Dan Haggerty, who gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of the kind mountain man with a striking beard and his bear friend Ben in the NBC television series and 1974 film “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,” passed away on Friday in Burbank, California. His age was 73 years.
Terry Bomar, his manager and friend, stated that spinal cancer was the cause of death.
Dan Haggerty was creating a name for himself in Hollywood as an animal handler and stuntman before landing his famous part. When a producer requested him to appear in a few opening moments for a film about a woodsman and his bear, it was his big break. The plot, which is based on a novel by Charles Sellier Jr., centers on a man who flees to the woods after being wrongfully convicted of murder, becomes friends with the local wildlife, and takes in an abandoned bear.
Haggerty accepted to do the part, but he had one requirement: he had to appear in the whole film. Despite having a relatively low budget of $165,000, the film’s remake brought in close to $30 million at the box office. Because of this popularity, a television series was created, and in February 1977, Haggerty went back to playing the character of the wild and outdoorsy wilderness guardian.
The audience responded well to the show. It lukewarms the heart, as The New York Times’ John Leonard observed in his review. A large lump in the throat and a lot of communing with nature are experienced when a man and a bear hide out in a log cabin. Haggerty won a 1978 People’s Choice Award for being the most well-liked actor in a new series because of the series’ warm and sympathetic tone, which won over a lot of viewers.
The series also yielded two follow-ups: “Legend of the Wild,” which was broadcast on television in 1978 and eventually released in theaters in 1981, and “The Capture of Grizzly Adams,” a 1982 television film in which Adams ultimately exonerates himself of the false charge.
Born in Los Angeles on November 19, 1942, Daniel Francis Haggerty had a difficult upbringing. He had a turbulent childhood, breaking out of military school several times before coming home with his actor-father in Burbank when his parents divorced when he was three years old.
Haggerty was married twice in his personal life. When he was 17, he got married to Diane Rooker, but they later got divorced. In 2008, he lost his second wife, Samantha Hilton, in a horrific motorbike accident. His children, Don, Megan, Tracy, Dylan, and Cody, survive him.
In his debut motion picture, “Muscle Beach Party” (1964), Haggerty portrayed bodybuilder Biff. After that, he played supporting parts in motorcycle and wildlife movies. He was a hippie commune member in “Easy Rider.” He also played the role off-screen, living with a variety of wild creatures he had either tamed or rescued on a small ranch in Malibu Canyon.
His expertise with animals led to positions as an animal trainer and stuntman for television shows including “Daktari” and “Tarzan.” He kept taking on parts like “Where the North Wind Blows” (1974) and “The Adventures of Frontier Fremont” (1976) that highlighted his affinity for the natural world. His love of outdoor parts brought him roles evoking Grizzly Adams to movies like “Grizzly Mountain” (1997) and “Escape to Grizzly Mountain” (2000).
Haggerty had appearances in a number of horror movies later in his career, such as “Terror Night” (1987) and “Elves” (1989). He was involved in court in 1985 and was given a 90-day jail sentence for distributing cocaine to police officers who were undercover.
Tragic incidents also occurred in his life. Haggerty suffered third-degree burns to his arms when a diner carrying a burning drink unintentionally caught his renowned beard on fire in 1977 when he was dining. Despite being admitted to the hospital and supposed to stay for a month, he left after just ten days, claiming to have expertise of curing animals.
“The first couple of days I just lay in the dark room drinking water, like a wounded wolf trying to heal myself,” he said, reflecting on his injury, to People magazine.
‘Home Alone’ Star Macaulay Culkin Got Slammed After Gaining Some Weight
Macaulay Culkin playing resort staff at Brenda Song’s birthday getaway has everyone talking online. People are buzzing about his new look, as his physique drew a wave of reactions and some bad comments.
Amidst laughter and cheer, Macaulay Culkin, the beloved star of Home Alone at 43, recently delighted fans with a whimsical display alongside his fiancée, Brenda Song. Sharing a delightful array of snapshots on Instagram, the couple celebrated Song’s birthday in style at the luxurious Nobu resort in Los Cabos.
In the images, Culkin playfully assumed various staff personas, from a poolside server to a jovial bellhop, all in good spirits. The accompanying caption humorously revealed that his impromptu “employment” was inspired by a shirt he stumbled upon in the resort’s gift shop, sparking a wave of both admiration and playful banter among their followers.
“Since now I looked like the staff I decided to spend my four days there masquerading as a: Poolside waiter, Housekeeper, Cabana boy, Room service attendant, Bellhop,” Macaulay wrote. He also gave a shoutout to the resort for the awesome stay, jokingly mentioning how the shirt made him feel like he fit right in.
Among all the posts celebrating Brenda’s special day, Macaulay’s comedic one stole the spotlight, but not without sparking a conversation about his weight. “Looks like you put on a few pounds there, huh,” noted one social media user, which triggered an outpouring of support from fans defending the actor.
“Being happy in your life with your family does that sometimes!” exclaimed one fan, while another emphasized the naturalness of physical changes, stating, “He is alive isn’t he?! If he was too skinny like he was, people [would] be judging him on that. This is what happens when most get clean. They gain weight. He is so happy now. Let him enjoy his life.”
Apart from his talents as an actor, Macaulay also shines as a devoted companion to his love, Brenda Song.
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