Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut single, "Speak to the Sky", which reached the top 10 in Australia in mid-1972. When he moved to the United States, he had a No. 1 hit with "Jessie's Girl" in 1981 in both Australia and the US, for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. He followed with four more top 10 US hits: "I've Done Everything for You", "Don't Talk to Strangers", "Affair of the Heart" and "Love Somebody". Springfield's two US top 10 albums are Working Class Dog (1981) and Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982).
As an actor, Springfield starred in the film Hard to Hold in 1984 and the television series High Tide from 1994 to 1997. He appeared in supporting roles in Ricki and the Flash and True Detective (both 2015). He portrayed Noah Drake on the daytime drama General Hospital (1981–1983, 2005–2008, 2012), returning in 2013 for the show's 50th anniversary with his son, actor Liam Springthorpe. He played a depraved version of himself in Californication (2009). He has also appeared in episodes of Supernatural, Hot in Cleveland, and American Horror Story. In 2010, Springfield published his autobiography, Late, Late at Night: A Memoir.
Early life
Rick Springfield was born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on 23 August 1949 in Guildford, a western suburb of Sydney. When he was young, he lived at the army camp with his family in Broadmeadows, Victoria, Australia. At 14, he saw the Beatles perform at Festival Hall in Melbourne.
Career
Music
thumb|left|Springfield in 1984
Springfield was 13 when he learned guitar. He joined various bands in England, where his father was stationed from 1958 to 1963, and several more after returning to Australia.
Springfield signed with Sparmac Records and issued his debut solo single, "Speak to the Sky", in October, which peaked at No. 5 on the Go-Set singles chart.
In 1973, Springfield signed to Columbia Records and recorded his second album, Comic Book Heroes, which was also produced by Porter. in 1973. He said he was not sure how it happened. "Someone saw my photo and that was it." Around this time, he took a brief hiatus from recording.
Between 1985 (After TAO) & 2020, Springfield still recorded and released nine studio albums.
Springfield returned in 2020 via a one-off featured performance in the Coheed and Cambria single "Jessie's Girl 2", a sequel to the 1981 Springfield single "Jessie's Girl".
In 2021, Springfield started hosting a weekly radio show on Sirius XM's "80s on 8" Channel called 'Working Class DJ with Rick Springfield', the musician spins eight songs around a theme.
In 2021, Springfield joined Russell Morris and formed The Morris Springfield Project. The Morris Springfield Project released Jack Chrome and the Darkness Waltz in October 2021 which debuted at number 34 on the ARIA Charts.
Acting
Springfield made his acting debut on The Six Million Dollar Man on 30 October 1977, in an episode entitled "Rollback". In December, he appeared on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, portraying Ned Nickerson. On 20 January 1978, Springfield guest-starred on an episode of Wonder Woman titled "Screaming Javelin". The character he portrayed was Tom, the concerned fiancé of an Olympic gymnast who had been kidnapped by a megalomaniac. Later in 1978, Springfield played the character of Zac in Saga of a Star World, which was, with some differences, the pilot episode of the original Battlestar Galactica TV series. He also co-starred as Keith Stewart in episode 17 of season 4 ("Dwarf in a Helium Hat") on The Rockford Files and as Tommy Archer in episode 4 ("Murder on the Flip Side") of The Eddie Capra Mysteries in 1978. In 1979, he guest-starred on an episode of "The Incredible Hulk" entitled "The Disciple" as Michael Roark, a San Francisco police officer who must decide whether to avenge the death of his father who was also a police officer, or simply provide justice and capture the alleged criminal. In 1981, he became a soap opera star on General Hospital. He had signed a contract with RCA Records and already recorded the album Working Class Dog, which neither he nor his agent had expected would do very well, which is why Springfield took the soap role. But the song "Jessie's Girl" went to No. 1 and Springfield ended up both playing the role of Dr. Noah Drake from 1981 to 1983, while simultaneously going on tour with his band. The success of the song boosted the ratings of the show which, according to Springfield, "became the biggest show on TV for that summer". The fame from the show also boosted the sale of the song.
In 1984, Springfield made a full-length feature film titled Hard to Hold. In 1998, he played in the film Legion. He also wrote the soundtrack for Hard to Hold. In 1992, he played the title role in the short-lived ABC series Human Target, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. In 1989, he starred in the film Nick Knight, in which he played an 800-year-old vampire seeking a cure for his condition. The film was later remade as the first two episodes of the series Forever Knight. In 1991, he appeared in the television film Dying to Dance. In 1994, he starred in the series Robin's Hoods. From 1994 to 1997, he starred in the television series High Tide that ran for 69 episodes.
thumb|220px|right|Springfield in September 2011 before a performance in BostonIn 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. This Tony Award-nominated musical featured the songs of rock & roll songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. From February 2000 to December 2002, Springfield performed in EFX Alive! at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Springfield starred in several episodes of the third season of Showtime's Californication. His first appearance was in episode 3 on 11 October 2009, in which he plays a "twisted version of himself"; a "hedonistic Rick Springfield" from the past. Springfield starred in "Ho'ohuli Na'au", an episode of Hawaii Five-0. He played the role of photographer Renny Sinclair.
In December 2005, Springfield was asked by the General Hospital producers to return to the show in his role as Dr. Noah Drake after a 23-year absence. His run was subsequently extended as a recurring guest star and not a full contract cast member until 2008. Springfield returned to General Hospital as Dr. Noah Drake in April 2013. Springfield also starred in "Everything Goes Better With Vampires", an episode of Hot in Cleveland. He played the role of a toll booth worker who pretended to be the famous singer/musician Rick Springfield in an attempt to impress women. Springfield had a recurring role on True Detective as Dr. Irving Pitlor, a psychiatrist. In 2015, Springfield appeared as Greg alongside Meryl Streep in the film Ricki and the Flash. In 2016, Springfield was cast in the twelfth season of The CW series Supernatural where he played rocker Vince Vincente and Lucifer. In July 2016, Springfield appeared on ABC's Greatest Hits. In October 2017, Springfield appeared as Pastor Charles on FX's American Horror Story: Cult. In July 2018, Rick played himself on Episode 4 of the YouTube original series Sideswiped.
Personal life
When Springfield was 17, he attempted suicide by hanging himself. "I hang suspended for fifteen or twenty seconds and am just sliding into unconsciousness when the knot tying the rope to the beam somehow unravels. I'm slammed hard to the concrete floor, rather the worse for wear."
Springfield has been dealing with depression for several decades. "I want them to have hope ... and know that the moment will pass," Springfield said in an exclusive interview with ABC News' Paula Faris. "I'm an example of the moment passing, because I've been there a couple of times, and haven't ... for want of a better phrase, pulled the trigger."
From late 1974 to early 1976, Springfield was in a romantic relationship with actress Linda Blair, beginning when she was 15 and he was 25.
In October 1984, Springfield married his girlfriend, Barbara Porter, at his family's church in Australia. They had met several years earlier when Springfield was recording Working Class Dog and she was working as the recording studio receptionist. They have two sons, Liam (born 1985) and Joshua (born 1989).
At a concert at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida, on 2 March 2006, Springfield announced he had become a US citizen.
In January 2018, Springfield stated in an interview that he contemplated suicide in 2017. "Last year I was close to it, really close to it," explained Springfield on how he considered killing himself. "When Robin Williams and Chester (Bennington) and Chris Cornell and those guys... I didn't go, 'Oh that's terrible.' I went, 'I get it.' I get being that lost and dark." Springfield is a pescetarian.
Memoir
Springfield's autobiography Late, Late at Night: A Memoir () was released in 2010. In October, it peaked at No. 13 on The New York Times Best Seller list. In May 2014, Springfield published Magnificent Vibration: a novel, which also made The New York Times Best Seller list.
In August 2012, Late, Late at Night was named No. 23 of "The 25 Great Rock Memoirs of All Time" by Rolling Stone.
Songs referencing Springfield
In 1985, Jimmy Hart recorded the song "Eat Your Heart Out Rick Springfield", featured on The Wrestling Album. The premise of the song is that the object of Hart's affection seems to idolise Springfield to the point that Hart feels rivalled by him, prompting Hart to pick up singing as well in order to compete for his girl's affection. The song makes references to "Dr Noah Drake" as well as to "Jessie's Girl". In a 2014 interview, Springfield said that although he had heard the title and was aware of the song's existence and had met with Jimmy Hart in person, he had never actually heard the song.
Jonathan Coulton recorded the song "Je Suis Rick Springfield" about an American man trying to impress a French girl he just met in France by pretending to be Springfield. It was recorded in 2011 and appeared on the album Artificial Heart.
In 1998, The Szuters recorded and released the song "The Rick Springfield Song" as part of The Szuters' American Pop album.
Discography
Filmography
Films
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
!scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Title
!scope="col"|Role(s)
!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1984
|Hard to Hold
|James Roberts
|
|-
|2015
|Ricki and the Flash
|Greg
|
|-
|2021
|Traces
|Carl
|
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
!scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Title
!scope="col"|Role(s)
!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|rowspan="2"|1977
|The Six Million Dollar Man
|Niles
|Episode: "Rollback"
|-
|The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
|Ned Nickerson
|Episode: "Will the Real Santa Claus...?"
|-
|rowspan="4"|1978
|The Rockford Files
|Keith Stuart
|Episode: "Dwarf in a Helium Hat"
|-
|Battlestar Galactica
|Lieutenant Zac
|Episode: "Saga of a Star World"
|-
|The Eddie Capra Mysteries
|Tommy Archer
|Episode: "Murder on the Flip Side"
|-
|Wonder Woman
|Tom
|Episode: "Screaming Javelins"
|-
|rowspan="5"|1979
|Turnabout
|Rick
|Episode: "Till Dad Do Us Part"
|-
|The Incredible Hulk
|Mike Roark
|Episode: "The Disciple"
|-
|California Fever
|Adam
|Episode: "Portrait of Laurie"
|-
|Wonder Woman
|Anton
|Episode "Amazon Hot Wax"
|-
|CHiPs
|Guy at Accident Scene
|Episode: "Second Chance"
|-
|1981–1983; 2005–2013
|General Hospital
|Noah Drake
|Series regular
|-
|1989
|Nick Knight
|Det. Nick Knight
|Television film
|-
|1990
|Dead Reckoning
|Kyle Rath
|Television film
|-
|1992
|Human Target
|Christopher Chance
|Lead role
|-
|1993
|In the Shadows, Someone's Watching
|Paul Merritt
|Television film
|-
|1994
|A Change of Place
|Philip
|Television film
|-
|1994–1997
|High Tide
|Mick Barrett
|Lead role
|-
|1995
|Robin's Hoods
|Nick Collins
|Recurring role; 4 episodes
|-
|1997
|Johnny Bravo
|Andy (voice)
|Episode: "Beach Blanket Bravo"
|-
|rowspan="2"|1998
|Loyal Opposition: Terror in the White House
|Senator Barklay
|Television film
|-
|Legion
|Ryan
|Television film
|-
|rowspan="2"|1999
|Suddenly Susan
|Zach Hayword
|2 episodes
|-
|Martial Law
|Special Agent Stockwell
|Episode: "Friendly Skies"
|-
|2001
|Dying to Dance
|Dave Lennox
|Television film
|-
|2007–2008
|General Hospital
|Eli Love
|Recurring role
|-
|2009
|Californication
|Himself
|4 episodes
|-
|2011
|Hawaii Five-0
|Renny Sinclair
|Episode: "Ho'ohuli Na'au (Close to Heart)"
|-
|2012
|Hot in Cleveland
|Tom
|Episode: "Everything Goes Better with Vampires"
|-
|rowspan="2"|2014
|Drop Dead Diva
|Liam Matthews
|Episode: "First Date"
|-
|Family Guy
|Himself (voice)
|Episode: "Chap Stewie"
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2015
|True Detective
|Dr. Irving Pitlor
|3 episodes
|-
|The Eric Andre Show
|Himself
|Episode: “Pauly D & Rick Springfield”
|-
|2016
|Supernatural
|Lucifer / Vince Vincente
|3 episodes
|-
|2017
|American Horror Story: Cult
|Pastor Charles
|Episode: "Winter of Our Discontent"
|-
|rowspan="2"|2018
|Sideswiped
|Himself
|Episode: "The Rock Star"
|-
|The Goldbergs
|Gary
|Episode: "RAD!"
|-
|2020
|Duncanville
|Bobby Bastille (voice)
|Episode: "Jack's Pipe Dream"
|-
|2025
|All’s Fair
|Tommy Keith
|Episode:
”I Want Revenge”
|}
Awards and nominations
Go-Set pop poll
The Go-Set pop poll was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music paper Go-Set. The paper was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll from 1966 to 1972 to determine the most popular personalities.
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1970 || rowspan="2" | Ricky Springfield || Best Guitarist || style="background:silver;"| 2nd
|-
| Best Composer || 5th
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1971 || rowspan="2"| himself || Best Guitarist ||
|-
| Best Songwriter/Composer || 4th
|-
| rowspan="5"| 1972
| rowspan="3"| himself
| Best Male
| style="background:tan;"| 3rd
|-
| Best Newcomer
| 4th
|-
| Best Songwriter/Composer
| style="background:silver;"| 2nd
|-
| Best Album
| Beginnings
| style="background:silver;"| 2nd
|-
| Best Single
| "Hooky Jo"
| 10th
King of Pop Awards
The King of Pop Awards were voted by the readers of TV Week. The award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978.
|-
|align=center|1983
|Best Pop Vocal Performance Male
|"Don't Talk to Strangers"
|
|-
|align=center|1984
|Best Rock Vocal Male Performance
|"Affair of the Heart"
|
|}
On 9 May 2014, Springfield was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to music.
Books
References
External links
- "An Affair of the Heart" documentary
- Interview with Rick Springfield in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 2018
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