From cats and dogs to horses and dolphins, Hollywood just wouldn’t be the same without animal actors. No matter the role, they almost always find a way to tug at your heartstrings and make even the worst movies and television shows bearable… pun intended.
Here’s a list of the most iconic animal stars in Hollywood—did your favorite make the list?
Rin Tin Tin
After being rescued during WWI, the German Shepherd named Rin Tin Tin went on to become a major Hollywood star, appearing in 27 films. His descendants continued to play roles long after he was gone in films and TV in the 1930s and 40s. “Rinny” even has his own popular radio show.
Babe
In ’95 “Babe” the heartwarming story of a clever pig who wins a sheep-herding competition. The star of the film was actually played by 48 pigs. They used six pigs at a time during the six weeks of filming because of how quickly pigs grow.
Benji
In the 1970s, Higgins, known on the big screen as “Benji” was discovered at a shelter and turned out to be one of the most trainable dogs Hollywood trainer, Frank Inn, every worked with. He first starred in 163 episodes of “Petticoat Junction” and then went on to have a series of his own called “Benji.”
Bruiser
Chihuahua, Moonie, played Elle Woods’ companion Bruiser in “Legally Blonde” and its sequel. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 18.
The Direwolves
In the mega-hit “Game of Thrones,” each of the Stark children adopt a direwolf when the pups mother was killed. While they look like wolves, they were actually a group of specially-trained Northern Inuit Dogs, a crossbred relative of the Siberian Husky. Sansa Stark’s direwolf, Lady, was adopted by the actress after filming when they found out she had no home.
Eddie
Moose, the Parson Russell Terrier, played Eddie on the hit show “Frasier” alongside Kelsey Grammer. Moose’s son, Moosie, was adopted by Peri Gilpin who played Roz on the show.
Flipper
The TV Series “Flipper” ran from 1964 until 1967. The dolphin, Suzie, was also played by five other female dolphins because they’re considered easier to train.
Lassie
Few Hollywood animals are as famous as Lassie (real name, Pal). Pal appeared in 7 Lassie movies, and Pal’s descendants played the role in the TV series and all future iterations.
Marcel
Marcel the monkey, (real name: Katie) appeared on “Friends” as Ross’ pet monkey but only lasted one season and was never heard from again.
Mister Ed
“A horse is a horse, of course, of course.” Recognize that theme song? “Mister Ed” aired on CBS from 1961-1966 which followed the adventures of Wilbur and his talking horse.
Willy
“Free Willy” was a huge box office hit in 1993. Keiko the killer whale who played Willy in the film was then set free into the ocean, however, after ten days he returned to his pen, preferring human companionship and being fed daily.
Spuds MacKenzie
Spuds MacKenzie starred in a series of Budweiser commercials in the 1980s. The Bull Terrier was actually a female, however, and her real name was Honey Tree Evil Eye.
Morris the Cat
Morris, a shelter rescue from Chicago, played the role of “spokes-cat” for 9Lives cat food in 1968. Morris passed away in 1978 and was replaced by two other cats for the brand, however Morris was the only one to also be cast in films, too.
Gidget
If you’re wondering who this is, Gidget’s name was never revealed in the commercial’s she starred in, however, she was the pup behind the phrase “Yo quiero Taco Bell.” She appeared in Taco Bell’s ads for 3 years.
Trigger
Trigger was the faithful companion of cowboy Roy Rogers. He appeared in the TV series and the films. When Trigger passed away Rogers had the horse stuffed and put on display at the Roy Rogers Museum.
Hooch
Tom Hanks starred in the 1989 film “Turner & Hooch.” Hanks inherited his friend’s dog, a rare French breed called a Dogue de Bordeaux, who helps him solve a crime.
Dunston
Jason Alexander of “Seinfeld” got real chummy with an orangutan named Dunston in “Dunston Checks In.”
Air Bud
Buddy the Golden Retriever starred in the film “Air Bud” and he was also “Comet” from the sitcom “Full House.” He passed away at ten years old.
Vera
Bill Murray starred alongside an elephant named Tai in the 1996 film “Larger Than Life.” In the film, Murray’s father was a former circus clown who passes away and leaves his elephant, Vera, to his son.
The Shaggy Dog
Cole, the Bearded Collie, starred alongside Robert Downey Jr., Tim Allen, and Kristin Davis in the 2006 film “The Shaggy Dog.”
Baby
Nissa the leopard played the role of Baby in the Katherine Hepburn film, “Bringing Up Baby.” Hepburn had no fear when it came to shooting with the cat, but her co-star Cary Grant used a double whenever he was set to do a scene with Nissa.
Ed
Matt LeBlanc starred alongside a chimpanzee in the film “Ed,” however, he wasn’t real. Ed was a man in a chimp suit with a robotic head.
Papi
Papi was saved by Jamie Lee Curtis and the crew from the film “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” the day before he was supposed to be put down.
Uggie
Uggie, the Parson’s Russell terrier, was touted as the reason the film, “The Artist,” won an Oscar.
Manis
Manis the orangutan starred alongside Clint Eastwood in “Every Which Way But Loose.” Eastwood said Manis was a talented actor.
Mouse Hunt
Contrary to the film’s name, the rodent star of “Mouse Hunt” was actually a rat.
Cheetah
In Tarzan films throughout the 1930s and 1940s the lead character was accompanied by his trusty sidekick, Cheetah, who is actually a chimp. After the original film in 1932, the chimp that played Cheetah passed away suddenly and was then replaces but a dozen others over the years.
Lou
Among the animals used in the film “Cats and Dogs,” along side actor, Jeff Goldblum, was Prada, the Beagle, who was named Lou in the film. She also starred in “Star Trek: Enterprise.”
Komodo Dragon
Matthew Broderick handled a Komodo Dragon in the film “The Freshman.” Because reptiles aren’t exactly the easiest creatures to train, Broderick just grabbed the beast and shot the scenes.
Chimpanzees
Matthew Broderick starred alongside a cast of Chimpanzees in “Project X.” While very smart co-stars, their chimp sounds had to be dubbed over by human vocals.
German Shepherd
Charlton Heston starred alongside a German Shepherd in the book to film adaption of “Call of the Wild.” Heston wasn’t the most friendly guy to work with, but his canine sidekick was a gem.
A Dog’s Purpose
“A Dog’s Purpose,” starring Dennis Quaid, was about a dog discovering his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes and owners. The film was based on a novel by W. Bruce Cameron.
Ghost Cat
This film, starring Ellen Page, was about a girl and her father who moved into a home that was haunted by the previous owner and their cat. The cat, though, was pretty cute for a ghost.
Snow Dogs
“Snow Dogs” was a cheesy movie with Cuba Gooding Jr., but the sled dogs used in the film were total pros, and went on to star in the film “Eight Below” four years later.
Wolf-Dog
Ethan Hawke worked with a wolf-dog hybrid for the film “White Fang” about an interspecies friendship. The animal’s name was Jed and he also starred in “The Thing.”
Toto
Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry who appeared in 16 different films, but her most famous role was on the yellow brick road to Oz with Dorothy.
Homeward Bound
In the heart-wrenching film “Homeward Bound” from 1993, two dogs and a cat go on the ultimate adventure. Four Gold Retrievers, four American Bulldogs, and eight Himalayan cats played the parts of Shadow, Chance, and Sassy.
Old Yeller
The star of the 1957 Disney Film, “Old Yeller,” was a lop-eared yellow Mastador (Mastiff/Labrador Retriever mix).
101 Dalmatians
“101 Dalmatians” was originally an animated Disney film from 1961, and was remade into a live action film in 1996. Two hundred thirty Dalmatian puppies and twenty adult Dalmatians were used in the filming of this movie.
Marmaduke
Marmaduke was originally a comic strip by Brad Anderson and was then adapted to film in 2010. Marmaduke was actually played by several Great Danes.
Wilbur
In the 2006 live action film adaption of the beloved children’s book “Charlotte’s Web,” 46 piglets were used to play Wilbur. All 46 found loving homes in Australia after filming wrapped.
Winn-Dixie
“Because of Winn-Dixie” was originally adapted from a book of the same name. The film was released in 2005 and the part of Winn-Dixie was played by five Picardy Shepherds.
Puffy
The dog in “There’s Something About Mary” was a Border Terrier named Slammer.
Marley
“Marley & Me” was a film adaptation of a book that made audiences around the world shed a tear. The yellow lab was played by “Jonah” who also starred in the 2007 documentary “Zoo.”
Sam
Sam, the German Shepherd in “I Am Legend,” was played by “Abbey.” As of 9/2018, Abbey was 13-years-old and living a leisurely retirement.
Salem Saberhagen
Sabrina the Teenage Witch began as a comic series and was later adapted into a TV series and after that, a Netflix series. While in the first show, Salem was an animatronic cat, the Netflix series from 2018 used the real thing.
Snowbell
Snowbell was the name of the cat in the film “Stuart Little.” He is a pearl Kilala-like white Persian cat voiced by Nathan Lane.
Dog with a Blog
Stan, the dog in the Disney series “Dog with a Blog,” is played by Mick. He replaced Kuma, who played Stan for five episodes before passing away.
Li’l Sebastian
Li’l Sebastian appeared in the season finale of the third season of Parks and Recreation. In the episode they set up a memorial service for the mini horse. In real life, you can meet Gideon, (his real name) as various festivals.
Black Beauty
The horse who played Black Beauty, a Quarter Horse stallion named Docs Keepin Time, also starred in The Horse Whisperer as the ill-fated Gulliver who was killed in the horrible accident.
Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit was played by the thoroughbred race horse, Popcorn Deelites, in the 2003 Oscar-nominated film.
Fang
Hugo, the Neapolitan Mastiff, played Hagrid’s dog, Fang, in the film adaptations of the Harry Potter books.
Beethoven
Chris, the Saint Bernard, originally played Beethoven in the 1992 film, but he tragically passed away in the middle of filming for the third film in the popular franchise.
Paul Anka
The dog who played Paul Anka on The Gilmore Girls is a Polish Lowland Sheepdog named Sparky.
The Beast
Hercules, better known as ‘The Beast’ in the film “The Sandlot” was an English Mastiff that the baseball crew feared.
Max
The dog who played Max in “The Grinch” alongside Jim Carrey was a shelter rescue mutt named Kelley, but the role was played by 6 differed rescue dogs.
Crookshanks
Crookshanks, Hermione Granger’s devilish cat in the Harry Potter films was played by Crackerjack, a male Persian cat. To get his mangy look, his trainers saved his shed fur and reattached it to him.
Mrs. Whiskerson
Mrs. Whiskerson is Rachel Green’s cat in “Friends” in the episode “The One With The Ball.” Whiskerson is a hairless Sphynx cat who is very unfriendly.
Happy
Happy was the Camden’s family dog in the show “7th Heaven.” The white shaggy dog was everyone’s favorite.
Sprinkles
Sprinkles was Angela’s cat on “The Office” who needed extreme medical care. When Dwight was sent to administer its medications, he came back to the office to report that Sprinkles had died.