Manny Puig
This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. (October 2020) |
Manny Puig | |
---|---|
Born | |
Other names | Sharkman, Tarzan |
Education | Gainesville High School[1] |
Occupation | Wildlife entertainer |
Years active | 1999–present |
Website | mannypuig |
Manny Puig (born January 25, 1955)
Puig has appeared in numerous documentaries as an animal expert and even appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and on Shark Week.
Early life
Puig was born in Cuba[7] and immigrated to Florida with his mother, where he became interested in wildlife. Living so close to the Florida Keys only increased his interest in animals. In his youth, Puig traveled into the Everglades with only a frying pan and a shotgun. He learned to hunt deer at an early age and started hand-catching small American alligators underwater in his teens.[8]
Career
In the late 1990s, Puig worked with Mehgan Heaney-Grier and Mark Rackley, both in training Grier as a free diver and in filming underwater encounters with animals such as alligators and sharks.[9] Rackley worked as a spearfisherman and underwater videographer. Puig had experience as an animal handler on movie sets[10] and had learned how to ride and handle alligators in their environment.[9] The trio formed a company named Extreme Encounters, and the footage they produced led to the Animal Planet series titled Extreme Contact.[10] The 20 episode series featured the trio in cage-free encounters with sharks, alligators and other aquatic wildlife.[11]
Puig advocates a basic approach to wildlife and denounces the use of safety gear such as cages, protective clothing and diving apparatus. He states that he has a great respect for the Native Americans because of their interaction with the land and their survival skills. His interests also include history, art and geography documentaries. He spends his free time working on sculpting, hand-crafting medieval weapons and hunting tools.[12]
Puig has appeared on the television program
Puig is also featured on the MTV program Wildboyz, where he resumes the role of a predatory-animal expert. Some of Puig's stunts on Wildboyz include having a snapping turtle lock onto his hand. According to Chris Pontius on the special features of one of the Wildboyz DVDs, he heard Puig scream for the first time in his life when he had the snapping turtle bite his hand in the Deep South, United States.
After finishing the second Jackass movie and with the final season of Wildboyz having completed, Puig produced his own film entitled Ultimate Predator. The film shows him interacting particularly with sharks. The film also features adventures with Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius. and Jeff Tremaine. Towards the end of filming Manny left the set due to a confrontation with fellow wildlife expert David Weathers, Manny was quoted as telling him to “treat animals with the respect they deserve”, they eventually settled the dispute.[citation needed]
During Discovery Channel's Shark Week in 2003 Puig was profiled for an episode entitled "Diary of a Shark Man".[14]
Puig also appeared on "Feeding Time" during Discovery Channel's Shark Week in 2007.
Puig was featured on the
Puig's left middle finger was amputated after a rattlesnake bite.[15]
Filmography
Films
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Jackass: The Movie | Himself | Guest appearances |
2006 | Ultimate Predator | Himself | Direct-to-video Producer |
2006 | National Lampoon's TV: The Movie | Manny the Gator Guy | Direct-to-video |
2006 | Jackass Number Two | Himself | Guest appearances |
2007 | Jackass 2.5
|
Himself | Guest appearances |
2009 | Jackass: The Lost Tapes | Himself | Direct-to-video Archive footage Guest appearances |
2010 | Jackass 3D | Himself | Guest appearances |
2011 | Jackass 3.5
|
Himself | Guest appearances |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | The Unexplained | Himself | 1 episode |
1999 | Run for Cover | Himself | TV special |
2000-2001 | Extreme Contact | Himself | 20 episodes |
2000–2001 | Jackass | Himself | 4 episodes Guest appearances |
2001 | Deep Diver | Himself | |
2003–2006 | Wildboyz | Himself | 12 episodes Guest appearances |
2003–2007 | Shark Week | Himself | 2 episodes |
2003 | MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2003 | Himself | Presenter |
2006 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself | 1 episode |
2008 | Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover | Himself | TV special Guest appearances |
2009 | Savage Wild | Himself | Host Writer |
2012 | Gator Boys
|
Himself | 1 episode |
References
- ^ Puig, Manny. "Manny Puig - Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
- The Miami Herald. p. 15D.
Wildlife wrangler Manny Puig, 57, of Miami—host of The Savage Wild on the Outdoor Channel, says helicopter hunting is not for him.
- ^ Puig, Manny (January 25, 2020). "Happy Birthday Manny!#Happy Birthday#mannypuig,##outdoorsman". Instagram. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ Manny Puig- An Evening with a Spearing Guru Freedive Blog. March 12, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "Manny Puig". IMDb.
- ^ Channel, Outdoor (December 6, 2012). "Savage Wild | Outdoor Channel". outdoorchannel.com. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- The Vindicator. Archived from the originalon July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ Dreaming of the Deep: The Life of Manny Puig (Video) Outdoor Channel. 24 July 2014.
- ^ a b Nielsen, Kirk (January 15, 1998). "Do Not Try This at Home!". Miami New Times.
- ^ a b Tresniowski, Alex (September 8, 1997). "Diving Belle". Retrieved February 28, 2010.
- ^ "Extreme Encounters Episodes". Retrieved February 28, 2010.
- ^ TV Survival Dreaming of the Deep: The Life of Manny Puig (video) Outdoor Channel. 24 July 2014.
- ^ Stephen "Steve-O" Glover, 2011, "Professional Idiot: A Memoir, pp. 133-134.
- ^ Kurr, Jeff (August 12, 2003), Diary of a Shark Man, Shark Week, retrieved January 7, 2023
- ^ "Manny Puig - Steve-O's Wild Ride! Ep #75". YouTube. September 23, 2021. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
External links
- Official website
- Manny Puig at IMDb