The superhero star played Jason Ioane for three years on Baywatch Hawaii, between 1999 and 2001; reprising the part for the TV film Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding in 2003. It sparked a career that took him to Game of Thrones, Stargate Atlantis and Frontier before he landed the role of Arthur Curry – aka Aquaman in the DC universe. His solo movie as the character has made more than $1.1 billion.
In an interview in 2017, the actor – who looks unrecognisable in the photos – spoke about how the Baywatch role actually held him back.
He told the Sunday Times: “I was 19 and running around with no clothes on and saving people.
“But it gave me my passion for acting.
“It led to getting no respect for about four years and I couldn’t get an agent to save my life.”
Now, it is widely expected that he’ll return as Aquaman in a new sequel.
“You know, I could spit a bunch of different ideas, but the truth of it is, it’s going to come down to James [Wan] and Warner and everyone,” he told ScreenRant.
“He’s king now. To roll up to the Justice League, and his perspective now is just like, ‘I’ve got a trident you can’t take off of me now, and it’s got some power.’
“But… he can definitely mess up some stuff. The old trident didn’t work as well. You know? He could mess up Steppenwolf a little easier now.”
Baywatch, which made household names out of David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson, premiered in 1989 but was cancelled after one season.
Hasselhoff worked to bring it back, when it became a smash hit.
Baywatch: Hawaii launched in season ten, and shot two seasons there. The show ended in 2001.
Aquaman is still playing in certain cinemas.