Top 10 Animal Actors
Most great actors are human. But sometimes great acting performances extend beyond species & an animal can give us a great acting performance. What an intro. In this list I will countdown the Top 10 Best Movie Animal Actors:
Bart the Bear- A male Kodiak bear, Bart lived for 23 years from 1977-2000. He appeared in a number of TV & film roles through his life & was even a presenter at the Academy Awards in 1998. Bart appeared in films like ‘The Clan of the Cave Bear,’ ‘White Fang,’ ‘Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey,’ ‘12 Monkeys,’ ‘The Edge,’ & he actually played the lead in ‘The Bear.’ Bart’s namesake, Bart the Bear II, lived from 2000-2021 and appeared in ‘Into the Wild,’ ‘Evan Almighty,’ ‘We Bought a Zoo,’ & ‘Game of Thrones.’
Crystal the Monkey- A tufted capuchin, Crystal is going strong at age 30 as of writing this article. Crystal is one of the most recognizable animal actors and has a very extensive & impressive filmography. Her credits include ‘George of the Jungle,’ ‘The Hangover Part II,’ ‘The Fabelmans,’ ‘American Pie,’ ‘3:10 to Yuma,’ ‘Garfield: The Movie,’ ‘The Shaggy Dog,’ ‘Malcolm in the Middle,’ ‘Community,’ ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ ‘We Bought a Zoo,’ a main role in the series ‘Animal Practice,’ and most notably, the role of Dexter in the ‘Night at the Museum’ films.
Jimmy the Raven- A raven actor who lived from 1934-1956, Jimmy has the most extensive filmography on this list. He appeared in over 1,000 movies in the 30s, 40s, & 50s, many of which are very well known. Those films include the Best Picture winner, ‘You Can’t Take It With You,’ ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ & ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Jimmy could type, open letters, & even ride a small motorcycle. He could understand hundreds of words and was said to complete the same level of tasks as an eight-year old human. Jimmy was known for being able to complete a scene in very few takes & was a recipient of the Red Cross gold medal because he spent over 200 hours entertaining war veterans.
Keiko the Orca- A male orca who was believed to be born around 1976, Keiko was captured in the Atlantic Ocean in 1979 near Iceland & was kept in an aquarium before being transferred to Canada in 1982. Keiko had health problems his whole life due to improper care, but gained fame when he played the titular role in 1993’s ‘Free Willy.’ After the success of the film, his health & care both increased due to more accessible funding. He eventually died in 2003. This was a sad one.
Orangey the Cat- Orangey was a cat actor in the 50s & 60s and was a male shorthair tabby cat. Orangey appeared in films like ‘Rhubarb,’ ‘The Diary of Anne Frank,’ & most notably, ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ where she played the role of Cat.
Messi- I’m not going to put ‘the Dog’ on all these, but just know all the rest of these entries are dogs because dogs are the most prevalent. Many notable dog films & their stars are still excluded from this list like ‘Marley & Me’ and ‘Hachi: A Dog’s Tale.’ Our first dog is Messi, a border collie actor who actually only has one film role, Snoop in ‘Anatomy of a Fall.’ Messi won the Palm Dog Award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival & became a viral sensation, he even had his own seat at the 96th Academy Awards.
Pal- The first in a longline of dogs to play perhaps the most famous movie dog, Lassie, Pal was a Rough Collie who lived 18 years. Pal played Lassie in the pilot episodes of two TV series and five films, as well as two other non-Lassie film credits.
Buddy- One of the more modern famous dogs is Buddy, a Golden Retriever who played the titular Air Bud in the first film of the ‘Air Bud’ series. Buddy also appeared on TV on ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos,’ ‘Late Night with David Letterman,’ ‘Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards,’ and played the role of Comet in one episode of ‘Full House.’
Peggy- A British Pugese (crossbreed between a Pug & Chinese Crested Dog), Peggy was voted the ugliest dog in all of Britain in 2023. She made a few reality TV appearances with her newfound fame before Ryan Reynolds took note and cast her in the role of Dogpool in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ of which she was a major marketing tool.
Terry- A female Cairn Terrier, Terry appeared in various films, but was hands down most famous for her role as Toto in ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ The film & character were so popular, Toto became the dog’s official name. She & Judy Garland bonded greatly during filming, so much so that Garland offered to buy Toto from her owners, though they declined her offer. Toto received $125 per week while filming, which was a higher rate than many human actors in the film, and was actually a higher rate than the average American made at the time ($2,800 today). In 2011 a permanent memorial was dedicated to her at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in LA.
