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.
According to a source, Queen Camilla was “outraged” by Prince Harry’s visit to his father since it was a “loving son PR stunt.”
With King Charles’ illness diagnosis and Kate Middleton’s “planned” abdominal surgery, all eyes are on the Firm members.
However, Harry’s visit to Britain garnered a lot of attention. Harry flew back to his native country as soon as he found out about his father’s illness.
The media said that Charles was the one who told Harry about his sickness.
It was said that he had seen Charles, but their encounter was brief since Harry was supposedly not allowed to accompany Charles on his helicopter ride to the royal estate of Sandringham, where he recuperates in between treatments.
It’s unclear exactly what the father and son talked about. However, as many had hoped, it is already evident that Harry’s visit did not pave the way for any more peace negotiations.
It was said that Prince William had no plans to meet his brother, and according to Radar Online, Camilla was upset that Harry had met Charles without the palace’s consent.
Her Majesty was incensed.According to a source who spoke to the National Enquirer, Harry arrived with an attitude and flew in from his opulent California residence without the palace’s authority.
Because of the relationships she was establishing with the British press, that made her dangerous. Additionally, there was a clear desire to exchange information on all sides. Harry stated, “And with a family structured around hierarchy and her ascension to the title of Queen Consort, there was going to be people or bodies left in the street because of that.”
Harry disclosed in an interview with Good Morning America that he hasn’t spoken to his father’s wife in a number of years.
He remarked, “I love every member of my family, despite our differences, so when I see her, we get along just fine.”
“My stepmother is her.” She doesn’t seem like a bad stepmother to me. I observe a woman who married into this establishment and has made every effort to enhance her own image and reputation out of self-interest.
Angela Levin, a royal specialist, claims that Camilla shares Harry’s sentiments and isn’t particularly interested in dating him.
The Duchess used to notice Harry staring at her with a long, chilly gaze out of the corner of her eye and was always very afraid of him. It was a little unsettling to her. “Apart from that, they got along pretty well,” says Levin in her recently released book Camilla: From Outcast to Queen Consort.
The insider went on to say of Harry’s most recent visit: “Camilla has taken it all in stride, but portraying her husband’s illness as a ‘loving son’ publicity gimmick was the final straw.
“I hear she told Harry he’s a disgrace to his father, the family, and the monarchy— and she left no doubt he isn’t wanted back!” is what I’ve heard happened after the father-son reunion.
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