Born on February 2, 1953, Duane Lee "Dog" Chapman is a bounty hunter and a former bail bondsman who is known for capturing Max Factor cosmetics company heir Andrew Luster, who was convicted for drugging and raping several women, in Mexico. This led to his enormous popularity and his reality TV series Dog the Bounty Hunter, which chronicles his job as a bounty hunter.
During Chapman's youth, he joined an outlaw motorcycle club called the Devils Diciples, and subsequently earned the nickname "Dog," which is "God" spelled backwards, due to his relationship with God. On the contrary, he got involved in some shady dealings, buying marijuana in particular, and got charged with murder and sentenced to prison for being an "accessory to the crime" when another gang member shot and killed a drug dealer. During his capture of Andrew Luster, Chapman was also charged by Mexican authorities for not handing Luster over to them, though the charges were eventually dropped.
Additionally, Chapman became the subject of controversy in 2007 after he used a racial slur while referring to his son's African American girlfriend during a taped conversation. This led to the cancellation of his reality series, though the show was eventually brought back on the air and continues production to this day.
Meanwhile, Chapman's personal life is just as colorful as his past. He first married LaFonda Sue Honeycutt in 1972 and had two children within the five-year marriage. After his divorce, he married Anne M. Tegnell and had four children within the three-year marriage. In 1982, he married Lyssa Rae Brittain Greene but the marriage ended in divorce after nine years. Their relationship, however, spawned three children. Chapman next tied the knot with Tawny Marie Chapman, whose marriage with Chapman lasted for 12 years. In 2006, Chapman married Beth Smith, who now has two children with him.
"I owe the rest of the people, whether they're black or not in America, an apology, because people looked up to me. I've learned a lesson. All my lessons I've learned in my life have been the hard way, or I guess I wouldn't learn them. This is one of the hardest lessons I've ever learned in my life, even facing death." (Interview with Fox News