Duane Chapman- Biography
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Duane Chapman is an American reality TV star, bounty hunter, and retired bail bondsman. He is better known as “Dog the Bounty Hunter” or simply “Dog.” In 2003, he gained international attention when he caught Max Factor heir Andrew Luster in Mexico. A year later, he landed the A&E reality series ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter.’ Following the cancellation of the show in 2012, Chapman, his wife, business partner Beth Chapman, and other members of his family participated in the CMT spinoff series ‘Dog and Beth: On the Hunt.’
Another show with a similar idea, ‘Dog’s Most Wanted,’ is planned to premiere on WGN America in 2020. Chapman was born in Colorado but now resides in Hawaii. He spent 18 months in a Texas prison as a child after being convicted of first-degree murder. During this time, Chapman says he first became interested in a profession as a bounty hunter.
Duane Chapman- Birth, Age, Ethnicity, Siblings, Education
Chapman was born on February 2, 1953, in Denver, Colorado, USA, to Wesley Duane and Barbara Darlene Chapman (née Cowell). His father worked as a bail bondsman for Aaron Bail Bonds. Previously, he served in the United States Navy on the USS Irwin during the Korean War. Barbara Chapman, Chapman’s mother, was an Assemblies of God minister. He had one brother, Michael, and two sisters, Jolene and Paula when he was growing up.
Duane fled home when he was 16 years old to join the Devils Disciples, an outlaw motorcycle organization. He was sentenced to five years in jail in 1976 after being convicted of first-degree murder. He was then imprisoned for 18 months at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, until being released on parole in January 1979.
Duane Chapman- Relationship, Married Life
Duane Chapman has been married five times and has 11 biological children as well as one adoptive daughter. He has two sons, Duane Lee Chapman, II, and Leland, with his first wife, La Fonda Sue Darnell (née Honeycutt), whom he married from 1972 to 1977. His second wife, Anne Tegnell (married 1979-1982), bore him three sons: late Zebediah Duane Chapman, Wesley, and James. Lyssa Rae Brittain (née Greene), his third wife, married in 1982 and divorced in 1991. Barbara, Tucker, and Lyssa are his three children with her. Chapman and his fourth wife, Tawny Marie Gillespie, were married from 1991 to 2003 and had no children.
On May 20, 2006, Chapman tied the knot with Alice Elizabeth “Beth” Barmore (née Smith). They were married until June 26, 2019, when she died. Bonnie, their daughter, was born in 1998. Garry, the couple’s son, was born in 2001. Chapman also adopted Beth’s previous marriage’s daughter, Cecily Barmore-Chapman. In July 1969, Chapman’s oldest child, Christopher Michael Hecht, was born out of wedlock to his former lover Debbie White.
When a private phone conversation between Chapman and his son Tucker was made public in 2007, he took a lot of flak. Several times during the chat, he was overheard using an incredibly derogatory phrase in reference to Tucker’s black girlfriend. Chapman later apologized publicly.
Duane Chapman- Professional Career
He ran a profitable bail bonds company, Da Kine Bail Bonds, by the early 2000s, where he worked with numerous members of his family, including his wife Beth, son Leland, and daughter Lyssa. Duane traveled to Mexico in 2003, accompanied by Leland and associate Tim Chapman, to apprehend convicted rapist Andrew Luster, who had fled the US during his trial for drugging and raping many women and was found guilty in absentia on 86 counts. They tracked him down and caught him in Puerto Vallarta.
All four of them were apprehended by Mexican officials on their way back to California. Luster’s identification was established, and he was deported back to California to begin completing his 125-year sentence. The Chapmans, on the other hand, were detained in Mexico and were denied bail at first. Beth, who was in the United States, brought their ordeal to the attention of the media. On the recommendation of their lawyer, the Chapmans were given bail and soon departed the country.
Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, so the Chapmans had turned to bail jumping. They were apprehended by federal marshals and held in a Honolulu prison on behalf of the Mexican government, which had filed accusations of “deprivation of liberty” against them. The case was heard in a Honolulu courtroom amid extensive media coverage, and all charges against the Chapmans were eventually dropped.
Career in Entertainment
The Chapmans had become international celebrities practically overnight as a result of Luster’s capture and prosecution. Duane was in the TV show ‘Take This Job’ before joining the cast of A&E’s ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ (2004-12). Following the termination of ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter,’ Chapman, Beth, and their family participated in the show’s spinoff, ‘Dog and Beth: On the Hunt,’ which ran on CMT for three seasons from April 21, 2013, to August 22, 2015. ‘Dog’s Most Wanted,’ Chapman’s new show, is produced by WGN America.
Chapman’s autobiography, ‘You Can Run But You Can’t Hide,’ was published in 2007. ‘Where Mercy Is Shown, Mercy Is Given,’ his second book, was published in 2010.
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