Grizzly Adams, a peaceful mountain man with a luxurious beard and a bear named Ben, was portrayed by Dan Haggerty in the 1974 film “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams” and the NBC television series of the same name. Haggerty passed away on Friday in Burbank, California.
His friend and manager, Terry Bomar, informed him that the cause of death was cancer of the spine.
Mr. Haggerty was working in Hollywood as a stuntman and animal handler when he received a request from a producer to perform in some opening sequences that he was reshooting for a movie about a woodsman and his bear.
It told the story of a man from California who was wrongfully convicted of murder and fled to the woods, where he developed a relationship with the creatures around him and tamed an orphaned bear. The story was based on the novel “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,” which was written by Charles Sellier Jr.
Mr. Haggerty gave his consent, but only on the condition that he took on the entire film. A new version of the movie was produced for a cost of $165,000, and it ultimately made close to $30 million at the box office. After that, it was adapted for television, and in February of 1977, Mr. Haggerty returned to his eco-friendly role as a protector of the forests and a friend to the animals.
In his review of the first episode, which was published in The New York Times, John Leonard stated that “it lukewarms the heart.” Mad Jack (played by Denver Pyle) and Makuma, a well-respected aboriginal man played by Don Shanks, bring flour and advise to the log cabin where the man and the bear have taken refuge. As they exit the lodge, the man begins to trap fur, while the bear begins to wash his fur. In the meanwhile, there are raccoons, owls, deer, bunnies, hawks, badgers, and cougars, as well as a significant amount of experience with nature and a significant lump in the throat.
Viewers fell in love with Mr. Haggerty as a result of the series, which earned him the People’s Choice Award in 1978 for being the most popular actor in a new series. The series was considered to be both warm and nostalgic. “Legend of the Wild,” which was televised in 1978 and released in theaters in 1981, and “The Capture of Grizzly Adams,” which was shown as a television movie in 1982, are the two codas that were produced as a result of “Grizzly Adams.” In the latter, Adams is brought back to town by bounty hunters and is finally able to clear his name.
The 19th of November, 1942 found Daniel Francis Haggerty being born in the city of Los Angeles. He had a rough life, escaping from military school on multiple occasions before moving in with his father, an actor, in Burbank, California. His parents divorced when he was three years old, and he made numerous escape attempts.
He tied the knot with Diane Rooker when he was only 17 years old. A divorce was the result of the marriage. The former Samantha Hilton, who was his second wife, passed away in 2008 as a result of an accident involving a motorcycle. His children, Megan, Tracy, Dylan, Cody, and Don, are the ones who will carry on his legacy.
His debut in the film industry came in 1964 with the release of “Muscle Beach Party,” in which he portrayed the role of Biff, a body builder, with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. After that, he appeared in a few small roles in films about bikers and nature, playing characters such as “Bearded Biker” or “Biker With Bandana.” In the film “Easy Rider,” he made a cameo appearance as a member of the hippie commune that Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper visit.
Under true circumstances, Mr. Haggerty resided on a modest ranch in Malibu Canyon, where he shared his home with a variety of wild creatures that he had either tamed from birth or saved from injuries. Because of his abilities, he was able to secure positions as an animal trainer and stuntman on the television series “Tarzan” and “Daktari,” in addition to working in the film industry on occasion. When he was interviewed by People magazine in 1978, he stated that actors did not enjoy animals jumping on them.
He was a part of a number of films that were shot in the great outdoors, such as “Where the North Wind Blows” (1974), in which he played a Siberian tiger trapper, and “The Adventures of Frontier Fremont” (1976). It was in the film “Americana” (1983) directed by David Carradine when he made an appearance as a dog trainer. The films “Grizzly Mountain” (1997) and “Escape to Grizzly Mountain” (2000) both featured him in the role of a character that was strikingly similar to Grizzly Adams.
As Mr. Haggerty’s career began to decline, he began to make appearances in horror films such as “Terror Night” (1987), “Elves” (1989), and “Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan” (2013). In the latter two films, he played the role of an alcoholic mall Santa. He was found guilty of distributing cocaine to two undercover police officers in 1985 and received a sentence of ninety days in jail for his crime.
When Mr. Haggerty’s legendary beard was caught ablaze in 1977, it was due to the carelessness of a restaurant client who was carrying a blazing cocktail. During the process of putting out the fire, he sustained burns on his arms of the third degree. He was transported to a hospital for treatment, which was anticipated to endure for a period of one month.
According to what he shared with People, “During the first couple of days, I did nothing but lay in the dark room drinking water, like a wounded wolf trying to heal himself.” “Nurses attempted to administer morphine to me and urged me to open the curtains,” the patient said. However, there are situations when animals have more knowledge than people regarding healing. After ten days, he was discharged from the hospital on his own.