37 Facts About Iconic Animal Movie Stars

Animals, who doesn’t love them? Okay, some people don’t, but those people are creeps, and we’re not talking about them today.

What we are talking about are those lovable, sometimes four-legged superstars of cinema. They light up the screen and remind us why the world might be better off if we handed it over to the animals. That's not likely, but movies are an escape and place to dream. It’s also where we pine away for Taco Bell to bring back the taco burger. That too, is unlikely to happen, mainly because the world is a harsh, unfair place.

Anyway, we hear and read about the lives of Hollywood actors on a daily basis, but what about their animal counterparts? There’s no TMZ for animals yet, but that’s probably coming in 2024 unless Entertainment Tonight: Animals beats them to it. Until then, we decided they deserved some attention, too, and dug up some interesting facts about them…

37

Milky White the COW INTO THE WOODS CRACKED.COM James Corden said that Tug the COW was a f*ing nightmare... Meryl Streep is giving a phenomenal performance and it's scuppered by just 'MOOOOOOO!! — USA Today

36

The real name of the cat who played Mr. Bigglesworth in Austin Powers? Ted Nudegent NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Telegraph

35

The dog who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz earned $125 a week For comparision, the Munchkins were reportedly paid $50 a week. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NPR

34

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Blink-182's monkey AMERICAN PIE CRACKED.COM If you need a monkey in your film, Crystal is your girl. She's appeared in The Hangover Part II, as well as every Night at the Museum and Eddie Murphy Dr Dolittle. — IMDB

33

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Willy FREE WILLY CRACKED.COM Keiko the whale was rescued from a dumpy aquatic park when he was cast in the film. A prompt at the end of the film actually raised enough funds to free Keiko, and he was released back into the wild. But he never quite got the hang of socializing with other whales, so he didn't exactly thrive in the last few years of his life. — CNN

32

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Hooch TURNER & HOOCH CRACKED.COM Beasley the French Mastiff lived to the age of 14 -. twice the average lifespan of the breed. Henry Winkler, who was originally slated to direct the film, once said he left the project because he got along better with Hooch than I did with Turner — E!

31

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Toto THE WIZARD OF OZ CRACKED.com Terry the Terrier already had a prolific film career before she was cast in The Wizard of Oz - where they renamed her Toto. Hollywood used to be brutal, man. She's been memorialized in LA's prestigious Hollywood Forever Cemetery. — Atlas Obscura

30

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... The Taco Bell Chihuahua CRACKED.COM Gidget the dog went on star in Legally Blonde 2, among other TV and movie spots. She even opened the New York Stock Exchange, a career highlight for any thespian. — CNN

29

A herd of sheep BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN CRACKED.COM Director Ang Lee said the groundbreaking sex scenes were nothing compared to the shepherding scenes: No more sheeps. Never again sheeps. — BBC

28

Rin Tin Tin was found by an American solider in France during WWI The puppy was one of only a few dogs to survive the shelling of a kennel. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NPR

27

WHAT EVER Petey HAPPENED TO... THE LITTLE RASCALS CRACKED.COM Pal the Wonder Dog was paid $125 per week the second-highest salary in the whole cast. Bizarrely, Pal was poisoned by an unknown piece of human trash in 1930, and his son Pete took over the role. — The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang

26

Peggy the chimp BEDTIME FOR BONZO CRACKED.COM If it weren't for... his entire political legacy, this film would be Ronald Reagan's most embarrassing professional moment. It was said that he was the first president in history to be out-acted by a chimp. Peggy once even choked him out by yanking on his tie until a crewmember came and cut it off his neck. — MentalFloss

25

Orangey the Cat had over a decade of acting experience before he was in Breakfast at Tiffany's. The cat was in demand for his ability to sit still. However one executive called him the world's meanest cat, known for attacking human costars. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Woman's World

24

You might recognize Crystal the Monkey from George of the Jungle, Night at the Museum, or The Hangover Part II The monkey reportedly earned $12,000 per episode of Animal Practice. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — New York Magazine

23

Marcel the monkey FRIENDS CRACKED.COM Katie the monkey was supposed to be a series regular, but blew her shot by pooping, puking, and eating worms at every opportunity. David Schwimmer famously hated his scene partner: I wish it were dead. — EW

22

Mister Ed was played by a horse named Bamboo Harvester YOU AND YOUR There's a gravestone for Mister Ed in Oklahoma that's actually for the body double of Mister Ed, Pumpkin. Bamboo Harvester's ashes were spread in an unknown location. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — KGOU

21

Eight different Maine Coons PET SEMATARY (2019) CRACKED.COM Director Kevin Kolsch wanted his spooky cat to mimic the cover of the original Stephen King novel, but Maine Coons can pretty much only learn one trick each. For each action, they had to bring in a new cat and let it sniff around and get acclimated: They were like this pack of divas on set. — The Cats In The New 'Pet Sematary' Were 'A Pack Of Divas'

20

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Shadowfax LOTR CRACKED.COM Blanco the horse was purchased by his trainer, Cynthia Royal, who called him her soul mate in a fur suit. That's sweet! ...right? Not weird? Sound off in the comments. — San Diego Union Tribune

19

Untrained lions ROAR CRACKEDG Hollywood power couple Tippi Hedren and Neil Marshall decided to use their own pet lions for the film, which went about as well as you might expect. Melanie Griffith was mauled on set, and needed reconstructive face surgery. — CBS News

18

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Lassie CRACKED.COM Lots of Collies played the part, but Pal was the first to really embody the fearlessness of the character. After he retired, five of his puppies went on to play the role. — The Story of Lassie: His Discovery and Training from Puppyhood to Stardom

17

Eddie FRASIER CRACKED.COM He was a fan favorite, but Moose the dog was actually a dogsh*t actor. Kelsey Grammer said he usually lets the undue praise fly, but I do draw the line when somebody says, 'Oh, he's such a good little actor.' He's not an actor, he's a dog. — Washington Post

16

The nine dogs who played Lassie all had their own pet dogs so they didn't get lonely All the Lassies have been male descendants of the original Lassie, Pal. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Orlando Sentinel

15

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Lady GAME OF THRONES CRACKED.COM Sophie Turner says her parents never let her have a dog growing up, but they changed their tune after falling in love with Zunni on set: We knew they wanted to re-home her. My mum persuaded them to let us adopt her. — 16 Movie And TV Life-Affirming Behind-The-Scenes Stories

14

Jimmy the Raven was in many famous movies, from The Wizard of Oz to It's a Wonderful Life. Any actor would be jealous of his prolific career spanning almost twenty years, sharing the screen with Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Washington Examiner

13

Jack the monkey PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN CRACKED.COM After shipping him down to Australia, they had to keep him quarantined for 30 days, after which time he went ahead and bit a makeup artist's ear. — NY Daily News

12

David Schwimmer and Marcel's monkey trainer are in a long-standing feud Schwimmer said the trainer didn't let him bond with the monkey while the trainer accuses the actor of being jealous of the laughs his animal costar got. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — EW

11

A hungry elephant INDIANA JONES CRACKED.COM After filming the scene where Kate Capshaw and Harrison Ford ride elephants into the jungle in Temple of Doom, one of the elephants straight-up ate Capshaw's dress. They actually had to make the dubious claim of eaten by elephant on an insurance form. — MentalFloss

10

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Comet FULL HOUSE CRACKED.COM Buddy the golden retriever was discovered on America's Funniest Home Videos, playing football, basketball, and other traditionally human-dominated sports. That all tracks, since he went on to get his own franchise: Air Bud. — IMDB

9

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Flipper CRACKED.COM Kathy was the most famous of the 5 dolphins to play Flipper. Sadly, trainer Richard O'Barry says that she died in his arms a little while after retiring. She was placed in a tank that was way too goddamn small for her, and she reportedly swam up to him and voluntarily stopped breathing, which is something dolphins can apparently do. — Dolphin Project

8

Eddie from Frasier received more fan mail than any of his human costars Moose the dog also played Skip in 2000's My Dog Skip. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — BBC

7

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Dunston DUNSTON CHECKS IN He'i about CRACKED.co Sam the orangutan also appeared in Planet of the Apes, The Flintstones, even Baywatch. When he got too physically large to work (orangutans are fuzzy killing machines, after all), he retired to Florida and had a baby with his lifelong companion, Geri. — Center for Great Apes

6

Cozette the dog THE SOPRANOS CRACKED .com Even the trainer of the fussy Maltese, named Little Nicky, admitted that the dog kind of sucked at acing. Drea de Matteo agreed: she was always biting us. That's about the last thing you want your scene partner to BE doing. — EW

5

Buddy, the titular star of Air Bud, was still able to shoot hoops after one of his legs was amputated In addition to Air Bud, the former stray was also in America's Funniest Home Videos and Full House. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The Spokesman-Review

4

Bart the Bear THE OSCARS CRACKED.COM Bart was Hollywood's go-to bear for much of the 80's, and there was even a campaign to get him nom'd for an oscar. The campaign failed, but he did make it to The Oscars stage as a presenter in 1988, to the abject horror of the crew: they had all sorts of people off to the side waiting in case something went wrong. — That Time A Bear Almost Got An Oscar Nomination (No, Really.)

3

Bart the Bear... Jr? GAME OF THRONES CRACKED.COM Apparently not related to the original Bart, but definitely named after him, this Bart was a real dud. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau said he required a round of applause just to leave his trailer The whole crew had to applaud and go, 'Yeaaaaaah, Bart! Come on, Bart! You're the best!''' — EW

2

A clumsy babboon EVAN ALMIGHTY CRACKED.COM Steve Carrell tried riffing with a babboon, pretending to be mad when the creature spilled some lemonade. It thought he was actually angry, SO it bared its teeth and it took a very aggressive stance with me. The trainer then reminded Carrell not to f around with babboons. — NY Daily News

1

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO... Aragorn's horse LOTR CRACKED.COM Viggo Mortensen bought Brego, and two other horses that were ridden in the films. One was a gift for a stuntwoman who had grown fond of her equine colleague. — 16 Movie And TV Life-Affirming Behind-The-Scenes Stories

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