Hasselhoff entered the clinic voluntarily (pic: AP)

Actor David Hasselhoff has checked himself into California's Betty Ford clinic to treat a drinking problem.

The former Baywatch and Knight Rider star issued a statement on Monday confirming he was entering the world-famous clinic at Rancho Mirage, near Palm Springs.

Spokesman Richard Hoffman said: "He realised his social drinking had increased more than he was comfortable with and he decided to do something about it."

Hasselhoff, who turns 50 on 17 July, checked himself into the clinic on 26 June, and his spokesman said he did not know how long he would be there.

Best known for his parts in beach series Baywatch and futuristic police drama Knight Rider, Hasselhoff first made his name in the long-running TV drama The Young And The Restless.

He recently made a cameo appearance as himself in teen movie The New Guy, and performed on Broadway last year in the musical Jekyll & Hyde.

Hasselhoff has also enjoyed success as a singer, particularly in Germany, where he sang on top of the Berlin Wall on New Year's Eve 1989, just weeks after the collapse of communist East Germany.