tank_largeDate of birth: January 14, 1995
Race: Brown Bear
Height: 7 feet 2 inches
Weight: 800 lbs
Hair: Silver-tipped chocolate brown, with golden head
Eyes: Amber
Education: Doug Seus

 

Characterization: Leading Man
Our “Jimmy Stewart” Bear. Tank’s personality was personified in his starring role of Archie in Dr. Dolittle 2. His special ability to work up close and personal with people was evidenced when he appeared on the Tonight Show  with Jay Leno and sat on the red sofa for his interview. His calm, gentle nature makes him the perfect bear for studio work and commercials.

 

“Tank, the 800-Ib., 7-ft. tall grizzly who stars with Eddie Murphy in Dr. DoLittle 2, knows how to throw his weight around. The 6-year-old rookie actor demanded more than just a studio parking space: He nabbed an entire lot, freshly sodded and complete with wading pool. During the film’s five-month shoot, Tank snacked on roast beef, pasta with pesto sauce and strawberry smoothies, not to mention Ben & Jerry’s ice cream – Cherry Garcia, natch. ‘Not too much,’ says his co-trainer Lynne Seus, 55. “But Tank was happy to have a pint a day.” Tank clawed his way to the top, besting more than 50 competitors to play Dolittle 2’s performing bear Archie, who scrubs himself in a bathtub, eats popcorn while watching TV and toasts marshmallows around a campfire with Murphy. ‘He has a playful personality and a great sense of humor,’ says Doug Seus, 58, who has trained animals for movies and commercials for 209 years. ‘He handled everything like a pro.’ The Seuses are hoping Tank will follow in the paw prints of Bart, their 1,800-Ib. grizzly bear who died of cancer last year at age 24 after wowing critics in eight films, including The Bear and Legends of the Fall. They’ve been grooming Tank since adopting him from a Wisconsin breeder as a 6-week-old cub. ‘We fed him, we loved him, we played with him,’ says Doug, ‘just like you would a child.’ No fan of the Hollywood scene, Tank is happiest at home in Heber City, Utah, where he romps in a nearby creek and downs 30 lbs of apples, carrots, roast chicken and salmon a day. ‘As long as Tank can wrestle with me and eat,’ says Doug, ‘he’s pretty much happy.’ ” -People magazine, July 16, 2001


“Tank, the 800-Ib., 7-ft. tall grizzly who stars with Eddie Murphy in Dr. DoLittle 2, knows how to throw his weight around. The 6-year-old rookie actor demanded more than just a studio parking space: He nabbed an entire lot, freshly sodded and complete with wading pool. During the film’s five-month shoot, Tank snacked on roast beef, pasta with pesto sauce and strawberry smoothies, not to mention Ben & Jerry’s ice cream – Cherry Garcia, natch. ‘Not too much,’ says his co-trainer Lynne Seus, 55. “But Tank was happy to have a pint a day.”Tank clawed his way to the top, besting more than 50 competitors to play Dolittle 2’s performing bear Archie, who scrubs himself in a bathtub, eats popcorn while watching TV and toasts marshmallows around a campfire with Murphy. ‘He has a playful personality and a great sense of humor,’ says Doug Seus, 58, who has trained animals for movies and commercials for 209 years. ‘He handled everything like a pro.’
The Seuses are hoping Tank will follow in the paw prints of Bart, their 1,800-Ib. grizzly bear who died of cancer last year at age 24 after wowing critics in eight films, including The Bear and Legends of the Fall. They’ve been grooming Tank since adopting him from a Wisconsin breeder as a 6-week-old cub. ‘We fed him, we loved him, we played with him,’ says Doug, ‘just like you would a child.’
No fan of the Hollywood scene, Tank is happiest at home in Heber City, Utah, where he romps in a nearby creek and downs 30 lbs of apples, carrots, roast chicken and salmon a day. ‘As long as Tank can wrestle with me and eat,’ says Doug, ‘he’s pretty much happy.’ ”
– People magazine, July 16, 2001
 

 

Experience:
1995 – River of Bears, KOMO TV Seattle, WA
1995 – Entertainment Tonight, ABC TV
1996 – Inside Edition, CBS TV
1995 – Marlboro Commercial, Plum Productions
1996 – Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures, Hanna Productions
1996 – Wild on the Set, Discovery Channel
1997 – Stray Dog, Nickelodeon
1997 – The Baddest Bear, National Geographic TV
1997 – Animal Minds, NOVA
1998 – Lights, Cameras, BEARS, National Geographic TV
1999 – “Animal Smarts” 48 Hours, CBS TV
1999 – Like a Mother Bear, Crown Sephira Productions
2002 – Marlboro Commercial, Steve Weill Productions
2000 – Lewis and Clark, IMAX, Vineyard Productions
2000 – Dr. Dolittle 2, 20th Century Fox
2000 – Christmas in the Clouds, Unapix Productions
2001 – Wild on the Set, Discovery Channel
2001 – Growing Up Grizzly with Brad Pitt, Animal Planet
2001 – The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC TV Tank the Bear Special Guest Star
2002 – Everwood with Treat Williams, Warner Brothers TV
2004 – Growing Up Grizzly 2 with Jennifer Aniston, Animal Planet
2008 – Tums – Arnolds of New York / Anonymous Content Productions
2010 – ZooKeeper – MGM Studios
2011 – We Bought a Zoo – 20th Century Fox

Tank_Doug_leno

 

Community Service:
Ambassador Bear for The Vital Ground Foundation
Preserving America’s Wild Heritage

 

Hobbies:
Making designer furniture out of tires and straw, bird watching, yoga, laying in dandelions.

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