# Are there famous horse actors? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650 "2018-11-16T22:35:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/1 "2018-11-16T22:35:12Z")
I recently watched _Lonesome Dove_ for the first time and it featured a lot of horses. So I got to thinking, “directors are cheap and horses trained for camera work probably aren’t, so I bet there a lot of the same horses in many movies and shows”. Then I thought there are probably “horse people” who keep track of these things, who might recognize a horse from one movie in other roles, and maybe even hardcore fans who go see a movie specifically because the amazing “Simpleton” is acting as the leading star’s trusty steed. How close am I to reality with this train of thought? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/2 "2018-11-16T22:41:08Z")
[Wikipedia has a list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_in_film_and_television#Horses), on which is a quarter horse called “Hightower” with three film credits. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/3 "2018-11-16T23:01:44Z")
Among horse lovers there are particular horses which stand out in films, such as in the Lord of the Rings movies – the white horse which played the role of Gandalf’s horse, the bay horse which played the role of Brego, Aragorn’s horse, for example. But it’s not like they are famous outside of their little fan group. The horse that played Brego for example was a stallion named Antaeus, I believe. He had a fan website even. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/4 "2018-11-16T23:02:12Z")
Frank the Wonder Horse was in 24 of my pictures. And directed one. And he got the “film by” credit. - Buck McCoy ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/5 "2018-11-16T23:11:56Z")
Roy Rogers’ horse, Trigger, was so popular he had [his own comic book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_(horse)). The horse who played “Trooper” in Animal House has [his own page on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3485621/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t20) and [Highland Dale](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1072757/?ref_=tt_cl_t4) has more credits than many actors. Then there was Bamboo Harvester, aka “Mr. Ed” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/6 "2018-11-16T23:16:41Z")
BoJack Horseman, back in the 90s, was in a very famous show. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/7 "2018-11-17T00:31:00Z")
Hi-yo, Silver! ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/8 "2018-11-17T00:32:45Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Roy Rogers’ horse, Trigger, was so popular he had [his own comic book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_(horse)). Trigger is Maid Marian’s horse in The Adventures of Robin Hood. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/9 "2018-11-17T02:12:58Z")
Was Silver a real horse, and not just a character? I just realized Trigger _was_ a real horse, who died in 1965 and has hoofprints on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And while looking at his wiki page, I found out about Wonder Horses: > [@](#): > > What makes these horses different from others that have appeared on the silver screen is their rise from trusty steed to a genuine screen personality. There have been a number of horses who have enjoyed such fame, often receiving equal or second billing with their human costars. > **[Wonder horses](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_horses)** > > The phrase Wonder Horses refers to the equine companions of cowboy heroes in early Western films. What makes these horses different from others that have appeared on the silver screen is their rise from trusty steed to a genuine screen personality. A number of horses have enjoyed such fame, often receiving equal or second billing with their human costars. > Though the first heroic horses emerged from the silent film era, they were prominently featured in the B-Westerns of the 1930s, 1940s, and 195... ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/10 "2018-11-17T18:39:00Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Was Silver a real horse, and not just a character? According to [this](http://www.ranger.riverviewparkdsm.com/silver.htm), both! There were two for Clayton Moore, he picked the first (“White Cloud”) himself but soon discovered that White Cloud was great for standing still, not so much for tricks. The iconic horse, the one used for promotions and stunts like rearing up, was “Silver”. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/11 "2018-11-17T19:11:46Z")
William Shatner rode his own horse in Star Trek: Generations. She was a Saddlebred named Great Belles of Fire. [Best pic of her I could find.](https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Generations-starring-William-Stewart/dp/B01FKPPGCG) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/12 "2018-11-17T19:23:40Z")
Let’s not forget Champion the Wonder Horse, Gene Autry’s horse. Or actually ‘horses’, as there were eventually three of them over a span of 21 years. Champion even had his own TV series from 1955-1956. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/13 "2018-11-17T19:57:14Z")
I own a picture book my father had when he was a kid called _Rex King of Wild Horses: The Famous Movie Horse_. It says he appears in Universal Pictures movies. No author is listed since “Rex” is telling his own story. “Rex” lists a bunch of movies he’s been in (probably silent, since the copyright date is 1928) but I can’t find them on IBMD. “Prancing Hoofs”, “Harvest of Hate”, “Guardian of the Wild”, “Wild Blood”, “Outlaws”, and “Wild Beauty.” (I’ve found other movies with those titles, but they’re too recent.) ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/14 "2018-11-17T20:33:55Z")
One of my favorites was in Cat Ballou. > [@](#): > > Lee Marvin’s horse in Cat Ballou, Smoky, won a Craven Award in 1966 for his excellent animal “acting.” The Craven Award was named after Richard C. Craven, the first director of the American Humane Association of Hollywood, and is given to animals who demonstrate their skills in supporting roles. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-famous-horse-actors/824650/15 "2018-11-17T21:18:47Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > One of my favorites was in Cat Ballou. Lee Marvin on winning his best supporting actor Oscar: " “Half of this Oscar belongs to a horse someplace out in the valley.”"