10 Famous Animal Actors We All Love

Why do we love our pets so much? Yes, because they are always sincerely happy to see us, and we are also happy to see them. Animals cannot imitate their emotions by wagging their tails and showing the sparkle in their eyes. Therefore, their appearance on the big screen gives us tenderness and a sea of ​​\u200b\u200bpositive emotions. We remember our favorite famous animal actors with all our hearts.

Cat Salem – TV series “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”

Salem, the talking black cat, has become a public favorite thanks to her witty remarks and tears in every situation. His fans still never get tired of making despair memes with him. In the story, Salem is an acquaintance of the young witch Sabrina and the wizard who is imprisoned in the body of an animal for trying to take over the world. Most scenes in the series feature an animatronic cat model voiced by writer and actor Nick Bakay. The dialogue-free scenes featured four trained American Shorthair cats: Elvis, Lucy, Salem and Witch.

Hedwig the Owl – Movies about “Harry Potter”

Hedwig, the arctic owl gifted by Hagrid for his birthday, became Harry Potter’s faithful friend. Like all owls, he was busy delivering letters and had an excellent knowledge of the terrain. He could fly to the designated spot before the young wizards got there. And even though he couldn’t speak, there was no doubt about his love and loyalty. A trained male named Gizmo was chosen for the role of Heap to make it easier for Daniel Radcliffe to handle the animal (they are smaller than females). He performed one of the most difficult stunts during filming: He handed over his Nimbus 2000 broom to Potter. It took almost six months for trainers to teach Gizmo to do this trick.

Dog Hachiko – “Hachiko: The Most Faithful Friend”

If you didn’t cry at this movie, you are an insensitive person! We’re kidding, of course, but the movie is truly touching. Moreover, the film, based on a true story that happened in Japan, tells the story of a loyal Akita Inu dog who continued to wait for his owner at the station for nine years after his death. Thus, Hachiko became a symbol of devotion and was immortalized in a monument. The animal’s remains are kept stuffed at the National Science Museum in Tokyo. In the Hollywood movie starring Richard Gere, the role of Hachiko was played by three Akita Inu dogs named Chico, Lila and Forest. Each of them was personally selected and trained for six months by trainer Boon Narr. Also at the site was Marisa Bellis, a representative of the American Animal Rights Association (AHA). He made sure the dogs got enough food and rest. On his initiative, a costume was sewn for the pets so that they would not freeze, since the shooting took place in winter. Richard Gere admitted that he managed to get attached to each of these beautiful dogs.

Collie Lassie – “Lassie Comes Home”

Clever and beautiful, Lassie remains the most popular dog in cinema history. As many as 26 films and six TV series were shot about him! In February 1960, Collie’s name appeared on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, albeit without his paw prints. In the story, Lassie was separated from her owner, Joe; Due to financial difficulties the colliery was sold to the Scottish Duke. His daughter (played by 10-year-old Elizabeth Taylor) helped the faithful dog return to Joe’s side.

Although the name Lassie means “girl,” she was portrayed by a dog named Pal, originally from California. His owner and friend was trainer Rudd Weatherwax. The dog appeared in seven Lassie movies alone. Weathervox’s dispute with the MGM studio ended the animal’s career. After the movie, he and Pal earned money by performing in department stores in America. In 1958 Pal passed away. She lived a happy 18 years as a dog. Subsequent Lassie films featured dogs similar in appearance to Pal’s Collie.

Dalmatians – “101 Dalmatians”

Is it hard to imagine having 101 Dalmatians at home? You’ll be surprised, but there were even more of them during the filming: 20 adult dogs and about 230 puppies. Because the little Dalmatians grew so quickly and had to be about the same age in the movies, directors had to change the pets every two weeks. In order not to disturb their owners, the puppies were given a certificate stating that they acted in the movie. When 101 Dalmatians was released, the genre instantly rose in popularity.

Pig Babe – “Baby: Four-Legged Baby”

Watching this movie, it’s hard to believe that not all the animal scenes were drawn. Of course, the creators resorted to computer graphics here and there, but the animals were real. A total of 500 animals participated in the shooting! Babe the pig, who is also the main character, was played by some 46 Yorkshire piglets. This amount was needed because pigs were growing very fast and a piglet of a certain age had to be taken. Since this animal is difficult to train, an animatronic pig doll was made specifically for filming.

St. Bernard Beethoven – “Beethoven”

In the movie of the same name, the wonderful St. Bernard Beethoven was played by a dog named Chris. Viewers remembered her for her perky attitude and “battles” with the head of the family, George, who in every possible way opposed the dog in the house. When Beethoven falls into the hands of an evil veterinarian, the hero realizes his love for the pet and saves him.

A Golden Retriever was originally supposed to star in the film, but St. Trainer Carl Lewis Miller, who had worked with the Bernards in a horror movie, fell in love with these dogs and suggested changing the script. As a result, her choice fell on the talented dog Chris. Unfortunately, after filming the first episode, St. Bernard Chris retired to a farm and later died there at the age of 12. Other dogs of the same breed also played other parts of Beethoven: the dog Benz in the stunt scenes, the female Dolly in the moments with the puppies, the dog Boomer in the comic episodes.

German Shepherd Rex – “Commissioner Rex”

The brave dog Rex, the guardian of the law, was played by a man named Santo von Haus Zieglmauer (or Beejay). The German Shepherd Dog was chosen from 40 candidates for this role. Previously St. He was trained by famous trainers Carl Lewis Miller and his daughter Teresa Ann, who had worked with Bernard Beethoven and even Babe the pig. They taught the animal to bring shoes on command, steal buns, jump from high places and look pitifully at the player. Beginning with the fifth season, Beejay retired and was replaced by a younger actor named Rhett Butler, named after the character in the movie Gone with the Wind. The latter had to be made up so that the audience would not notice the substitution.

Setter Bim – “White Bim Black Ear”

How many tears were shed by schoolchildren reading Gabriel Troepolsky’s story “White Bim Black Ear”! And how heartbreaking Stanislav Rostotsky’s film adaptation turned out to be. The leading roles in the film were Vyacheslav Tikhonov, who played the British setter Steve and his owner. The shooting of the film was difficult: at first they waited a year for Tikhonov, who was busy with another project, then they could not find a foreign film, for which the authorities refused to allocate money. This was important because shooting in domestic films required hot, blinding spotlights, which would subject the animal to torture.

Choosing the role of Bim was also not easy: almost no Scottish setter was trained in Russia, so they chose a different kind of actor. After a long search, they found a trained dog named Steve, whom the players affectionately called “Styopka”. The dog did a great job! The only thing is that Styopka had a stunt double in the scene where Bim’s paw got stuck between the rails; A dog of the same breed named Dandy. Although Tikhonov managed to gain Steve’s trust, the dog really missed his real owner, who “rented” him for a year and a half for filming. By the way, Steve’s acting talent was also appreciated abroad: in 1978, the dog was nominated for an Oscar, and American audiences could barely hold back their tears and gave a standing ovation.

Penguins – “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”

Filming animals is no easy task, but director Mark Waters decided to tell the story with minimal CGI at all costs. Mr. Popper’s Penguins featured as many as six sub-Antarctic penguins. Their names were Captain, Screamer, Biter, Stinky, Laskun, Dunduk. And they are simply amazing! The penguins melted the hearts of not only the audience but the entire set. Jim Carrey, who plays businessman Popper, said they were “10 times cuter than puppies.” And we believe it. Meanwhile, the penguins, along with other cast members, walked the red carpet at the premiere in Hollywood.