Dan Haggerty was an actor with many talents, but he is most famous for playing Grizzly Adams. His life was more than just his movie roles, and there are valuable lessons to learn from his words and actions.
The show Grizzly Adams aired a long time ago, yet many people still look back on it fondly. Dan Haggerty brought Grizzly Adams to life in the series, and it wouldn’t have been the same without his performance.
Haggerty wasn’t just an actor; he truly embodied the character he played. Many people, including his family and crew members, confirmed this.
Born in 1942 in Los Angeles, he was a handful as a kid. Originally named Jean Jajonski, he had a passion for animals, which led him to work on a ranch in San Bernardino Valley.
He also had a strong interest in bodybuilding, and as a teenager, he developed an impressive physique. He started his career as a stuntman but also earned money by making furniture and constructing movie sets.
As he transitioned into acting, he initially appeared in low-budget films. However, his love for animals and talent as an animal trainer eventually caught the eye of Walt Disney Studios. He played a significant role in directing the animals for the 1974 film When the North Wind Blows.
When The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams was released as a film, it really did well, despite the fact that it was a low-budget indie film. A series was created around it, and Haggerty starred in the series from 1977 until 1978. There were 37 episodes.
After the show wrapped up, he acted in a film called The Capture of Grizzly Adams in 1982. Sadly, in 1984, he got arrested for having cocaine and ended up in jail because he sold drugs to an undercover cop.
Not long after that, he had a motorcycle crash and had to go to the hospital. Later, he was found guilty in court for not paying his taxes. He managed to get through that tough time, but it was clear he needed to start making better decisions.
In the 1990s, he decided to follow his dreams and opened a restaurant named Haggerty’s Bistro. It was located in Studio City and featured many French-inspired meals. One of the popular items was the Log Sandwich, which had thinly sliced sirloin steak, green peppers, provolone cheese, onions, tomatoes, and Italian spices on an Italian roll.
He lived a solitary life as his television show character, but they did think about creating a wife for Grizzly Adams. They had asked him if he wanted his character to have a romantic interest, and they also asked the audience but they were against it.
Haggerty was married twice in his life. He first tied the knot with Diane Rooker in 1959 when they were just 17 years old in Las Vegas. Many people thought their marriage wouldn’t last, but they ended up raising two daughters and living in Malibu together.
They divorced in 1984, and that same year, Haggerty fell in love with Samantha Helton. They had three kids: two sons named Dylan and Cody, and a daughter named Megan. Their marriage lasted until 2008 when Samantha had a tragic accident. She crashed her motorcycle into a deer while coming home from a diner, and sadly, she wasn’t wearing a helmet. She had to be airlifted to the hospital.
Haggerty faced a heartbreaking choice when doctors informed him that she had suffered serious brain damage. He had to make the tough decision to let her go. He expressed how painful it was, saying, “It was the hardest, most heartbreaking decision I’ve ever had to make, to tell the doctors to let my beautiful Sam slip away into her long sleep. I wept like a child.”
In 2015, Haggerty was diagnosed with spinal cancer after a tumor was found during back surgery. He continued to work until he passed away from cancer on January 15, 2016.
His last words were very meaningful. His close friend, Terry Bomar, shared what happened in his final moments. “He had a great Thanksgiving, a great Christmas, and a decent New Year, but then he got worse. I spoke to him yesterday morning, and when they put me on speakerphone, I told him I loved him, and the last thing he said was ‘I love you.’”https://vbnnews11.com/archives/44043
