“Big Bear Chase Me!” is a portrait of Bart the Bear, one of Hollywood’s most remarkable animal actors. My introduction to Bart came through the 1988 comedy The Great Outdoors, starring John Candy and Dan Aykroyd, where he played the unforgettable Bald-Headed Bear. Born in 1977, Bart was raised and trained by Doug and Lynne Seus, eventually growing to nearly ten feet tall and appearing in more than 30 film and television productions, including The Bear, Legends of the Fall, and The Edge. Beyond his impressive film career, Bart shared an extraordinary bond with his human companions, inspiring the Seuses to establish the Vital Ground Foundation to protect wild grizzly habitat.
That combination of enormous physical presence, intelligence, personality, and companionship is what makes Bart so fascinating to me.
Beneath the intimidating exterior was an animal capable of remarkable trust and connection. Capturing that larger-than-life character made Bart a natural addition to my bear portrait series.
