10 Famous Dogs and Cats
Lassie
Many an actor with opposable thumbs would love to boast Lassie’s storied film and television career. The iconic collie is the star of one novel, six feature films, and 19 years on the small screen, not to mention a few Emmy awards, and her own star on the Hollywood walk of Fame. Photo: State Archive of Florida
Rin Tin Tin
The celebrated German Shepherd made the transition from the muddy trenches of WWI to the bright lights of Hollywood look easy. Although his first few movies were silent films, Rin Tin Tin went on to star in 27 Hollywood features. He even received the most votes for the award for Best Actor at the very first Academy Awards, although the award was ultimately given to the human runner-up. Photo: Warner Brothers
Petey
While the iconic ring around the Staffordshire terrier’s right eye had to be completed with black make-up, Petey was plenty tough, and fit right in with the rowdy gang on “The Little Rascals”. Photo: Robert F. McGowan
Mr. Bigglesworth
“When Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset… PEOPLE DIE!” That sounds harsh, but perhaps we should go easy on the purebred Egyptian Sphinx considering his dad is a world-renowned evil genius. Or he could just be a little sensitive about losing his hair. Mr.Bigglesworth became permanently bald when he and Dr. Evil were forced to make a hasty escape in a cryogenic capsule. Photo: New Line Cinema
Laika
One minute she’s rifling through garbage cans on the streets of Moscow, the next minute she’s preparing for lift off. This Russian street dog was one of the first animals to enter space, and the first to orbit the earth in the Soviet Sputink 2 spacecraft. While Laika didn’t survive the flight, she proved that humans could survive the launch into orbit, paving the way for space exploration.
Toto
Flying monkeys. Wicked witches. Class 5 Tornadoes. And little Toto stayed right by Dorothy’s side through it all. Talk about loyalty. A female brindle terrier named ‘Terry’ earned $125 per week playing Toto in the 1939 film adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s Oz series – more than some of the two legged actors on set.
Scooby Doo
We may never know for sure why Scooby and Shaggy were always hungry, but there’s no question about Scooby’s crime fighting resolve. A heightened fear of ghosts would have steered other great danes toward alpine rescue work, but Scooby and the gang took on villainous specters of all shapes and sizes. When he gasped “Ruh roh!” with his raspy, lovable speech impediment, we always knew trouble was right around the corner.