Hasselhoff Decides To Dry Out

David Hasselhoff has checked himself into The Betty Ford Center for treatment of a drinking problem.

The former "Baywatch" and "Knight Rider" star, who turns 50 next week, issued a statement announcing the voluntary stay at the renowned substance abuse treatment center.

"He realized his social drinking had increased more than he was comfortable with and he decided to do something about it," publicist Richard Hoffman said in a statement.

The actor checked in June 26; his representatives said they didn't know how long he will be there.

Hasselhoff's recent performances include a cameo appearance as himself in the summer comedy "The New Guy" and a role on Broadway last year in the musical "Jekyll & Hyde."

Hasselhoff became a star in the U.S. as Michael Knight, the crime fighter whose partner was a souped-up talking Trans Am - voiced by William Daniels - that could travel 300 mph and leap 50 feet into the air.

When "Knight Rider" finally pulled into the garage for the last time, Hasselhoff pursued a recording career overseas and later became one of the most recognizable performers in the world starring as lifeguard Mitch Buchannon on "Baywatch," which debuted in 1989.

NBC canceled the show after just one season. But Hasselhoff and his partners acquired rights to the show and brought it back as a syndicated series in 1991 based on his popularity overseas.

The program - as widely watched as it was ridiculed for its format of scantily clad men and women - ended its 11-year run in May, falling victim to growing competition and an increasingly fragmented TV market.

Since "Baywatch" ceased production, Hasselhoff has had plenty of other projects to work on - including a "Baywatch" reunion movie that's under development and a big screen version of "Knight Rider" for which he is executive producer and is to play an as yet undetermined onscreen role.