Ex-'Baywatch' Star Denies Brawl at Wimbledon

ByABC News
July 5, 2006, 6:53 PM

July 5, 2006 — -- Former "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff was not ejected from the Wimbledon tennis championships, and there were no "drunken" clashes with security guards, Wimbledon officials said, denying reports that appeared in British tabloids.

Britain's Sun newspaper said the "steaming drunk" 53-year-old actor was involved in a "blazing row" outside Center Court on Monday, because he did not have the correct accreditation to gain entry. The story went on to claim that Hasselhoff was then banned from press and players' bars as he tried to get another drink and was heard by onlookers as he shouted, "Do you know who I am? I'm the Hoff."

However, the All England Club has refuted the reports. Security guards "knew nothing" of the claims, said a spokeswoman, adding that the ex-"Knight Rider" actor "wasn't ejected."

Hasselhoff's publicist also denied there was any truth to the Sun's story.

"David Hasselhoff enjoyed a day's tennis with friends at Wimbledon yesterday [Monday]," Hasselhoff spokeswoman Judy Katz said in a statement sent to ABC News. "During the afternoon, there was some confusion over accreditation as his party attempted to reach court 13. The situation was quickly resolved with the help of stewards. Reports that claim they were ejected were incorrect."

Hasselhoff, who was ordered to attend an alcohol treatment program after a drunken driving charge in 2004, has endured some unwelcome headlines this year.

In March his estranged wife, Pamela Bach, filed a domestic violence claim against the actor, though Hasselhoff denied the allegations. Last week, while he was filming a commercial in Great Britain, Hasselhoff severed tendons in his right arm after accidentally hitting his head on a chandelier while shaving.

Hasselhoff enjoys cult status across Europe. This is most marked in Germany, where his 1989 album, "Looking for Freedom," topped the charts for three months. Two years ago, Hasselhoff expressed disappointment that he was not recognized as having helped end the Cold War through his music.