Bart the Bear

Bart the Bear

Bart the Bear with trainer Doug Seus, 1997
Species	Kodiak bear
Sex	Male
Born	(1977-01-19)January 19, 1977 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Died	May 10, 2000(2000-05-10) (aged 23) Heber City, Utah, U.S.
Resting place	Seus ranch, Heber City, Utah, U.S.
Nation from	United States
Occupation	Bear Actor
Years active	1980 – 2000
Owner	Doug and Lynne Seus
Weight	1,500 lbs. (680 kg)
Height	9' 6" (2.90 m)
Awards	Nominated, Academy Award, The Bear (1988)
Bart the Bear Official Website

Bart the Bear (January 19, 1977 - May 10, 2000) was a male Alaskan Kodiak bear actor best known for his numerous appearances in Hollywood films, including The Bear (for which he reportedly received an Oscar nomination),White Fang, Legends of the Fall, and The Edge. He was trained by animal trainers Doug Seus and Lynne Seus of Wasatch Rocky Mountain Wildlife, Inc., in Heber City, Utah.

Bart was born on January 19, 1977, at the Baltimore Zoo. Bart's mother had previously appeared in films, including Grizzly (1976) and Day of the Animals (1977). When Bart was five weeks old and weighed five pounds (2 kg), he was adopted by Doug and Lynne Seus, who worked as animal trainers for films. The Seuses trained Bart using a reward and praise system. While still a cub, he appeared in the TV series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams playing Adams' companion bear, Ben, as a cub.

After reaching adulthood, he subsequently made his film debut in the film Windwalker (released 1981). He grew to 9' 6" (2.90 m) tall and weighed 1,500 pounds (680 kg) throughout his life as an adult.

Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Daryl Hannah, Annette Bening, Ethan Hawke, Steven Seagal, Tchéky Karyo, Brad Pitt, Alec Baldwin, Trevor Howard, and Anthony Hopkins all appeared in films opposite Bart. All of them were reportedly impressed with how well he was trained. Film directors Jean-Jacques Annaud and Lee Tamahori, both of whom directed Bart in The Bear and The Edge respectively, called Bart "The John Wayne of Bears".