Favorite Animal Actors
List of favorite animal actors
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- Actor
- Stunts
Bart the Bear was perhaps one of Hollywood's most remarkable animal stars. The Alaskan brown bear was born in 1977 and was brought in by Utah animal trainer Doug Seus. Bart started to train in acting in 1980 and grew to 9 feet tall, the average for brown bears.
Bart starred in The Great Outdoors (1988), On Deadly Ground (1994) and The Edge (1997). Bart's co-stars included John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Steven Seagal, Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin, all of whom were very impressed with how well a bear could be trained to act, and enjoyed the experience of working with animals. Sadly, Bart died in 2000 of cancer at the age of 23 during filming of Animal Planet's Growing Up Grizzly (2001). His namesake is Little Bart. Little Bart's sister is named Honey Bump. Their mother was killed and Doug and Lynne Seus took them in. Doug and wife Lynne Seus started the Vital Ground Foundation in honor of Bart, who was the organization's 1st ambassador. The organization was begun to set up lands to preserve the great grizzlies and other wildlife.Played the grizzly bear in many films, my favorite being The Bear- Pal the dog (a Rough Collie) was born on June 8, 1940 in North Hollywood, California, USA. He is best known and remembered for Lassie Come Home (1943) and Courage of Lassie (1946), The Painted Hills (1951). Though he was a male, he received notoriety for playing the famous character Lassie. He was retired from acting in 1954, and died in 1958. His life and memories of him live on in his movies and T.V. appearances.Played Lassie
- Docs Keepin Time was born in 1987. He was an actor, known for Black Beauty (1994), The Horse Whisperer (1998) and The New Adventures of the Black Stallion (1990). He died on 15 March 2013.Played Black Beauty in the 1994 film Black Beauty
- Moose was the youngest of a litter of four, yet was also the biggest, hence his name. Hyper and destructive as a pup, he eventually found his way to Birds & Animals Unlimited, where he got his job playing Eddie on 'Frasier', before going on to act in the film My Dog Skip (2000), along with his son, Enzo.Played Eddie on Frasier
- Cass-Olé was born on 6 March 1969 in Texas. USA. He was an actor, known for The Black Stallion (1979) and The Black Stallion Returns (1983). He died on 29 June 1993 in Texas, USA.Played the Black in The Black Stallion
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Asta was Hollywood's foremost canine scene-stealer, a charismatic dynamo of a wire-haired terrier (real name Skippy) born sometime during 1931. Universally adored by depression-era movie audiences after being cast as the four-legged sidekick of retired private detective Nick Charles and his wife Nora Charles (played by William Powell and Myrna Loy) in the hit detective comedy The Thin Man (1934), Asta became the highest paid animal star of his day, earning $250 per week. He was owned and trained by former silent screen comedienne Gale Henry and her husband, MGM property master Henry East, whose kennels were located on a couple of acres in the vicinity of Hollywood. The Easts realized from the onset that this feisty critter was rather smarter than your average quadruped and could be trained to do any number of complex tricks, play dead or hide his head behind his paws playing hide-and-seek, coyly peeking out with one eye. Motivation was provided in the shape of a favorite toy, 'Oslo' the rubber mouse.
Asta's popularity led to a massive increase in the breeding of wire-haired terriers. Everybody wanted to own one, or, at least, have a dog by that name. William Powell wanted to buy Asta himself but the Easts refused. In the wake of a sequel (After the Thin Man (1936)) Asta became 'Mr. Smith' for another successful screwball farce, The Awful Truth (1937), having won out over nineteen other hopeful canine candidates screen-tested for the part. He was even given his own dressing room with exclusive access granted only his owners. His various (human) co-stars were expressly forbidden to play with him off the set, lest he become distracted once the cameras started rolling. As befitting a true professional, Asta rarely needed a second take to complete a scene. He even managed to convincingly fake drinking water from a bowl in his next film Bringing Up Baby (1938) and contributed all manner of mischief (including stealing and burying a dinosaur bone) to the madcap antics of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.
He was slated to appear in a film with English musical star Gracie Fields, arriving in Southampton in June 1938 along with new trainer Frank Weatherwax (and understudy 'Skippy junior') aboard the Queen Mary. However, the project never seems to have eventuated and Asta/Skippy returned home to play 'Mr. Atlas' in Topper Takes a Trip (1938). His last film appears to have been Shadow of the Thin Man (1941). There were two final entries in the series: The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) and Song of the Thin Man (1947), for which lookalike Asta Jr. took center stage. The original had by then entered his well-earned retirement. A great-grandson of Asta took over the baton for the 1957 NBC series The Thin Man (1957).Played Asta in the Thin Man movies and a dog in various other films- Youk the Bear was an actress, known for The Bear (1988). She died on 21 December 2011 in Emmen, Drenthe, The Netherlands.Played the bear cub in The Bear
- Spike was born in 1952 in California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Silent Call (1961) and Lassie (1954). He died in 1962 in California, USA.Played Old Yeller in the Disney film
- Buddy was born in 1988. He was an actor, known for Air Bud (1997) and Full House (1987). He died on 11 February 1998.Played Buddy in Air Bud
- Ben is known for Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993).Played Shadow in Homeward Bound
- Rattler was an animal actor. He was an American Bulldog. He is famous for playing the role of Chance in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. Although, in the film Chance is a young, exuberant American Bulldog, while in the novel his name is Luath and he is a Labrador Retriever. He has since died.Played Chance in Homeward Bound
- Tiki is known for Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993).Played Sassy in Homeward Bound
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Trigger, Roy Rogers' beautiful Golden Palomino stallion, and co-star with Roy in many of his movies and Roy's TV show, was often billed as "the smartest horse in the movies".
The two of them appeared in dozens of westerns in the 1930s and 40s, always chasing and thwarting the bad guys, and working to serve peace and justice.
Trigger even shared the movie title with Roy on two occasions: My Pal Trigger (1946) and Trigger, Jr. (1950).
Trigger started life out as Golden Cloud (1934). His sire was a thoroughbred horse that had raced at Caliente Track, and his dam was a cold-blooded palomino. Trigger was foaled on a small ranch in the San Diego area which was partly owned by Bing Crosby. The manager of that ranch was Roy Cloud, a breeder originally from Noblesville, Indiana. At around 3 years of age, Golden Cloud was sold to the Hudkins Stables, which rented horses to the movie industry. Golden Cloud's first major appearance was in the movie, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) where he was ridden by Olivia de Havilland. When Gene Autry failed to report for work at Republic Pictures, Roy Rogers found himself cast in the lead role for Under Western Stars (1938). Before filming began on Under Western Stars (1938), Hudkins Stables brought their best lead horses to the studio so Roy could select a mount. As Roy recalled it, the third horse he got on was a beautiful golden palomino who handled smoothly and reacted quickly to whatever he asked it to do.
Roy said of Golden Cloud "He could turn on a dime and give you some change".
Smiley Burnette, who played Roy's sidekick in his first two films, was watching and mentioned how quick on the trigger this horse was. Roy agreed and decided that Trigger was the perfect name for the horse. Roy purchased the horse for $2,500 and eventually outfitted it with a $5,000 gold/silver saddle.
Roy was proud of the fact that throughout his more than 80 films, the 101 episodes of his television series, and countless personal appearances, Trigger never fell.
Roy once said that "he felt that Trigger seemed to know when people were watching him and that he recognized applause and just ate it up like a ham!"
Trigger won a Patsy award for the role in Son of Paleface (1952) & the 1958 Craven award winner. He was so popular that at one time, he even had his own fan club with members from all over the world. On July 3, 1965, at the Rogers ranch in Hidden Valley, California, Trigger, at age 30, passed away. Roy was reluctant to "put him in the ground", so Rogers had the horse mounted in a rearing position by Bishoff's Taxidermy of California. The rest of his remains are buried in Thousand Oaks, California on one of Roy's former ranches.Roy Rogers' horse- Cujo is known for Beethoven's Big Break (2008) and Saltkråkan (1995).Played Beethoven
- The real name of the dog who played the original "Benji" was Higgins, owned and trained by famed animal trainer and breeder Frank Inn. Inn adopted the dog in 1960 from the Burbank Animal Shelter in Burbank, California. He trained the dog, who went on to appear in the television series Petticoat Junction (1963). Soon after the series ended, Higgins was retired by Inn but returned at age 14 in 1974 to star in his greatest success in Benji (1974). Descendants of Higgins were featured in the subsequent "Benji" films.Played Benji in the first movie Benji
- Benjean is known for Oh Heavenly Dog (1980), Benji the Hunted (1987) and For the Love of Benji (1977).Played Benji in the other movies
- Actor
Rando was born in West Germany. He is known for K-9 (1989) and K-9 (1991).Played Jerry Lee in K-9- Enzo was also used as a stand-in for his father in the popular sitcom Frasier (1993), as the role of Eddie Crane. Enzo was one of a few puppies bred specifically as possible replacements for Moose, as it became clear that Frasier was a hit and would enjoy a long run. A daughter, Miko, was considered but never grew large enough (she was given to a technician); a son, Moosie, lived with Peri Gilpin, the actress who played Roz Doyle. Enzo, born to mother Chelsea Marvin (also a Jack Russell) was a closer match and turned out to have unusually similar facial markings to his father; later in the series, he was used as a stunt double to perform the more physically challenging tricks for his aging father. Enzo and Moose took turns playing the role after the eighth season. Enzo was also used as one of the puppies that "Eddie" had fathered during the show. Off the set, trainer Mathilde de Cagny has stated that Moose and Enzo's relationship was so bad that the two "could not stand to be in the same room together."Played Skip in My Dog Skip
- Actor
King Charles was born in 1937. He is an actor.Played The Pie in National Velvet- Uggie is a Jack Russell terrier, born in 2002.
He was rescued from being sent to a dog pound by Omar Von Muller, animal trainer. His career included touring with a dog talent show in the United States and South America and starring in commercials.
His most famous movie roles are in Water for Elephants (2011) and The Artist (2011). In The Artist, his performance was considered by many to have upstaged those of his co-stars and has won him the Palm Dog award in Cannes and there are petitions for other awards to be opened up to dogs, on account of his exceptional performance.
Uggie lives in North Hollywood with Von Muller, his wife, and his daughter.
It was announced by his trainer that Uggie will retire after his appearance at the Oscars on February 26 2012.Played the Dog in The Artist - Beasley the Dog was born in 1978 in Merrimac, Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor, known for Turner & Hooch (1989). He died in 1992 in California, USA.Played Hooch in Turner & Hooch
- Jed was born in 1977 in Bellingham, Washington, USA. He was an actor, known for White Fang (1991), The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) and Dead Kennedys: The Early Years (1987). He died in June 1995 in Acton, California, USA.Played White Fang
- Without question, the most known dog in movie history. Many dogs tried to eclipse Toto's success, most recently, The Men In Black dog. Most don't know that Toto has an autobiography that's available in most stores. She almost lost her life when she broke her foot in The Wizard of Oz. Toto (Terry) appeared in over 10 Hollywood films. The industry took a big blow when she died.Played Toto in Wizard of Oz
- The first 'Rin Tin Tin', who along with his heirs starred in numerous films and television series, was discovered during World War I, September 15, 1918, by US Air Corporal Lee Duncan and his battalion in Lorraine, France. At a bombed out dog kennel, Duncan found a mother Shepherd Dog and her scrawny litter of five pups. Duncan chose two of the dogs, a male and female, while members of his group took the mother and the others back to camp. The only survivors over the next few months were the two pups Duncan had claimed, naming them 'Rin Tin Tin' and 'Nannette' after tiny French puppets the French children would give to the American soldiers for good luck. When the war ended, Duncan made special arrangements to take his pups back to his home in Los Angeles, but during the Atlantic crossing, Nannette became ill and died, shortly after arriving in America. In 1922, Duncan and Rin Tin Tin attended an LA dog show, with 'Rinty' performing for the crowd by jumping 13 ½ feet. Following the show, producer Darryl Zanuck asked Duncan if he could try out his new 'moving pictures' camera on the dog and paid $350 to film Rinty in action. Contacting every studio in Hollywood with a Rin Tin Tin -starring script "Where The North Begins", Duncan unexpectedly stumbled onto a low-budget, Warner Bros (Vitaphone) film crew having difficulty shooting an exterior scene with a wolf. Duncan quickly approached the director and told them that Rinty could do the scene in one take. True to his word, Duncan's 'wonder' dog did the scene in one take and both were hired for the entire shoot of "Man From Hells River". The film was a hit and Rin Tin Tin was a sensation, making 26 pictures for Warners while starring in his own live 1930s radio show "The Wonder Dog". At the peak of his popularity, Warners maintained 18 trained stand-ins to reduce any stress on their dog star, while providing Rinty with a private chef who prepared daily lunches of tenderloin steak (consumed as live classical music was played to help ease the dog's digestion.) Rin Tin Tin died in 1932 at the age of 14, returned to his birthplace in France, and interred in "The Cimetière des Chiens (et Autres Animaux Exotiques)" in the suburb of Asnieres. Today, Rin Tin Tin's continuous bloodline carries on at a Texas kennel, where a litter of 8-11 pups are born each year.The original Rin Tin Tin
- Mister Ed was born in El Monte, California, and his real name was Bamboo Harvester. He was a palomino show horse that had his own show. On the Mr. Ed show, he played a talking horse that only spoke to his owner Wilber. Bamboo Harvester actually had a stunt double who stepped in often. He died in 1968 in Snodgrass Farm, Talequah, Oklahoma, USA.
- Buck is known for Klondike Fever (1979) and The Call of the Wild (1972).Played Buck in the 1972 version of Call of the Wild
- Soccer, a Jack Russell terrier, became the star of the PBS television series Wishbone (1995). He was one of over one hundred dogs that auditioned for the role, and was picked for being the most expressive. Soccer lived with his trainer Jackie Martin in her ranch in Plano, Texas until his death in 2001.Played Wishbone
- Highland Dale was born on 4 March 1943 in Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for The Return of Wildfire (1948), Black Beauty (1946) and The High Chaparral (1967). He died in 1973 in California, USA.Played Fury on TV and along with other roles
- Crystal the Monkey is no small bananas. In just five of her movies, she holds a box office gross of over $2.5 Billion. Her film, "Hangover 2" opened at $177.8 Million, the largest opening weekend in history for a comedy. She has worked with some of the biggest directors in Hollywood. She has held her own with Oscar Winners, stole scenes from top comedians and is beloved with the press as she commands Red Carpets. Paired with her extraordinary trainer, Tom Gunderson, she began in the business at the live animal show at Universal Studios. In 1997, she appeared in her first film "George of the Jungle." In 2007, with over 20 features to her name came her big break came in "Night at the Museum" with Ben Stiller. With her naughty character, Dexter, she proved herself as not just a trained animal, but as an actor. In the second installment of"Museum" she reprised her role of Dexter and furthered her range by playing the duel character of Able. In 2011, Crystal solidified herself as an box-office actress. Beginning with "Hangover 2" where she was a tour de force as a drug dealing gangster. Also, starring in "Hangover" was the hilarious actor, Ken Jeong who said ""She's not a monkey, she's an actor. And quite possibly the best actor I've worked with." In the USA Today's review by Brian Alexander he said "one cast member truly stood out: Crystal, a capuchin monkey. Maybe her name should be Hollywood's Hottest Monkey." She went onto play Donald the Monkey "Zookeeper" starring Kevin James with Adam Sandler dubbing her voice. Rounding out the year with Oscar winner, Matt Damon in "We got a Zoo." When the new show "Animal Practice" aired in 2012, with Crystal on their cover, New York Magazine said "NBC's most valuable commodity this fall: an irresistible, virtuoso capuchin monkey." She played the adorable sidekick Dr. Rizzo.From the Night at the Museum movies
- Pete the Dog was born as Pal. He was known for Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde (1925), Bear Shooters (1930), The First Seven Years (1930), and Dog Heaven(1930). He of course is best known for playing Spanky's dog in The Little Rascalls. He died on January 28, 1946 in Los Angeles, Californians, USA.Played Pete in The Little Rascals
- The canine that began the world's love affair with the collie breed was named Pal. Pal's lineage could be traced back to 'Old Cockie' (born 1868), England's first celebrated Rough Collie. A male, Pal was born at the Glamis Kennels in North Hollywood in June 1940. His initial owner passed the dog on to animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax, who, with his brother Frank, proceeded to train the animal. After learning of Eric Knight's novel Lassie Come Home (1943), Rudd took Pal to MGM as one of 1500 contestants for the lead role in what was to become an A-Grade technicolor release, starring a very young beauty named Elizabeth Taylor. Pal was first signed on as a stunt dog but quickly replaced the female collie originally cast as Lassie when the latter began shedding fur excessively. As a male, Pal was also deemed to be more impressive-looking in size. Signed up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Pal remained under contract from 1943 to 1950, appearing in six sequels, including Son of Lassie (1945) and Courage of Lassie (1946). The storylines rarely varied, the lovable pooch saving the day by rescuing the injured and/or imperiled, or by raising alarm to warn of impending danger. By 1951, the franchise had run out of ideas and Pal's contract with MGM lapsed. In lieu of back pay owed him by the studio, Weatherwax retained full rights to the Lassie trademark.
Robert Maxwell and Jack Wrather at CBS took up the option and brought Lassie into the realm of the small screen. The ensuing television series ran from 1954 to 1973, totaling 591 episodes. Pal appeared only in the two original pilots before retiring. He died at the age of 18 and was buried on his grieving owner's ranch. Over the ensuing years, Pal's descendants, all products of Weatherwax training (beginning with Lassie Junior) took up the baton.Played Lassie on the original TV series