A MASSIVE grizzly bear became a global celebrity – landing roles in Hollywood and on the cover of Time Magazine.
Born in 1975 at the Highlands Wildlife Park in Scotland, Hercules was bought by Scottish wrestler, Andy Robin, and his wife Maggie Robin for £50.
Hercules with his mum Maggie and dad Andy Robin having breakfast with the Sun in 1992[/caption]
A production still of Roger Moore on location filming for Octopussy in 1983[/caption]
The couple brought the cub to their home near Dunblane and trained him to wrestle, with him first appearing on the UK wrestling circuit in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The couple raised Hercules like their own, reading books to him and celebrating his birthday.
Following the release of a 60-minute documentary called Hercules the Wrestling Bear in 1980, the huge grizzly began to be widely known and took on small acting roles for television.
But while filming for a Kleenex television commercial on August 20, 1980, Hercules managed to escape and went missing for 24 days – leading to a large scale rescue attempt of hundreds of volunteers and search parties.
Despite the search for Hercules being called off after three days, he was found swimming and returned back to Andy.
Many people who once feared the huge animal became fond of him after it was discovered that Hercules was found half-starved and did not food on sheep, cattle, or other wildlife.
He had lost 90kg whilst he was missing.
The grizzly bear celebrating his 20th birthday with his owners[/caption]
The global media attention to his disappearance would later land him high profile roles in films such as the 1983 James Bond movie Octopussy with Roger Moore.
He also had a role in a Disney company production and was characterised by a mascot in the Hofmeister beer’s 1980s “follow the bear” campaign.
For two years, Hercules spent time in California starring in a number of other small film roles, children’s documentaries, and chat shows.
The 9ft bear was invited by comedian Bob Hope to the Gleneagles golf course, where he worked as Bob’s caddie for the day.
Hercules became so famous, Time magazine decided to put the half-a-ton bear on their front cover on March 26, 2001.
But the most memorable and iconic moment for many fans was when they saw him at the 17th Century pub, the Sheriffmuir Inn, which Hercules’ owners were formerly landlords of.
Hercules was even invited on June 4, 1980, to the Girdwoods Bar in Scotland to celebrate its opening, with customers of the pub shocked to see a massive grizzly behind the bar.
On the way back home from filming a documentary in 1997, Hercules started having back issues that brought his career to an end.
Andy nursed Hercules back into good health, having him do swimming exercises in the pool for six months to slowly improve his health.
Hercules passed away on February 4, 2000, at the age of 25, the natural lifespan of a grizzly.
Andy and Maggie were invited to unveil a life-size statue of Hercules on the Scottish island of North Uist in 2013.
Maggie now runs a boutique store in Auchterarder, Scotland, called Bear Necessities.
Alongside Hercules, there have been many other famous animal actors including the Bichon Frise Darla, who started in films such as The Silence of the Lambs, Batman Returns, and the American comedy Coming to America.
Another famous bear was Bart the Bear, a Kodiak bear that made appearances in The Bear, The Edge, and The Great Outdoors, during the same years as Hercules.
Hercules and Maggie with her new book about him in 1981[/caption]
Hercules started his career as a wrestler[/caption]
