Michael E. Knight Facts: Longtime CBS and ABC Soaps Veteran

Michael E Knight is best known for playing Tad ‘The Cad’ Martin on All My Children (and brief appearances on One Life to Live too), but he has also played Dr. Simon Neville on The Young and the Restless. Now he’s joining the General Hospital cast as Martin starting September 30.

Over the years Knight has appeared on television shows such as NCIS, Hot in Cleveland, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. From where he was born and raised to winning Daytime Emmys, here are five fast facts about the actor.

Who Is Michael E. Knight?

Knight was born on May 7 in Princeton, New Jersey. He attended The Thacher School in Ojai, California and attended Wesleyan College, where he graduated with a degree in theater arts. He also trained at Circle in the Square Theater in New York City.

Scarred Man

Scars tell stories, and Knight’s scar on his chin goes all the way back to when he was a little boy. It involved a minor accident — he got his scar after he ran into a mailbox while riding a bike.

Name Change

A lot of actors change their names when they start acting, but Knight has a hilarious reason for changing his! He decided to add his middle initial in order to avoid receiving fan mail intended for David Hasselhoff’s character in the TV series Knight Rider since his character’s name was Michael Knight.

Big Winner

Knight has won three Daytime Emmy Awards over the course of his career. He won two back-to-back Emmys for Outstanding Younger Actor and his third in 2001 for Outstanding Supporting Actor — all thanks to his work as Tad on All My Children.

Getting Personal With Michael E. Knight

Knight married former One Life to Live star Catherine Hickland in 1992 — and was the ex-wife of Knight Rider star David Hasselhoff (ex-Snapper, The Young and the Restless)! However, Knight and Hickland got divorced in 2006. Completing the Knight Rider circle, Knight’s former AMC son was played by Justin Bruening, who went to play the lead character Mike (different last name though) in the Knight Rider reboot.