Rick Springfield Biography

Singer, actor. Born Richard Lewis Springthorpe, on August 23, 1949, in Sydney, Australia. The son of an Australian army officer, Springfield frequently moved throughout his childhood, living in both Australia and England. While in high school, he developed an affinity for music, began playing the guitar, and formed a band called the Jordy Boys. He went on to perform with the groups Rock House and Zoot before launching a solo singing career with the 1971 Australian hit "Speak to the Sky."

After an auspicious solo debut in Australia, Springfield was signed by the American-based label Capitol Records. In 1972, he moved to Los Angeles and released the album Beginnings. Featuring many of his previous Australian hits, including a new version of "Speak to the Sky," the album fared well on the charts. To Springfield's dismay, critics immediately labeled him the next teen pop idol. In 1973, in an attempt to shed his bubble gum image, Springfield moved to Columbia Records, where he recorded the disappointing LP Comic Book Heroes.

In the mid-1970s, Springfield temporarily shelved his music career and concentrated on acting, appearing on several popular television programs like The Rockford Files, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk, and The Six-Million Dollar Man. In 1980, he managed to secure a recording contract with RCA. While recording with the label, Springfield was cast as the dashing Dr. Noah Drake on the popular daytime drama General Hospital. As his popularity skyrocketed among soap opera fans, Springfield released the album Working Class Dog’s, which yielded the now-classic singles "I've Done Everything For You" and "Jessie's Girl." The latter song earned him a Grammy Award and became known as an anthem of the 1980s—a time when his feathered hair, tightly-suited body, and boyish face became hallmarks of the era.

Springfield recorded the well-received albums Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982) and Living in Oz (1983) before making his cinematic debut in the romantic drama Hard to Hold (1984). While his female fans flocked to theaters, the film received lukewarm reviews from most critics.

Throughout the 1990s, Springfield's work mainly consisted of made-for-TV movies, including Dead Reckoning (1990), Silent Motive (1991), A Change of Place (1994), and Dying to Dance (1999). Later that year, he released his first new album in over a decade, Karma, which received generally positive reviews.

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