Stephan K. Miller (6 May 1968 - 22 April 2008) was an American animal trainer, wrangler and stunt double. Along with his cousin Randy Miller, Stephan was a trainer at Predators in Action, an animal training facility that trains wild and exotic animals for film and television appearances. Some of the films in which the animals trained by the facility have appeared include The Island of Dr. Moreau, Gladiator, The Postman, The Last Samurai, and Semi-Pro.
Predators in Action animals have also appeared on Discovery Channel and National Geographic Society programs in which they recreated famous animal attacks, including the mauling of Roy Horn by a white tiger.[1]
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On 22 April 2008, during a routine training exercise, Miller was mauled and killed by a 5-year old grizzly bear named Rocky.[2][3][4][5] The 7½ foot tall, 700 lb bear bit Miller on the neck once. An autopsy revealed that he died within minutes of the attack.[6][7]
Until Miller's death, Rocky was best known for appearing as Dewey the Killer Bear in a scene from the 2008 film Semi-Pro in which he wrestled Will Ferrell's body double Randy Miller.[8][3][5] Following Miller's death, the California Department of Fish and Game initiated a probe into the events of the attack with the intent to eventually decide whether Rocky would be euthanized.[7][9] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and other animal rights groups, who have long protested use of wild animals in films, called for Rocky to be spared and to be allowed to retire to a zoo or another similar facility.[10][11][12]
It was later revealed on the National Geographic Channel program Grizzly Face to Face that the coroner's office and the California Department of Fish and Game ruled Miller's death accidental and did not order the bear to be euthanized. However, Rocky resumed his life under restricted regulations.[13]
In addition to his work with animals, Miller was also a co-publisher for the first three print issues of Girls and Corpses magazine with publisher/editor-in-chief Robert Steven Rhine, as well as being actively involved in the launch of the ShareNow social networking website.[14]