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Dan Haggerty didn't want to act as a co-star to an animal his whole career
“I appreciate them, but I’d like to do things on my own, too.”
In shows like The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, animal actors are just as important as the human stars they share a screen with.
Luckily, Dan Haggerty was devoted to animals, and it served him well when he played the show's title character. A former animal trainer, Haggerty found his way into show business through animals.
“I love ‘em all,” Haggerty said of his furry friends during an interview with The Times and Democrat. “Because of them, I’ve traveled the world, made some money, raised a family, and have known the kind of fulfillment that can only come to a man doing what he wants and likes to do.”
But while Haggerty loved animals, he was also interested in proving his own merit as an actor, alone.
“It would be nice to be versatile, to act without animals,” the actor said during an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I guess I could do that forever, but I’d like to do other things. The men who are most successful in the business would know when to buy and when to sell. I want to move on at the right time - before people decide that they don’t want to see me anymore.”
While Haggerty was grateful for those four-legged co-stars, he didn’t want to rely on them forever. “My association with animals has brought me honors like Los Angeles’ Humanitarian Award of the year,” said the actor. “I appreciate them, but I’d like to do things on my own, too.”
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