Celebrities differ from us regular folk in many ways, but one thing we mere mortals have in common with the A-list is our love for our pets.
Whether everyday pets like cats or dogs, or hair-raising, not-so-domestic creatures such as tigers, through the years, celebrities have been happy to show off their furry friends. Let’s take a look through some of the most iconic photos of stars through the years posing with their pets at home.
Click or scroll through and prepare to be surprised...
Once one of America’s richest and most famous women, Canada-born Mary Pickford was a star of the silent movie era, and one of Hollywood’s first film icons. Known for her curly locks and vivid expressions, Pickford also later starred in “the talkies”, but was most successful in silent movies.
Here, she’s pictured embracing two terrier puppies, with a kitten in the palm of her hand.
American actress Joan Crawford initially hit headlines as a Jazz age flapper, and when “the talkies” became all the rage, she successfully managed to make it as a talking actress, winning an Academy Award for her performance in Mildred Pierce.
Crawford was married four times, with three marriages to actors, including Douglas Fairbanks Jr. A devoted animal lover, here Crawford is pictured at home with one of her pet dachshunds.
Known as much for her standout performances in classic Hollywood movies as her colourful personal life and eight marriages, Dame Elizabeth Taylor once said: “Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses”.
Throughout her life, she had many different pets: here, she’s pictured bathing her golden cocker spaniel Amy, and getting rather soaked while doing it.
Dame Taylor starred alongside seven-year-old thoroughbred King Charles in the movie National Velvet. She had already ridden the horse at her country club, so personally chose him to play her horse in the movie.
They were fond of each other, and once the movie had wrapped, the studio gifted King Charles to Dame Taylor, and he lived out his life as her horse.
French actress Micheline Presle lived to the grand old age of 101, and through her life, starred in over 150 films, most notably the once-banned film Le Diable au Corps, in which a married First World War nurse has an affair.
Here, Presle is pictured in 1953 on the telephone, accompanied by her pet dog.
She may be in her 90s now, but award-winning English actress Dame Joan Collins is as iconic as ever. Famed for her appearance as Alexis Carrington on Dynasty, as well penning numerous novels and memoirs, which have sold over 50 million copies worldwide, Dame Collins is also an active humanitarian.
She has been married five times: here, she is pictured with her first husband, Maxwell Reed, and their pet monkey Spider, at their Spanish-themed home in London's swanky Mayfair.
In addition to owning a pet monkey, Dame Collins owned many other animals during her life, including a series of adorable dogs.
In this glamorous photograph by Slim Aarons, Dame Collins sprawls out on a bed, with her pink poodle, complete with blush paint on the walls, and even a pink telephone on the bedside table.
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, Marilyn Monroe rose to stardom with roles as a blonde bombshell in films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes cementing her as a pop culture icon. Here, Monroe is photographed with playwright Arthur Miller, her third husband, at his summer home in Roxbury, Connecticut.
The playwright wrote award-winning plays such as Death of a Salesman. The pair are pictured, all smiles with Hugo, the Basset hound – but when their marriage ended, Miller kept the dog.
Film and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn was born in Belgium and is best known for starring in classic movie hits such as My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Roman Holiday, for which she won an Academy Award.
Hepburn was a lover of animals, especially dogs. More unusually, Hepburn also had a pet fawn, named Pippin, or “Ip” for short. An animal trainer suggested she take Ip home from the film set of Green Mansions so they got used to each other, and they were soon inseparable. Ip enjoyed a leisurely life, even accompanying her to parties.
As mentioned, Hepburn also owned a number of dogs throughout her life, including poodles, Jack Russell terriers, a boxer and a Yorkshire terrier named Mr. Famous, who had a cameo in Funny Face.
She was also an advocate for children’s rights, becoming a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1988, wanting to give something back after herself receiving food and medical relief after the Second World War. Her efforts led to her being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992.
Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso was one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, and over the course of his life, he created over 20,000 works of art in various forms, including paintings, sculptures and ceramics.
His Dalmatian, Perro, pictured here with him at home in Villa La Californie, Cannes, France, was the subject of multiple artworks. He also had a dachshund, Lump, and a boxer called Jan, alongside a goat and a number of doves.
The son of an Italian actress and a Spanish bullfighter, Spanish singer and actor Miguel Bosé has had a fascinating life right from the get-go, counting Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway among his family friends.
His musical success was rewarded in 2007 with a Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award. Here, Bosé doesn’t look fazed as a small leopard stretches across his lap, in a picture from 1967 at his house in the Somosaguas neighbourhood of Madrid.
Two decades later, Bosé’s love for animals had not waned, as he sat for a picture in the garden of his house, accompanied by two lively dogs.
As well as his love for cuddly creatures, Bosé also campaigns to protect oceans, working with organisations such as Oceana, the international conservation organisation.
Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones has had a successful career spanning over 50 years. His top hits have included recognisable songs like It’s Not Unusual and What’s New, Pussycat?. He’s also known for his on-screen appearances, most recently as a coach on the talent show The Voice UK.
Here, he is pictured at his home in Weybridge, Surrey, in December 1968, alongside his pet dog.
Dame Judi Dench is a national treasure, with award-winning performances in plays, TV series and films under her belt. She’s also a passionate animal activist, campaigning for a range of animal rights from calling for a wild animal trade ban to supporting campaigns focused on spaying and neutering.
She’s long been a lover of animals, revealing that she grew up with 16 cats. Here, Dame Dench is pictured at her home in Hampstead, London, with her pet dog.
German actor Horst Buchholz was sometimes called the “James Dean of German Cinema” due to his good looks and roles as a rebellious teen. He had impressive language skills, with his fluency in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Russian landing him roles across Europe.
Buchholz is pictured here on his patio in 1970, posing for a photo beside his pet dog.
British-French actress Jane Birkin was a style icon, enjoying a seven-decade long career appearing in 65 films and releasing over 20 albums. Serge Gainsbourg was a French singer, actor and director, and the decade-long relationship between the two captured headlines.
The pair released famous songs together including the Je T'aime...moi non plus, which was banned in several countries due to its lyrics. Here, the pair are pictured with their bull terrier, Nana.
As well as being a famous singer and actress, Birkin was also a celebrated fashion icon, inspiring the Hermès Birkin handbag, which cost tens of thousands of pounds and which have long waiting lists.
However, as part of her advocacy for animal rights, Birkin later asked Hermès to rename the bags, citing animal cruelty concerns. Birkin is pictured here at her home in Paris’s smart 16th arrondissement beside her British bulldog Dora.
Andy Warhol was one of the most important artists of the 20th century, and his pop art is still widely recognised and appreciated today. He’s often credited with coming up with the phrase "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”
Warhol adored animals, and the most famous of all his pets was a little brown shorthaired dachshund named Archie.
According to Warhol’s friends, the artist and the dachshund were infatuated with each other, and Warhol would carry Archie around wherever he went: to his studio, to art openings, and to restaurants, where he would hide under a napkin to eat scraps of food.
According to the friend, Warhol refused to travel as he did not want to be separated from his dog, and even took the dog to press conferences, referring to him as his alter ego. Warhol later got another dog, Amos, to keep Archie company.
British-Australian actress and singer Dame Olivia Newton John won worldwide fame thanks to her starring role in the musical film Grease. Over her career, she sold over 100 million albums and won four Grammy Awards, numerous Country Music, American Music and People's Choice Awards.
Dame Newton John adored animals, and adopted many stray cats, dogs and horses. She also became a passionate advocate for animal rights. Here, she’s pictured at her Malibu home with her dogs and horse.
What’s better than one dog? Many dogs! So thought Liberace, the flamboyant American pianist, singer and actor, who in this 1980 photo is sitting on his patio at his Palm Springs home surrounded by his dogs.
Liberace was passionate about saving dogs, owning between 14 to 24 rescue dogs at different times of his life. The showman dressed his pets just as elegantly as he dressed himself, with his dogs sporting extravagant coats and bejewelled collars.
English superstar George Michael first stormed onto the musical scene in the 1980s as part of the pop duo Wham! Michael, who was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, had an incredible career, selling over 100 million albums.
This photo shows Michael in 1980 with his pet cat Rover at home in London, recuperating after losing his voice, which forced him to cancel several live shows. As well as Rover, Michael later adopted two labradors named Meggy and Abby.
Austrian bodybuilder, politician and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger has conquered an impressive range of industries during his life, winning numerous bodybuilding titles, becoming one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, and then working as the Governor of California.
In this 1982 image, as Schwarzenegger awaited the release of his movie Conan the Barbarian, he relaxed alongside his young labrador puppy at his Santa Monica home.
Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren is a retired American fashion model and actress best known for her collaborations with legendary director Alfred Hitchcock, starring in two of his films, Marnie, and The Birds, for which she won a Golden Globe.
Hedren co-starred with her daughter Melanie Griffiths in the 1981 film Roar, about a naturalist who lives on a nature preserve in Africa with big cats. It’s been described as one of the most dangerous films ever made – but it cemented Hedren's love of big cats.
Here, Hedren is pictured casually chatting on the phone as a tiger jumps through the kitchen window. The context? Hedren lives in California on the Shambala Preserve, a sanctuary she founded to house big cats.
Hedren founded the sanctuary to “educate the public about the dangers of private ownership of exotic animals”. She was also instrumental in passing a government bill entitled the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act, and to this day remains an outspoken activist.
The late Czech-American businesswoman Ivana Trump was Donald Trump’s first wife. She grew up under communist rule in what was formerly known as Czechoslovakia, leaving in the 1970s and marrying Trump in 1977.
She worked closely with President Trump, helping him with the interior design of his lavish properties and hotels. Years before her ex-husband would become the most powerful man in the world, Ivanka posed with her pet Yorkshire terrier Tiger at a private cocktail reception at her New York home.
There are few animals so famous in their own right as Choupette, the cat of the late German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld was well-known for his mastery as the creative director of Chanel from 1983 until he died at the age of 85, as well as for his own eponymous fashion label.
But nearly as famous as Lagerfeld himself is Choupette, a Birman cat, who has more than 260,000 followers on Instagram, and regularly posts photos on private jets and photoshoots.
Lagerfeld once joked that if he could marry Choupette, he would. The cat had plenty of people at her service, including a bodyguard, personal chef and two maids, and Lagerfeld even designed an entire collection inspired by her named “Choupette in Love”.
£1.3 million ($1.6m) of inheritance was left to the elegant feline after Lagerfeld died. Her star has only continued to rise: she featured in a 2023 issue of Vogue alongside supermodel Naomi Campbell, and was a guest at the prestigious Met Gala.
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