Famous Dogs & Their Owners in Movies

There's an old saying in Hollywood: Never act with children or animals; you'll always be upstaged. But many movie stars have ignored that advice and made blockbuster movies with both dogs and kids that have become classics. Some dogs are memorable, others were famous only for a while.

  1. Dogs and Kids

    • Despite the feminine moniker, Lassie was played by several male rough-coated collies.

      The first dog whose name appeared in the credits of a movie played the title character in a silent 1905 British movie titled "Rescued by Rover," in which a rough-coated collie tracked down a missing baby and alerted his owner, Cecil Hepworth. Though maybe not famous by today's standards, Blair -- who played Rover -- will always have the distinction of being the first dog to star in a movie. Perhaps he was the inspiration for Lassie, another rough-coated collie who famously notified her family that her young master, Timmy, had fallen down a well during television episodes, and in the 1943 movie "Lassie Come Home" found her way back to her beloved master, Joe Carraclough.

    More Dogs and Kids

    • Beethoven was a drooling, unruly St. Bernard in the movie with the same name.

      Known as "shorts," the 1930s comedy series "The Little Rascals" or "Spanky and Our Gang" featured a happy, friendly dog named Petey, a pit bull who was owned by nobody in particular and loved by all of America. In the 1960s and '70s, Petey moved to the small screen and helped the pit bull become "America's family dog" because he was quick to protect, love and engage every member of the gang as if each were his master. In the movie "Beethoven," which featured a St. Bernard as the title character, a lovable pup quickly grows enormous, much to the delight of the kids in the Newton family but to the chagrin of the long-suffering George Newton, played by Charles Grodin.

    German Shepherd Dogs

    • Rin Tin Tin's descendants carried on his legacy.

      Rin Tin Tin, a handsome German shepherd dog, had a stroke of luck during World War I when American soldier Lee Duncon found him on the battlefield, brought him home and launched his career as a movie star -- first in silent movies and later in 27 movies and a television series. The original Rin Tin Tin's bloodline was carefully bred, and many of his direct descendants, all named Rin Tin Tin, went on to appear in other films.

      Abby, another German shepherd, played opposite Will Smith as Samantha, the faithful and protective companion of Robert Neville in the film "I Am Legend." It was later reported that the two fell in love and Smith tried to adopt Abby, but failed.

    Police Dogs

    • A much younger Tom Hanks played opposite a dogue de bordeaux named Hooch.

      Then there's the stubborn but handsome German shepherd named for Jerry Lee Lewis in the 1989 comedy "K9," featuring Jim Belushi. Jerry Lee won over the reticent Officer Dooley, played by Belushi, in a script written by a real cop, Steven Siegel. That same year, a dogue de bordeaux named Beasley played Hooch opposite Tom Hank's character, Detective Scott Turner, as an eyewitness to a murder who not only solves the crime, but finds Turner a suitable and stunning wife, a vet played by Mare Willingham.

    So Many Dogs

    • There was Hagrid's dog Fang in the Harry Potter movies, and of course, Toto, Dorothy's little scruffy dog in "The Wizard of Oz." "Marley and Me" was the true story of a yellow lab named Marley, immortalized in a book by his owner, John Grogan. Shadow and Chance saw to it that the Himalayan cat who was their traveling companion made it home in "Homeward Bound," and to bring America back to its cinematic roots, Ugie was the charismatic terrier who stole the show in the 2011 silent movie, "The Artist."