Rick Springfield - Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Biography

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Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on August 23, 1949 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is a songwriter, pop singer, musician and actor.

Background

Rick Springfield started playing piano at age 9. He began playing the guitar at age 13, and writing songs at 14. In 1967, Springfield dropped out of high school to begin his professional music career. His first appearance in a band was as a singer/guitarist in the band Rock House. In 1968, the band changed the name to MPD, Ltd, then embarked on a tour of Vietnam to entertain the troops stationed there.

In 1969, when Springfield returned to Australia, he formed a band named Wikety-Wak. Later that year, he joined the band Zoot. Zoot became one of the most popular Australian groups of the late Sixties. Another notable member of Zoot was Beeb Birtles, who, in 1975 went on to form the Little River Band. In May 1971, when Zoot broke up, Springfield began a solo career. He had a #1 hit single in Australia, "Speak to the Sky."

Springfield relocated to Hollywood, California in 1972. Capitol Records signed him, and he recorded his first album "Beginnings." Speak To The Sky was re-released as a single in the US. Exposure on American Bandstand, as well as being regularly featured in teen fan magazines like 16 magazine and Tiger Beat, sparked interest amongst teenage girls. In 1973 a Saturday morning cartoon called Mission:Magic was centered around Springfield and ran for one year, with a soundtrack album also released.

Because of an unsubstantiated rumor that the record company was paying people to purchase the album, radio stations became suspicious and they stopped playing Springfield. He was subsequently dropped from the Capitol Records label. However, in 1973 he was signed by Columbia Records, who released his second album Comic Book Heroes (1974). It was hailed as a "concept record", received very good reviews from Rolling Stone Magazine, but it failed to chart. He was dropped from that label as well. Plans to release an album entitled "Springfield" were also scrapped.

In 1976, Springfield released a third album Wait For Night under the Chelsea Records label. While Springfield was out touring to promote the album, the record company went bankrupt, and the album fell off the charts. Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Springfield performed in various clubs throughout Los Angeles, but was unable to maintain a career at the top of the charts.

Acting career

Because of various issues regarding the management of his recording career and uncertainty with immigration paperwork, Springfield decided to branch off into acting.

Springfield had starred in the cartoon series Mission: Magic, produced by Filmation in 1973, where he appears in the animated format, along with the teacher Miss Tickle and her teenaged students.

In 1978, He became one of the last contract actors signed to Universal Studios, and appeared in several guest roles including The Incredible Hulk and The Rockford Files. He had a successful acting career, beginning with a brief role as Zac in the 1978 movie Battlestar Galactica. He also had a small recurring role on the soap opera The Young and The Restless.

In 1981, Springfield became a soap opera star on General Hospital. He played the role of Dr. Noah Drake from 1981 through 1983, while simultaneously going on tour with his band.

In 1984, Springfield made one full length feature film "Hard To Hold."[1] It was considered a box office failure, but the movie did produce a successful soundtrack with a top ten song "Love Somebody." Despite the fact that he plays a young rock star in the movie, in real life Springfield was already in his 30s, had become a husband and father, and was growing uncomfortable with the teen idol image he portrayed.

Throughout the 1990s, Springfield acted in several several made for TV movies, and had appearances in television shows such as Suddenly Susan. From 1994 to 1996, he also starred in the detective series, High Tide.

In addition to the roles on television and in film, Springfield also acted in musical theatre. In 1995, he was a member of the original Broadway cast of the musical Smokey Joe's Cafe [2]. This Tony Award nominated musical featured the songs of rock & roll songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. From February 2001 through December 2002, Springfield performed in EFX Alive![3]at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada to critical acclaim.

Rick Springfield also played the role of Nick Knight in the original Forever Knight TV movie, a role later taken up by Geraint Wyn Davies.

In December 2005, Springfield returned as Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital [4]. His run was subsequently extended, although he remains a guest star and not a full cast member. [5]

Dr. Noah Drake

In Springfield's current run on GH, his character is a recovering alcoholic and widower who is trying to patch things up with his estranged son, Dr. Patrick Drake (actor Jason Thompson, who indeed strongly resembles Springfield). Noah was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, but his life was saved when his son donated part of his own liver to him. In the current storyline, Noah is trying to assist Patrick with his ambivalent feelings about giving up womanizing, in order to pursue love-interest Dr. Robin Scorpio.

Recording career

Although his achievements are not well recognised in his homeland, Australia, Springfield has long maintained a large and fiercely loyal fan base in the United States, Canada, and Japan. His many career achievements include a Grammy Award, four platinum albums, twenty US Top 100 singles and seventeen Top 40 hits including a US #1 and #2 single. After a few albums with some hit singles, Springfield's lack of critical acceptance slowed his career, though he continued releasing albums on the RCA label throughout the 1980s.

In 1981, Springfield returned to music with the album Working Class Dog. Most notably on this album were the smash hit singles, "Jessie's Girl" and "I've Done Everything for You", the latter written by Sammy Hagar.

Springfield won a Grammy in 1981 for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Jessie's Girl". Springfield was also nominated for two Grammys in 1982 and one Grammy in 1983.

His subsequent release in 1982, Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet, also contained a string of top 40 hits, including "Don't Talk To Strangers" and the soft ballad "What Kind of Fool Am I?"

His 1983 release, Living in Oz, contained more serious subject matter, a more hard-rock sound, and more technological sound. The album went platinum on the strength of the hits "Human Touch", "Souls", and "Affair of the Heart". His 1984 single "Love Somebody" (from the album Hard to Hold) was his last top ten hit in the U.S.

Springfield was one of several performers who participated in the Live Aid charity concert. After releasing the album "Tao" in 1985, Springfield chose to take a break from recording to spend more time with his family, and to deal with the depression that had affected him since his adolescence.

In 1987, Springfield returned to the studio and released the album "Rock of Life". The next year, he was seriously injured in an ATV accident. Since he was unable to play the guitar for six months, the planned tour to promote his album was cancelled. It would be nearly a decade before Springfield would return to the studio to record the albums Sahara Snow (1997) and Karma.(1999).

From 1999 onward, he has held several concert tours throughout the United States.

In 2005, Springfield released his latest album, The Day After Yesterday with his favourite cover versions.

On April 28, 2006, Springfield performed a medley of his hits at the 33rd Daytime Emmy Awards, and received an enthusiastic response, which included a standing ovation from his acting peers.

Personal life

In 1974, Springfield dated and lived with then 15 year old actress Linda Blair. He considered it his first "grown up" relationship, despite nearly 10 years difference in their ages. [6][7]

He has been married to Barbara Porter since October 27, 1984. They met in 1980 while she was working as a receptionist at the recording studio where he recorded his 1981 album Working Class Dog. They have two sons: Liam, born in 1985, and Josh, born in 1989.

In September, 2000, Springfield was arrested for alleged spousal abuse. He spent one evening in jail and was released the next morning on $50,000 bail. He was never convicted, and charges were dropped. Later, Springfield and his wife issued a joint statement to the press saying that they are happily married and will continue to raise their children together [8]

In 2006, after nearly 34 years of residing in the United States, Springfield became an American citizen. He still retains Australian citizenship as well.

Albums

Beginnings (1972) #35 US
Comic Book Heroes (1973)
Mission Magic (1974)
Wait For Night (1976)
Working Class Dog (1981) #7 (US) RIAA Certified Platinum 12/2/81
Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982) #2 (US) RIAA Certified Platinum 5/11/82
Living In Oz (1983) #12 Billboard Top 200 Albums (US) RIAA Certified Platinum 9/30/83
Hard To Hold (1984) #16 Billboard Top 200 Albums(US) RIAA Certified Platinum 7/10/84
Beautiful Feelings (1984) US #78 (Recorded in 1978)
Tao (1985) #21 Billboard Top 200 Albums (US)
Rock Of Life (1988) #55 Billboard Top 200 Albums (US)
Sahara Snow (1997)
Karma (1999) #189 US
The Greatest Hits ALIVE (2001)
Platinum & Gold Collection: Rick Springfield (2003)
Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance (2004) #8 Billboard Top Independent Albums
Written In Rock--Anthology (2005)
The Day After Yesterday (2005) #197 The Billboard Top 200 Albums (US), #16 Billboard Top Independent Album

Singles

"Speak To The Sky" (1972) #14 US
"What Would The Children Think" (1972) #70 US
"American Girls" (1974) #98 US
"Take A Hand" (1976) #41 US
"Jessie's Girl" (1981) #1 (US) - 2 weeks (RIAA Certified Gold Single 8/4/81)
"I've Done Everything For You" (1981) #8 US
"Love Is Alright Tonite" (1981) #20 US
"Don't Talk To Strangers" (1982) #2 US
"What Kind Of Fool Am I" (1982) #21 US
"I Get Excited" (1982) #32 US
"Affair Of The Heart" (1983) #9 US
"Human Touch" (1983) #18 US
"Souls" (1983) #23 Billboard Top 100 (US)
"Love Somebody" (1984) #5 Billboard Top 100 (US)
"Don't Walk Away" (1984) #26 Billboard Top 100 (US)
"Bop Til You Drop" (1984) #20 Billboard Top 100 (US)
"Taxi Dancing" (1984) #59 Billboard Top 100 (US)
"Bruce" (1984) #27 Billboard Top 100 (US)
"Celebrate Youth" (1985) #26 Billboard Top 100 (US)
"State Of The Heart" (1985) #22 Billboard Top 100 (US)
"Rock Of Life" (1988) #22 Billboard Top 100 (US)
"Beautiful You" (2004) #28 Billboard Adult Contemporary (US)

External links

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