Loni Anderson became a familiar face on American television in the late 1970s when she played the charming receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. This role not only made her a star, but also earned her three Golden Globe Awards.
The show, which aired from 1978 to 1982, followed the ups and downs of the staff at a struggling Ohio radio station. Reflecting on her character’s appeal, Loni said: “Women appreciated that I was both sexy and smart. It may sound strange today, but in 1978 there weren’t many women who combined those qualities in comedy”.
Born into an upper-middle-class family in Minnesota, Loni developed a passion for acting at a young age. She also experienced the pressures of early puberty: “I was the first girl in my class to wear a bra. At first it was exciting, but I soon became embarrassed when I realized I was the only one who had to go through this”.
Before her breakthrough role, Loni made her acting debut in the 1966 film Nevada Smith opposite Steve McQueen. She then appeared in various shows such as SWAT, Phyllis and Police Woman. In addition to acting, she also rose to fame as a poster star, most notably through a popular photo that featured her in a bikini. She humorously noted: “I thought my grandchildren would look at these one day and see what I really looked like”.
Her iconic role in WKRP came about after producer Hugh Wilson noticed one of her bikini posters and decided to cast her as Jennifer, a decision that thrust her into the spotlight. “She was the oracle of the place”, Wilson noted, emphasizing her powerful presence.
Loni’s personal life was marked by high-profile relationships, including her marriage to actor Burt Reynolds from 1988 to 1994. Although they seemed like a perfect Hollywood couple, their marriage ended in a highly publicized and difficult divorce. They adopted a son, Quinton, but the separation was fraught with accusations and disputes over child support.
Burt spoke openly about their marital problems, saying: “It wasn’t lollipops and roses”. He also shared private details that made their split even more painful. However, Loni focused on her son’s well-being during the proceedings, stating: “I don’t plan on getting involved in a media war”.
Years later, Loni accused Burt of physical abuse and noted that he often failed to pay child support on time. Despite their difficult history, when Burt passed away in 2018, Loni expressed her respect and gratitude for their life together.
Now 79, Loni continues to exude beauty and vitality and attributes her youthful appearance to a healthy lifestyle. She aims to reshape the stereotype of grandmothers, saying: “I never wanted to play traditional grandmothers”. She maintains an active routine of cardio, weight training and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and emphasizes mental wellbeing through gratitude.
In 2008, she married musician Bob Flick, who she believes was always the right partner for her. “It’s amazing how we found each other again”, she said, reflecting on their union.
Loni’s family faced challenges, including her daughter Deidra’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, which hit her deeply. “I broke down”, she admitted, but she stayed strong for Deidra and demonstrated her resilience.
With her positive attitude and supportive relationships, Loni Anderson serves as an inspiration and shows that life can be beautiful at any age.
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.
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