving she remains fit as a fiddle, as she clambered up onto her roof to perform some maintenance herself
McPherson was also spotted that day doing a bit of sweeping on the ground at her property, ensuring her Los Angeles home looked its best
Born to an ex-navy commander in Oak Harbor, Washington in 1954, McPherson studied graphic communication and initially worked as a magazine artist
In 1981 her looks landed her on a Salem Lights billboard, where she made such a mesmerizing splash that she was cast in her Hollywood big break the next year
McPherson was also spotted that day doing a bit of sweeping on the ground at her property, ensuring her Los Angeles home looked its best
In 1991, McPherson – who has been married for decades to writer James Garrett -brought her acting career to a close with a two-episode arc on Matlock
She then withdrew from showbiz to devote herself to environmental activism, including working for the famous Sierra Club
McPherson was unceremoniously fired at the end of season one in 1983 and replaced by Rebecca Holden as a new character called April Curtis, whom the executives apparently regarded as a more likely piece of eye candy.
‘We wanted to try something different, something glitzy and they hired a shapely redhead, Rebecca Holden,’ executive producer Robert Foster told TV Guide.
Viewers were furious and Hasselhoff was on their side, confessing later: ‘They let Patti go and I didn’t have enough guts to fight for her because I was still fighting for myself. In the second year I really wanted her back.’
In the end, the audience sentiment – as well as that of Hasselhoff and his co-star Edward Mulhare – won out and McPherson was rehired for season three in 1984.
McPherson confessed that her initial firing felt like a ‘a smack in the face’ but she was later able to resign herself to the fact ‘it was just business.’
She noted: ‘I tried not to take it personally. I finally got a call from a producer who apologized for what happened. He asked if I’d consider signing on for the show’s third season. I said yes almost immediately,’ speaking to journalist Gillian George in 1985.
Knight Rider ended in April 1986 and McPherson jobbed around, guest-starring on hit shows like Dynasty, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Murder, She Wrote.
Even during the run of Knight Rider, she had complained that actresses ‘don’t get to do much’ on television. ‘It comes down to being a doctor or a cop. Neither is my favorite thing to be. I’ve always loved Westerns and if they come back, I’m ready. Maureen O’Hara roles, gutsying it out….’
In 1991, McPherson – who has been married for decades to writer James Garrett -brought her acting career to a close with a two-episode arc on Matlock.
She then withdrew from showbiz to devote herself to environmental activism, including working for the famous Sierra Club.
