Dan Haggerty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dan Haggerty
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Haggerty in 1978
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| Born |
Daniel Francis Haggerty
November 19, 1942 Pound, Wisconsin, U.S.
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| Died | January 15, 2016 (aged 73) Burbank, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–2016 |
| Spouse(s) |
Diane Rooker
(m. 1959; div. 1984)Samantha Haggerty
(m. 1984; died 2008) |
| Children | 5 |
Dan Haggerty was an American actor. He was born on November 19, 1942, and passed away on January 15, 2016. He was most famous for playing the main character in the movie and TV show called The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.
Contents
Early Life
Dan Haggerty was born in Pound, Wisconsin. This was in 1942. His parents separated when he was very young.
Becoming an Actor
Dan Haggerty started his acting career in 1964. He had a small part as a bodybuilder in the movie Muscle Beach Party. He also appeared in Girl Happy.
He worked as a stuntman on the TV show Tarzan. He also helped build sets for other projects. Later, he had supporting roles in films like Easy Rider. He even helped build the motorcycles used in Easy Rider.
His Famous Role: Grizzly Adams
Dan Haggerty was very good with animals. This skill helped him get jobs as an animal trainer for movies. He worked with many different animals. These included white tigers, eagles, and wild boars.
In 1974, he starred in the movie The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. He played the main character, Grizzly Adams. This movie was very popular. Because of its success, a TV series with the same name was made. The TV show ran from 1977 to 1978. Dan Haggerty became well-known for playing Grizzly Adams. This character was a nature-loving man who lived in the wilderness.
More TV and Movie Roles
After Grizzly Adams, Dan Haggerty continued acting. In 1980, he starred in the TV movie Condominium. He played an expert trying to warn people about a hurricane.
In 1981, he appeared in an episode of Charlie's Angels. He also guest-starred on The Love Boat in 1983. That same year, he had a small role in the film Americana. He also helped with the set design for this movie.
Dan Haggerty appeared in many other films. These included Terror Night (1987) and Night Wars (1988). He also acted in horror movies like Elves (1989). In 1989, he starred in Spirit of the Eagle.
He played lead roles in Repo Jake (1990) and again in Elves (1990). In 1995, he played a modern version of Grizzly Adams in Grizzly Mountain. He worked with bears, foxes, and hawks in this film. He played the role again in Escape to Grizzly Mountain (2000).
Dan Haggerty also worked as a spokesperson for products. He appeared on the TV show American Pickers in 2013. He played a lumberjack foreman in the movie Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan (2013). He also did voice-overs for various projects.
Personal Life
Dan Haggerty was married twice. He first married Diane Rooker in 1959. They had two daughters, Tracey and Tammy. They divorced in 1984.
After that, he married Samantha Hilton. They had two sons, Dylan and Cody, and one daughter, Megan. Samantha passed away in 2008 after a motorcycle accident.
Dan Haggerty lived on a ranch in Malibu Canyon. He had many wild animals there. He had either tamed them from birth or rescued them.
In 1977, his beard accidentally caught fire. He was trying to put out a flaming drink. He got burns on his arms. Production for the Grizzly Adams TV series stopped while he recovered. In 1991, he was in a motorcycle accident. He was in a coma but recovered fully.
His Passing
In August 2015, doctors found a tumor on Dan Haggerty's spine. He was diagnosed with spinal cancer. He passed away from spinal cancer on January 15, 2016, in Burbank, California.
Selected Films
- Muscle Beach Party (1964)
- Girl Happy (1964)
- Easy Rider (1969)
- Angels Die Hard (1970)
- When the North Wind Blows (1974)
- The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1974)
- The Adventures of Frontier Fremont (1976)
- Grizzly Adams: Once Upon a Starry Night (1978)
- Condominium (1980)
- The Capture of Grizzly Adams (1982)
- Americana (1983)
- Terror Night (1987)
- Nightwars (1988)
- Elves (1989)
- The Chilling (1989)
- Spirit of the Eagle (1989)
- Repo Jake (1990)
- The Magic Voyage (1994)
- Cheyenne Warrior (1994)
- Grizzly Mountain (1997)
- Born Champion (1998)
- Escape to Grizzly Mountain (2000)
- Big Stan (2007)
- Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan (2013)
Awards and Honors
- He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.
- He earned the "Diamond Seal of Approval" for selling over 1 million family videos.
- He was given the Harley-Davidson "Humanitarian of the Year" Award in 1986.
- He won the People's Choice Award for most popular actor in 1980.
- He received the Paul Harris Fellowship from the Rotary Foundation.
- He was honored with a "Star" in Kanab, Utah, in 2009. Kanab is known as "Hollywood of the West."
Images for kids
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Dan Haggerty in 1978
