Rick Springfield

August 23, 2025

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Richard Lewis Springthorpe, known professionally as Rick Springfield, was born on August 23, 1949, and is an Australian-American musician and actor. He started his solo career with his debut single ‘Speak to the Sky,’ which reached the top 10 in Australia in the mid-1970s. He had a number-one hit with his song ‘Jessie’s Girl’ in 1981 in Australia and the United States, for which he has received multiple awards for his vocal performance. He has topped the charts on numerous occasions with songs such as ‘I’ve Done Everything for You,’ ‘Don’t Talk to Strangers,’“Affair of the Heart,’ and ‘Love Somebody,’ all top 10 U.S. hits!

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Richard Lewis Springthorpe

Nickname:

Rick Springfield

Birth date:

August 23, 1949

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Virgo

Height:

6' 2"

Relationship Status:

Married

Net Worth:

$10 million

Background

Richard Lewis Springthorpe, more commonly known as Rick Springfield, was born in Guildford, a western suburb of Sydney, Australia. His mother is Eileen Louise Evennett and his father is Norman James Springthorpe, who worked as an Australian Army career officer. His maternal grandparents were English. When he was a young boy he lived at the army camp with his family in Broadmeadows, Victoria, Australia. When he was 14 he watched the Beatles perform live at Festival Hall in Melbourne. Springfield was 13 when he began to learn the guitar and thereafter joined various bands in England, where his father was stationed from 1958 to 1963, and several more after returning to Australia.

In 1968, he was approached by bass guitarist Pete Watson to join his band Rockhouse, which later changed to MPD Ltd. When Springfield was 19 they toured South Vietnam to entertain the Australian troops. Another member of MPD Ltd. was drummer Danny Finley. After returning to Australia they formed the band Wickety Wak. They were joined by Phil Blackmore on the keyboard and Dick Howard. Rick continued to write and record music and in 1981 released his album titled “Working Class Dog,” which spawned the song ‘Jessie’s Girl,’ which went on to become a worldwide hit. The song peaked at number one for two weeks in the U.S. on the Hot 100 and the Augustalian Kent Music Report singles chart. Springfield gained further success with the follow-up albums “Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet” (1982) and “Living in Oz” (1983).

As an actor, he starred in the movie “Hard to Hold” and a television series titled “High Tide,” which aired from 1994 to 1997. He also had supporting roles in “Ricki and the Flash” (2015) and “True Detective” (2015). He portrayed Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime drama “General Hospital,” which aired from 1981 to 1983, from 2005 to 2008, and then returned in 2013 for the show’s 50th anniversary. He played a depraved version of himself in “Californication” (2009), and in 2010 he published his autobiography “Late, Late at Night: A Memoir.” In 2017, he starred as Pastor Charles in the “American Horror Story” episode titled ‘Winter of Our Discontent.’ He is currently working as a radio D.J. and plays 80s mixes on the morning show.

Career timeline

1981

He Releases His Hit Single

Springfield drops ‘Jessie’s Girl,’ which rocks the charts worldwide for two weeks and reaches number seven on the Billboard 200.

1981

He Wins an Award

Springfield takes home a Grammy Award for ‘Best Male Rock Vocal Performance’ for ‘Jessie’s Girl.’

1984

His Acting Stint

He stars in his own movie titled “Hard to Hold” and records the majority of the material for the accompanying soundtrack.

2020

He Makes a Special Appearance

Springfield returns for a one-off featured performance in the Coheed and Cambria song titled ‘Jessie’s Girl 2.’

2021

He Starts to Work in Radio

Springfield starts hosting a weekly radio show on SiriusXM’s 80s on 8 Channel called “Working Class D.J.” With Rick Springfield.

Why We Love Rick Springfield

He appreciates his childhood
Springfield notes how he reminisces about his childhood often. He stated that he had the best year when he was seven.
He writes songs sober
He notes how when he writes books, he drinks red wine. However, when he writes songs, he is always sober.
He kept all his notes
Springfield has admitted that he still has all his original lyric sheets. These are for all the songs he has ever written.

5 Surprising Facts

He wanted to be an Egyptologist
In school, Springfield wanted to be an Egyptologist but got kicked out of class for a lack of attendance.
He uses his kids' and pets' names
All his publishing or creative endeavors are named after his kids or dogs.
He nearly blew up his band
Between 1968 and 1969, he went to Vietnam to play for the U.S. troops and while there, he nearly blew up the band and himself with a hand grenade.
He’s been to some weird places
Springfield notes how he once slept in an abandoned underground vault overnight.
‘Jessie’s Girl’ is about a real girl
Not surprisingly, the song ‘Jessie’s Girl’ was based on a real girl that Springfield liked at the time who sadly had a boyfriend.

Rick Springfield FAQs

What is Rick Springfield doing today?

He hosts a radio show. Since early 2021, Springfield has hosted his own SiriusXM radio show called “Working Class D.J.,” named after his 1981 album “Working Class Dog.”