Rene Dahinden(1930-2001)

Rene Dahinden was Canada's first and probably only full-time Bigfoot hunter. Dahinden was born on August 23, 1930 in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 1953. Rene initially worked at a dairy farm in Alberta prior to becoming involved in the avid pursuit of Sasquatch. He interviewed countless eyewitnesses and conducted numerous field investigations throughout the Pacific Northwest. Dahinden frequently collaborated with fellow Bigfoot researcher John Green, whom he first met in 1956. Rene was a staunch advocate of the controversial 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film and eventually managed to acquire 51% ownership of the rights to this famous short movie which allegedly shows a Bigfoot walking through the woods. In 1973 Dahinden co-wrote the book "Sasquatch" with Don Hunter. The David Suchet French-Canadian Bigfoot hunter character in "Harry and the Hendersons" was loosely based on Rene. Dahinden was well-known for his unbridled gusto, cranky, outspoken disposition, and warm, impish sense of humor (he cheerfully poked fun at himself in a hilarious 1997 TV commercial for Kokanee Beer). Rene was featured in the documentaries "Bigfoot: Man or Beast?," "The Force Beyond," and the delightfully quirky "Sasquatch Odyssey: The Hunt for Bigfoot." Rene Dahinden died at age 70 from cancer on April 18, 2001.