The Tragic Life and Times of 'Grizzly Adams' Actor Dan Haggerty: 8 Years After His Death From Cancer

Photo bythemoviedb.org

It's been eight years since actor Dan Haggerty, best known as the star of the Grizzly Adams feature film and television franchise, died from cancer at only 74. This is his story.

A Closer Look

Dan Haggerty was born on November 19, 1941 in Pound, Wisconsin, and later made his way to Los Angeles. He graduated high school from John Burroughs High in Burbank, eventually grew 6' 1" and began acting in beach and horror movies and biker-geared and outdoor-set films.

Then Came Adams

Dan Haggerty's strong physical presence made him the ideal choice for what became his breakthrough and starring role in The Life and Times of Grizzley Adams.

Based on a 19th-century frontiersman, Grizzley Adams began as a low-budget feature film in 1974. Three years later, NBC adapted the movie as a weekly series.

The premise: Adams rescues and raises a grizzly bear cub, who becomes his constant companion while caring for wild animals through journeys in the West.

The TV edition of Grizzly Adams lasted only two years, but later led to two movie sequels.

Haggerty later worked as a producer on movies like Abducted (1986), Elves (1989), and Big Stan (2007), and acted in many other films. He also made guest appearances on TV shows like Charlie's Angels.

Off-Screen

Dan Haggerty was wild-animal-friendly off screen. A Malibu, California-based stuntman and performer before the Grizzley Adams phenom was ignited, Haggerty at one point had a leopard, a cougar and a tiger on the ranch.

In 1991, the actor opened a restaurant in Los Angeles. That same year, he got into a motorcycle accident. In 2008, his second wife Samantha died in a car accident.

And then...

Dan Haggerty died on January 15, 2016 in a Burbank hospital after battling cancer for five months. Medical officials discovered the cancer after Haggerty had surgery for back pain.

The previous summer, the actor had been treated with chemo therapy for a spinal tumor. Initiallyy, the outlook was bright for recovery, but then but doctors discovered a spot on his lung.

In addition to first wife Samantha Hilton (from 1984 to 2008), Haggerty married Diane Rooker (from 1959 to 1984). He had five children, two grandchildren, two sisters and three brothers.