Dan’s death has left the world shaken, but his memory will live on through his many admirers. The actor lost his battle with cancer on Jan. 15 as he was surrounded by friends and family Fox News said. As we pay tribute to his life and career, here are some fun facts that movie lovers may have missed.
1. Dan’s real name was Gene Jajonski!
According to IMDB, Dan was born in Pound, Wisconsin as Gene Jajonski. That’s a major name change!
2. He opened Haggerty’s Bistro in Studio City, Ca. in 1991
The restaurant was described as a “quaint but small gourmet eatery” in an article written in the LA Times in 1991. In 1975, the foodie moved to the south of France, where he studied at the Cordon Bleu School, and that’s when his cooking skills took off!
3. Animal training was one of the skills you could find on his resume!
Clearly on the screen was not the only place that Dan shined. He also worked as an animal trainer and helped his family raise numerous wild animals while he was growing up, TV Guide said. The family even raised a black bear! How’s that for studying up for his role?!
4. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was removed due to an error.
Dan became the first person to have his star taken off of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star was actually supposed to be for his father, Don Haggerty, but the committee messed up on the spelling (we can see why) and had to correct their error. Dan did eventually get on Hollywood Blvd with his star located in front of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
5. Created and sold a brand of barbecue sauce from his own recipe.
Sticking to his rugged personality, Dan created his own Cajun Barbecue Sauce that he made from a recipe of his own. According to the LA Times, the product was introduced in 1989 and was sold both locally and nationally.
The news of Dan’s death comes right after two other Hollywood A-Listers were defeated by cancer earlier this week. Celine Dion‘s husband and Alan Rickman preceded Dan’s passing. Our thoughts are with their families at this time. Join in commemorating his life and binge watch Grizzly Adams here. HollywoodLifers, will you be having a movie marathon in honor of the star? Let us know below!