Duane Chapman is an American reality television star and former bondsman widely known by his nickname "Dog the Bounty Hunter." From 2004 until 2012, Chapman was the lead star in the reality tv series "Dog the Bounty Hunter" on the A&E network. The show focuses on Chapman, his then-wife Beth, and various other family members, tracking down and arresting fugitives who have broken their bail agreement. The show occurred in Hawaii and occasionally at Chapman's home in Colorado. Chapman and his family filmed the show for nine seasons and 246 episodes.
After A&E canceled the series, Chapman appeared on "Dog and Beth: On The Hunt" with his now-deceased wife Beth Chapman on CMT from 2013 to 2015. His most recent show launched on WGN America in 2019 called "Dog's Most Wanted." During the manhunt for Brian Laundrie after the killing of Gabby Petito, Champan appeared on television and reportedly tried to find Laundrie.
Despite building a career as a bounty hunter, Chapman has found himself on the wrong side of the law on multiple occasions. In 1976 Chapman was sentenced to five years in a Texas state prison for a first-degree murder conviction. Chapman was the getaway driver after his friend killed a man over a drug deal. However, Chapman only served 18 months of his five-year sentence before being released.
Chapman has been married six times and has 12 children. He was married to Beth Smith from 2006 until her death in 2019. In September 2017, Beth was diagnosed with stage two throat cancer, forcing her into remission for two years. Eventually, the cancer worsened and spread to her lungs. She was hospitalized and put into a medically induced coma in Honolulu in June 2019. Two years later, Chapman engaged and married Francie Frane in Colorado in September 2021.
