Bear that starred in ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Into the Wild’ dies at Utah refuge

An orphaned grizzly bear who grew up to appear in projects from “Game of Thrones” to “Into the Wild” has died at a Utah wildlife refuge, his keepers say.

Bart the Bear II was found in 2000 with his sister Honey Bump in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska after a hunter killed their mother, the Vital Ground Foundation wrote in an obituary.

He became an ambassador for the organization, starring in television and film projects, along with commercials, the foundation said.

Bart II had roles in “Dr. Dolittle 2,” “An Unfinished Life,” “Into the West,” “Evan Almighty,” “Have You Heard About the Morgans?,” “Without a Paddle,” “Zookeeper,” “Pete’s Dragon,” “We Bought a Zoo,” “Into the Wild” and “The Grizzly Maze.”

In HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” he threatened warrior Brienne of Tarth in a gladiatorial battle in 2013.

His namesake, the original Bart the Bear, a grizzly who appeared in “The Edge” and other roles, died in 2000, the foundation said.

Bart II, whose hobbies included “eating, swimming, rolling giant truck tires around, and chasing butterflies,” was 21 and had been in poor health for the past year, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. He died in Heber City, Utah.

“Bart was a grizzly who walked the Earth with intelligence, power, grace and purpose,” Lynne Seus of the foundation told The Hollywood Reporter. “All of us who knew him were made more whole by his incomparable spirit. We will miss Bart greatly, and his memory will inspire us as we work to ensure his massive footprint endures for future generations across the wild landscapes of grizzly country.”

This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Bear that starred in ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Into the Wild’ dies at Utah refuge."