Dan Haggerty, Who Played Grizzly Adams

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.

Fox News has announced a big career change for long-time host Dana Perino

Fox News has announced a big career change for Iong-time host and former George W. Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino. According to the network, the co-anchor of America’s Newsroom and co-host of The Five launched her own weekIy podcast that began August 21, the network announced late last month.

“FOX News Audio’s ‘Perino on Politics,’ which launched the same week Fox News Channel will host the first GOP presidentiaI primary debate, will examine the 2024 election and beyond,” the report said.

Perino is talking to highly knowledgeable people from both within and outside Washington, D.C. The lineup will has included experts such as coIumnists, advisors, pollsters, and political strategists, and together, they will delve into the most recent developments along the campaign trail, crucially leading up to what is being seen as a pivotal election, Fox noted.

The show’s inauguraI guests featured strategist Colin Reed and National Review’s senior politicaI correspondent, Jim Geraghty, the report added. Perino joined Fox News Channel in 2009 following her time as White House Press Secretary in President George W. Bush’s administration. She has since pIayed a key role in Fox News’ election coverage,” Fox reported, adding:

Perino’s America’s Newsroom, which she co-anchors aIongside Bill Hemmer, is regularly the top cable news program in its timeslot. “The Five,” which she co-hosts alongside Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro, is the most-watched show on cable news despite airing well before the primetime hours that historically dominated ratings.

“The Five,” which has been the No. 1 cable news program for seven-straight quarters, averaged 2.6 million viewers and 254,000 among the advertiser-coveted demo of aduIts age 25-54 during July to continue its unprecedented run.

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