Bart the Bear (January 19, 1977 - May 10, 2000) was an Alaskan Kodiak Bear that appeared in several Hollywood films, including The Bear, Legends of the Fall, and The Edge. Animal trainers Doug Seus and Lynne Seus of Wasatch Rocky Mountain Wildlife, Inc., in Heber City, Utah, trained Bart. 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, and Anthony Hopkins all appeared in films opposite the bear, the latter even twice. All of them were reportedly impressed with how well the bear 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".In 2000, Bart died of cancer at the age of 23 while filming the television documentary Growing Up Grizzly (2001). Brad Pitt, who appeared in Legends of the Fall with Bart, provided narration.
Bart has the unique distinction of actually appearing (with owner/trainer Doug Seus) at the 70th Academy Awards ceremonies to present the 'oversized' envelope for "Best Sound Effects Editing" to category presenter Mike Myers (March 23, 1998 / Shrine Auditorium Los Angeles).
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Most of the characters he played were simply named "The Bear". The only exceptions were, The Great Outdoors (1988) when he played "The Bald Bear" and The Bear (1988) when he played "The Kodiak Bear". Ironically, The Bear (1988) translates to "The Bear".
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Bart was from the "Kodiak Bear" subspecies from the island on coastal Alaska, where many bears grow to be enormous. However, he frequently played inland Brown Bears, among which it is very rare to attain a size nearly as large as was Bart's.
Bart died during the filming of the documentary Growing Up Grizzly (2001) which was presented by Brad Pitt - who plays Tristan Ludlow in Legends of the Fall (1994), the character that is killed by Bart at the end of the film.
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Weighed over 1,700 pounds as an adult.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Meet the Deedles
1998
The Bear
The Edge
1997
The Bear
Walking Thunder
1997
Walking Thunder
Les amants de rivière rouge
1996
TV Mini-Series
The Bear - Attacking Children and Fighting with Eri Schweig
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
1996
Bear (as Bart)
Legends of the Fall
1994
The Bear
On Deadly Ground
1994
The Bear
The Giant of Thunder Mountain
1991
The Bear
White Fang
1991/I
The Bear
Lost in the Barrens
1990
TV Movie
The Bear
The Young Riders
1990
TV Series
The Bear
1988
The Kodiak Bear
The Great Outdoors
1988
The Bald-Headed Bear
Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills
1986
TV Movie
The Bear
The Clan of the Cave Bear
1986
The Bear (uncredited)
Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues
$600,000
