26 Dog actors

Ace the Wonder Dog was a German Shepherd Dog that acted in several films and film serials from 1938 to 1946. His first appearance was in the 1938 Lew Landers film Blind Alibi. He is considered by many critics an attempt by RKO Pictures to cash in on the success of Warner Bros.' canine sensation, Rin Tin Tin.

Brownie the Wonder Dog was a popular 1920s dog actor that appeared in several American silent films, including Brownie's Little Venus (1921). He was signed under Century Film Company. Brownie was a Bull Terrier–Fox Terrier crossbreed.

Cook was a Jack Russell Terrier dog actor known for his role as Pancho in the advertisement of Lotería Primitiva of Spain, in which he earned 500 euros per day of shooting.

Higgins was an American dog actor, one of the well known animal actors during the 1960s and 1970s. He is most remembered for his roles as the original Benji, and the uncredited dog from Petticoat Junction, two of the most popular roles he played during a 14-year career in show business.

Jean, also known as the Vitagraph Dog (1902–1916), was a female collie that starred in silent films. Owned and guided by director Laurence Trimble, she was the first canine to have a leading role in motion pictures. Jean was with Vitagraph Studios from 1909, and in 1913 went with Trimble to England to work with Florence Turner in her own independent film company.

Koko was an Australian canine film actor and fundraiser, an Australian Kelpie who was best known for his role as Red Dog the title character of the 2011 film Red Dog. He was owned by Nelson Woss, a producer of Red Dog.

Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog, and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called Lassie Come-Home. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fictional female collie of the same name, featured in the British writer Elizabeth Gaskell's 1859 short story "The Half Brothers". In "The Half Brothers", Lassie is loved only by her young master and guides the adults back to where two boys are lost in a snowstorm.

Lightning was a German shepherd from a line of canine silent film stars. A grandson of Strongheart, Lightning was billed as "The Wonder Dog" and "The Marvel Dog". He began life as a runt but grew to be larger than average for the breed, and he was very intelligent. Lightning appeared in numerous movies.

Luke the Dog (1913–1926) was a Staffordshire Terrier that performed as a recurring character in American silent comedy shorts between 1914 and 1920. He was also the personal pet of actress Minta Durfee and her husband, the comedian and director Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.

Moonie, also known as Moondoggie, was a canine actor. He was a Chihuahua best known for his role as Bruiser Woods in the films Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, appearing alongside actress Reese Witherspoon. He lived with Gidget, another Chihuahua who was famous for her Taco Bell commercials.

Moose was a wire-hair Jack Russell Terrier who portrayed Eddie Crane on the American television sitcom Frasier.

Pal was a male Rough Collie performer and the first in a line of such dogs to portray the fictional female collie Lassie in film, on radio, and on television. Pal was born in California in 1940 and eventually brought to the notice of Rudd Weatherwax, a Hollywood animal trainer. In 1943, the dog was chosen to play Lassie in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer feature film Lassie Come Home. Following his film debut, Pal starred in six more Lassie films for MGM from the mid-1940s to early 1950s, then appeared briefly in shows, fairs, and rodeos around the United States before starring in the two pilots filmed in 1954 for the television series, Lassie. Pal retired after filming the television pilots, and died in June 1958. He sired a line of descendants who continued to play the fictional character he originated. In 1992, The Saturday Evening Post said Pal had "the most spectacular canine career in film history".

Pete the Pup was a character in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies during the 1930s, otherwise known as "Pete, the dog with the ring around his eye", or simply "Petey". The second Pete was an American Staffordshire Terrier named Lucenay’s Peter. He was well known for having a circled eye which was added by Hollywood make-up artist Max Factor and credited as an oddity in Ripley's Believe It or Not. The original Pete was a UKC registered American Pit Bull Terrier named "Pal, the Wonder Dog", and had a natural ring almost completely around his right eye; dye was used to finish it off.

Rin Tin Tin or Rin-Tin-Tin was a male German Shepherd born in Flirey, France, who became an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, Lee Duncan, who nicknamed him "Rinty". Duncan trained Rin Tin Tin and obtained silent film work for the dog. Rin Tin Tin was an immediate box-office success and went on to appear in 27 Hollywood films, gaining worldwide fame. Along with the earlier canine film star Strongheart, Rin Tin Tin was responsible for greatly increasing the popularity of German Shepherd dogs as family pets. The immense profitability of his films contributed to the success of Warner Bros. studios and helped advance the career of Darryl F. Zanuck from screenwriter to producer and studio executive.

Shep, or The Thanhouser Dog or Shep the Dog, was a male collie dog who starred in a number of silent films made by the Thanhouser Company.

Silver Streak was a male German Shepherd that starred in motion pictures. He was a police dog with a long pedigree, the last in a great line that appeared in film, and considered to be Universal's attempt to rival the success of Warner's Rin Tin Tin.

Skippy was a Wire Fox Terrier dog actor who appeared in dozens of movies during the 1930s. Skippy is best known for the role of the pet dog "Asta" in the 1934 detective comedy The Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Due to the popularity of the role, Skippy is sometimes credited as Asta in public and in other films.

Soccer was a Jack Russell Terrier and animal actor. A veteran of many television commercials for such companies like Nike Athletics and Mighty Dog Dog Food, he became famous portraying the talking dog Wishbone in the PBS Kids television series of the same name. Chosen from more than 100 dogs who auditioned for the role, Soccer appeared in almost every episode of the show during its 1995–1998 run. He lived with his trainer, Jackie Martin Kaptan, on the Plano, Texas, ranch where the Wishbone series was filmed and was buried there after his 2001 death. Soccer, as Wishbone, was considered by many to be one of the most beloved TV dogs of the 1990s. His sire Blencathra Badger was the first winner of the Parson Russell Terrier best of breed prize at Crufts in 1990.

Spike (1952–1962) was a lop-eared yellow Mastador and a dog actor best known for his performance as the title character in the 1957 film Old Yeller, in which he co-starred with Tommy Kirk, Beverly Washburn, Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, and Kevin Corcoran. Spike was rescued as a pup from a shelter in Van Nuys, California, and became the pet and pupil of animal trainer Frank Weatherwax.

Etzel von Oeringen, better known as Strongheart, was a male German Shepherd who was one of the early canine stars of feature films.

Sykes was a dog actor from Clifton, Oxfordshire, England. He was best known in the UK for his appearance as Harvey in Thinkbox's television commercial and, under his real name, in Midsomer Murders. He also appeared in several Hollywood blockbusters, as well as a UK TV movie, several series, and a miniseries. Originally found as a stray, he was owned by animal trainer and stunt dog specialist Gill Raddings. Since January 2016 Sykes had been in semi-retirement with him no longer being displayed as available for hire on Gill Raddings' agency website. In September 2016, Midsomer Murders announced that Sykes had retired. He died in June 2019.

Gidget, nicknamed the "Taco Bell Chihuahua", was an advertising figure and mascot for the Taco Bell restaurant chain from September 1997 to July 2000. She was voiced by Carlos Alazraqui, and developed by TBWA. The Chihuahua is a breed commonly associated with Mexico.

Teddy the Dog or Keystone Teddy was the most famous canine actor associated with the Mack Sennett studios. The Great Dane was one of only three of the studio's stars whose name appeared in the title of a film. He performed chiefly in Sennett comedies, but he also appeared in dramatic films including Stella Maris (1918), The Strangers' Banquet (1922) and A Boy of Flanders (1924).

Terry was a female Cairn Terrier performer who appeared in many different movies, most famously as Toto in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939). It was her only credited role, though she was credited not as Terry but as Toto. She was owned and trained by Carl Spitz.

Thunder the Dog was a male German Shepherd that performed in American silent films from 1923 through 1927. Although Thunder's filmography is rather brief, his six- and seven-reel features were much longer and more elaborate than the films in which many of his fellow canine actors appeared during the silent era. His releases did, though, have to compete in the 1920s with other feature films starring rival German Shepherds such as Peter the Great, Napoleon, Rex, and, most notably, Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin. During his career, Thunder worked for Paramount, Gotham Pictures, and Fox Film Corporation; and he shared screen time with Clara Bow, Dorothy Dalton, William Russell, Caryl Lincoln, and other prominent actors of the period.

Uggie was a trained Parson Russell Terrier famous for his roles in Water for Elephants and The Artist. His memoir Uggie, My Story was published in the United States, the UK, and France in October 2012.