14 Animal Actors You Might Not Know You've Seen In Multiple Movies
1.Crystal the Monkey
Appeared in: Doctor Dolittle (1998), American Pie (1999), Night at the Museum (2006), Community (2010–13), The Hangover Part II (2011), We Bought a Zoo (2011), Animal Practice (2012–13), and I Know This Much Is True (2020)
There are few animal actors as recognizable as Crystal the capuchin monkey. She's worked alongside actors like Bradley Cooper, Robin Williams, Rebel Wilson, Donald Glover, Scarlett Johansson, and more! Scott Armstrong, the co-writer of The Hangover Part II, said about Crystal, "She’s just the best. She’s really a uniquely talented animal.”
2.Moose
Appeared in: Frasier (1993–2003) and My Dog Skip (2000)
Moose stole hearts as Martin Crane's adorable Jack Russell terrier, Eddie, on Frasier. While he drove Frasier to madness, Kelsey Grammer made sure to thank him in his acceptance speech at the 1994 Emmy Awards: "Most important, Moose, this is for you.” In the later seasons of the show, Eddie was played by Moose's son Enzo, because Moose's fur started graying too rapidly.
3.Buddy
Appeared in: Full House (1995) and Air Bud (1997)
Buddy was a stray discovered by trainer Kevin DiCicco. DiCicco introduced Buddy to Air Bud director Charles Martin Smith, and the rest is history. Smith also went on to direct A Dog's Way Home: "I find animals fascinating to make movies about. They're always honest. You always get an honest performance out of an animal."
4.Orangey
Appeared in: Rhubarb (1951), Our Miss Brooks (1953–55), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), The Comedy of Terrors (1963), and The Beverly Hillbillies (1963–66)
Orangey won two Patsy Awards — the animal equivalent of an Oscar — for his roles in Rhubarb and Breakfast at Tiffany's. He's basically the Meryl Streep of feline actors. Orangey didn't retire after the success of Breakfast at Tiffany's; instead he continued to work well into the 1960s!
5.Bart the Bear
Appeared in: The Bear (1988), White Fang (1991), Legends of the Fall (1994), and The Edge (1997)
Bart the Bear was born at the Baltimore Zoo in 1977. He was adopted by Doug and Lynne Seus, who trained him to be a successful actor through a praise and reward system. Anthony Hopkins, who worked with Bart on Legends of the Fall and The Edge, would spend hours sitting with Bart on set, admiring his peaceful demeanor.
6.Bart the Bear II
Appeared in: Into the Wild (2007), We Bought a Zoo (2011), Game of Thrones (2013), and Into the Grizzly Maze (2015)
This 8.5-foot tall, 1,110-pound Alaskan brown bear was born in 2000 and continues to work today. Bart the Bear II has appeared in countless movies and is widely known for his scene-stealing duel against Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones.
7.Max
Appeared in: The Mask (1994) and Mr. Accident (2000)
Trained by Joe McCarter, this scrappy pooch made waves as Milo in The Mask. Unfortunately, Max did not reprise his role as Stanley Ipkiss’s loyal sidekick in the sequel film Son of the Mask. However, he did land the role of Wayne the Dog in the 2000 film Mr. Accident.
8.Katie
Appeared in: Friends (1994–96), The Loop (2006), 30 Rock (2009), and Sam & Cat (2013)
Katie captivated audiences as Ross's pet monkey Marcel on Friends. Unfortunately, David Schwimmer didn't have the kindest words to say about his co-star back in the day: "I hate the monkey; I wish it were dead.” However, that hasn't stopped Katie from finding work in the industry. She has also acted on Ariana Grande's Nickelodeon series Sam & Cat and appeared on NBC's 30 Rock.
9.Terry
Appeared in: Barefoot Boy (1938), The Wizard of Oz (1939), and Bad Little Angel (1939)
Terry was born in 1933 and attended Carl Spitz's Hollywood Dog Training School. Carl Spitz had previously trained military and police dogs during World War I. His silent hand signal training method gave his animals a huge advantage as Hollywood transitioned from silent movies to talking pictures. Terry most famously portrayed Dorothy's puppy, Toto, in The Wizard of Oz.
10.Manis the Orangutan
Appeared in: Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Fantasy Island (1979), CHiPs (1983), and Cheers (1988)
Manis famously played Clyde, Clint Eastwood's sidekick in Every Which Way but Loose. However, he had grown too large to appear in the sequel, Any Which Way You Can, and was replaced by C.J. the Orangutan. Manis booked a few other projects and continued to work in his trainer's Las Vegas act.
11.Bonny
Appeared in: Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Key and Peele (2012)
Bonny formed a special bond with Christopher Walken during the filming of Seven Psychopaths. Walken spoke highly of his canine co-star while she walked the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival: "The dog is like an angel."
12.Trigger
Appeared in: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Hollywood Canteen (1944), Brazil (1944), My Pal Trigger (1946), Out California Way (1946), Eyes of Texas (1948), and Spoilers of the Plains (1951)
Any Western movie fan will recognize Roy Rogers' noble stead, Trigger. He starred in the majority of Roy Rogers' films and was affectionally known by many as "the smartest horse in the movies." Trigger's hoof prints can be seen next to Rogers' hand prints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
13.Pal
Appeared in: Lassie Come Home (1943), Courage of Lassie (1946), Hills of Home (1948), Lassie's Great Adventure (1963), Lassie (1954–73)
When MGM put out a casting call for a collie, over 300 dogs showed up to audition. Pal didn't make the cut, but his trainer, Rudd Weatherwax, didn't give up and took Pal to the studio to meet with Lassie Come Home director Fred M. Wilcox. After one screen test, Pal was awarded the part. Other collies have gone on to portray Lassie, but Pal was the original star!
14.And Rin Tin Tin
Appeared in: Where the North Begins (1923), Clash of the Wolves (1925), While London Sleeps (1926), Jaws of Steel (1927), Rinty of the Desert (1928), The Million Dollar Collar (1929), The Lone Defender (1930), On the Border (1930)
Lee Duncan, an American serviceman in World War I, adopted Rin Tin Tin from a kennel on the battlefield. After the war, Duncan moved Rin Tin Tin to California, where he started booking acting gigs in silent movies. The German Shepard made quite the name for himself in that time, and when he passed away in 1932 his descendants took over his legacy on the big screen.
