Dan Haggerty

Dan Haggerty, a famous actor, is recognized for his roles in Big Stan (2007), Elves (1989) and Abducted (1986). He was able to win the hearts of million nature-loving movie-goers for his portrayal of John Grizzly Adams in The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams in 1974.  

Early Life Of Dan Haggerty 

Dan Haggerty was born Daniel Francis Haggerty on November 19, 1942, in Los Angeles, California.  However, some of the other sites claim that he was born in Pound, Wisconsin. He was the son of Donald Pual Haggerty, a union official of the film technicians and Ruth Elaine Leonhardt. His parents got divorced when Haggerty was three years old but they were active in his life. 

Dan was sent to a Franciscan seminary in Culver City, California, as his parents wanted him to become a priest. But Haggerty had his own plans so he refused to train as a priest. He was also sent to military school by his father but the wildly-behaved Haggerty escaped many times. 

Dan Haggerty's Career 

The heavily-bearded Dan Haggerty began his early career on a ranch in the San Fernando Valley where he used to handle animals. Besides this, he also worked as an ironworker and a leather craftsman in his early career. 

While working on the ranch, Haggerty became familiarized with some movie producers, and promptly was seen in movies as an animal handler. He also trained as a stuntman and had stuntman honors in the 1966 TV series Tarzan. 

 

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Because of Haggerty's working skills with animals and muscular build, got him his first acting role of Albeit a nonspeaking character in Muscle Beach Party and also appeared in Girl Happy in 1974. 

Moreover, he also appeared in various biker movies like Easy Rider, Angels Die Hard and many more. He showed his skills as an animal handler in the movie When the North Wind Blows, training white tigers, a wild boar, and wolverines. 

Haggerty then got a chance to play in the movie called The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams which became a big box office hit, driving him to stardom. After this movie, he appeared on several animal-friendly movies and reenacted his role as Grizzly Adams on the sequels like Grizzly Adams, Grizzly Mountain and Escape to Grizzly Mountain. 

He also achieved The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,  The People’s Choice Award for the most popular actor and the Dove Foundation’s Diamond Seal of Approval.

Dan Haggerty Net Worth 

Popular actor, Dan Haggerty has an estimated net worth of $2.5 million. His net worth includes all the properties and his earning from the acting career as well as from his new venture restaurant business. 

From his acting career, he was able to earn a decent amount of money throughout his life. 

Dan Haggerty Personal Life

Dan Haggerty was married twice. His first wife was Danie Rooker, tied the knot when he was just 17 in 1959. Their marriage last for 25 years.  The pair shares three children; one son named Don and two daughters named Tammy and Tracey. 

He married Samantha Hilton the same year when he finalized divorced from Rooker.  With her second wife, he had two sons named Cody and Dylan and a daughter named Megan. 

On August 10, 2008, Haggerty lost his wife Samantha to a bike accident. Then, he never remarried, remaining a single man to his death.

Death 

Haggerty had a huge accident in 1977, he caught fire, as a result, he received third-degree burns which he survived. Again in 1991, he suffered a fearful motorbike accident due to which he went into a coma. He required 200 stitches to fix the injury on his forehead and broke his pelvis. He survived that too.

He beat death twice but fell to cancer. In August 2015, after sustaining a back surgery, Haggerty was diagnosed with spinal cancer. In January 2016, he died to the disease in Burbank, California.

Dan Haggerty celebration of life: