At the age of 73, Dan Haggerty, the adored actor who played the kind and bearded mountain man in the television series and film adaptation of “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,” passed suddenly. His kind demeanor and bond with a bear named Ben allowed him to breathe life into the role. Regretfully, he lost the fight against spinal cancer.
Haggerty was a Hollywood stuntman and animal handler before he was an actor. He was requested to appear in a few sequences for a movie about a woodsman and his bear around this period. Based on Charles Sellier Jr.’s novel “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,” the movie recounted the tale of a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for murder but sought comfort in the woods and formed a special kinship with the wildlife, including an orphaned bear.
Haggerty agreed to take the role, but only if he could play the full film. With a $165,000 budget, the movie was remade, and it ended up making around $30 million at the box office. Because of his popularity, a television show was developed, and in February 1977, Haggerty went back to playing his cherished part as the woodland’s protector and animal buddy.
The series soon gained popularity among viewers due to its warmth and sentimentality. In 1978, Haggerty won the People’s Choice Award for most popular performer in a new series for his depiction of Grizzly Adams. Two more projects were inspired by the popularity of “Grizzly Adams”: “Legend of the Wild” in 1978 and “The Capture of Grizzly Adams” in 1982.
Daniel Francis Haggerty was born in Los Angeles on November 19, 1942, and had a difficult upbringing. His upbringing was difficult due to his parents’ early separation. Despite these early setbacks, he turned to acting for comfort, landing small parts in movies like “Easy Rider” (1969) and “Muscle Beach Party” (1964). Later on, he made appearances in a number of TV shows and wildlife movies.
Off-screen, Haggerty trained and looked after a wide range of animals on his ranch in Malibu Canyon. Beyond the stage, he had a deep relationship with nature as an animal trainer and stuntman for television series such as “Daktari” and “Tarzan.” Actors didn’t enjoy animals jumping on them, as Haggerty once stated in an interview, demonstrating his obvious passion for animals.
Haggerty’s career turned to horror movies in his later years, such as “Terror Night” (1987) and “Elves” (1989), in which he portrayed distinct and enduring roles. Sadly, he also struggled personally, and in 1985, he received a jail sentence for distributing cocaine.
Haggerty persevered and continued to be an inspiration despite the difficulties he faced. He narrowly avoided a horrifying mishap in 1977 when his well-known beard caught fire from a flaming cocktail. Despite suffering third-degree burns on his arms, he recovered quickly. Haggerty once remarked, “Sometimes animals know more about healing than people,” in reflection on this incident.
Dan Haggerty will always be known as the amiable alpine man who won our hearts with his love of the outdoors and his iconic interpretation of Grizzly Adams. Generations of people are still motivated by his reputation as a gifted performer and animal enthusiast.
