David Hasselhoff Reveals He Feels 'Reborn' Turning 70: 'Life Is Just Beginning for Me'

Jens Kalaene/picture alliance/Getty David Hasselhoff

David Hasselhoff is facing the future with hope and gratitude as he turns 70.

On Sunday, the beloved TV star celebrated the milestone birthday at a bash in Calabasas, Calif., surrounded by his wife Hayley, friends, and former colleagues from Knight Rider and Baywatch, including Rebecca Holden, Kelly Packard, Jeremy Jackson, Parker Stevenson and David Chokachi.

"At 70, life is just beginning for me," Hasselhoff tells PEOPLE. "Seventy is about enjoying life as a person .... I'm reborn."

As for his secret to well-being as a septuagenarian? "You can't run, you can't jump, you can't fight — you can't do all the things that you really want to do and I used to be able to do," he says.

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Amir Kojoory David Hasselhoff with wife Hayley at his 70th birthday party

Still, the actor hasn't slowed down. He recently found onscreen success overseas, starring as himself in Ze Network, a German spy comedy.

"Doing a good job in my last series was really important to me because it's so it's so Hoff the wall, it is so bizarre — it's definitely not for the Baywatch audience!" Hasselhoff says.

Through all his ups and downs in Hollywood, Hasselhoff has never abandoned his work ethic, which he says was only reinforced when he received some advice from music icon Sammy Davis Jr.

"I just do what's in front of me and do the best I can, and it pays off," Hassehoff says. "Sammy Davis Jr. told me that a long time ago. He said, 'They're not going to like you, how you act. They're not going to like you because you're tall and you're thin and you're semi good-looking' — and he said with a laugh. But he said, 'They're never going to fault you for giving a hundred percent.' And he was right."

Amir Kojoory David Hasselhoff with Baywatch costars Jeremy Jackson, Parker Stevenson, David Chokachi and Kelly Packard

And Davis wasn't the only legend to offer some advice to Hasselhoff over the years.

"Paul Newman was a friend of mine. [Once], he said, 'Hey, step into my trailer and let's have a talk.' I said, 'You don't like me? Why do you want to have a conversation with me?' He said, 'What? Why would you say that?' I said, 'Because you're always angry. You always look like you're pissed off when you're around me and you're just not a nice person.' And he said he does that so that he doesn't have to sign autographs!" Hasselhoff recalls. "And I had this great conversation with Paul Newman."

Indeed, the actor still gets recognized in public often — and he's learned to enjoy exploring incognito.

Amir Kojoory David Hasselhoff with former Knight Rider costar Rebecca Holden

"The pandemic was actually good for me because I was able to wear a hat and a mask. I got to actually see the Hofbräuhaus in Munich as a pedestrian, not as a TV star. It was really incredible to actually go on a bicycle with a mask and hat on and be able to see all of Germany and experience the culture and the beautiful the places," Hasselhoff says. "Unfortunately, when you get to my level, you're basically in a plane, in a car, in a hotel, in a studio, in a plane, in a car and you're home. And you go all over the world, but you don't get a chance to really see it like you should see it. So I'm seeing the world right now."

Now, after nearly 50 years in showbiz, Hasselhoff is focusing on the simpler things.

"I think the biggest goal in my life is just to stay healthy," he says, "so that I can affect people in a positive way."