Paul Michael Glaser

The Ford Gran Torino and the shadow of a celebrity

Paul Michael Glaser didn't want to drive that red car with a white stripe. He thought it was ridiculous and far too flashy for an undercover cop in California. But the contract was already signed. In 1975, ABC was looking for a show that would break the mold of the dull procedurals flooding the schedule. Glaser made it a condition that his character, David Starsky, have a more human and less robotic backstory.

The shoot of Starsky & Hutch was a creative battlefield. Glaser argued with the producers because he wanted to direct episodes and have control over the storytelling. And he succeeded on several occasions. His fellow cast members remember that he spent more time behind the camera analyzing lenses than rehearsing his own lines.

That was more than just television.

The series ran until 1979 and made him a face that teenagers' binders across half the world could not ignore. But he was already thinking about his next move. He had no interest in being remembered forever as the detective in the cardigan. In 1980, he decided his time in the spotlight should be put on pause to make room for the director inside him.

The camera as an escape

As the series' fame began to cool, Glaser retreated to production offices. In 1987, he was tasked with saving a project that was sinking fast. It was The Running Man. Arnold Schwarzenegger was already on set, and the original director had been fired after just a few weeks of work. Glaser took charge with an iron fist to get the project back on course.

The 27 million dollar budget was managed under intense pressure from the studio. Glaser imposed a dark, cynical style that set the film apart from the colorful fantasies of the era. But audiences responded well at the box office, and the movie became a profitable product for TriStar Pictures.

And the gamble paid off.

In 1992, he tried something completely different. He directed The Cutting Edge, a figure skating story that moved away from the violence and sweat of his earlier work. Critics were harsh about the simplicity of the plot. But the film kept earning steady profits and became a staple of TV schedules throughout the 1990s.

Tragedy and finding refuge in art

Glaser's personal life took a devastating blow in 1981. His wife Elizabeth contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during the birth of their daughter Ariel. At a time when social stigma was a death sentence, Glaser kept the secret for years in an effort to protect his family's privacy. Ariel died in 1988. Elizabeth died in 1994.

The actor then threw himself into the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to raise funds for research. He did not seek compassion in interviews. He sought scientific solutions and visibility for a disease that the system ignored.

In 2019, he appeared in several episodes of Grace and Frankie. He played Leo, and his on-screen presence recalled the veteran who has nothing left to prove to the industry. His appearances are now highly selective and precise.

He spends most of his days painting in his private studio in California. His abstract paintings are sold in specialized galleries, and he has published several collections of short stories and fantasy. In 2023, he focused on promoting his artwork through digital exhibitions and charity events. The original Ford Gran Torino from the series was auctioned off years ago for close to 40,000 dollars.