Buddy (c. 1988 – February 10, 1998) was a Golden Retriever dog actor. He was best known for playing the title role in the 1997 film ''

Air Bud ''Air Bud'' is a 1997 sports comedy-drama film directed by Charles Martin Smith. An international co-production of the United States and Canada, the film stars Kevin Zegers as a young boy who befriends a runaway Golden Retriever (portrayed ...

''.

Early life

Buddy was found by Kevin di Cicco as a stray dog in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

in the summer of 1989. Di Cicco adopted the disheveled Golden Retriever and brought him home to

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where he trained the dog in the sports of basketball, baseball, football, soccer, and hockey. Buddy's most eagerly awaited sport was basketball. Di Cicco revealed that Buddy tried to bite the ball, but its slipperiness, enhanced by saliva or more efficiently by

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

, would propel it from his mouth., ScreenSlam.com

Early appearances

His first appearance was on ''

America's Funniest Home Videos ''America's Funniest Home Videos'', also called ''America's Funniest Videos'' (abbreviated as ''AFV''), is an American video clip television series on ABC, based on a recurring segment on the Japanese variety show '' Fun TV with Kato-chan and ...

''. He then gained further fame bouncing a basketball off his muzzle and into a basketball hoop on the "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment of ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the first installment of the '' Late Night''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ...

''. Buddy appeared three times on ''Late Night'' and

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...

's next show, ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

''.

Film

He was cast as Buddy in the 1997 Disney film ''

'', a film that tells the story of a golden retriever abandoned by his alcoholic abusive owner; in the film (which was Buddy's final acting role), he moved in with a boy named Josh Framm who was depressed after his father died in a plane crash. He appeared on the

Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in te ...

in 1998, where he was nominated for a Blimp Award for the film. Prior to his death, Buddy sired nine puppies.

Illness and death

In 1997, Buddy had his right hind leg amputated due to synovial cell sarcoma, a type of cancer that manifests near the joints, although he was still able to play basketball. Six months later Buddy died in his sleep due to complications from cancer on February 10, 1998, at his owner's

home. At the time of his death, Buddy was 9 years old.

Book

Buddy's story is told in the 2012 book ''Go Buddy!'', written by his owner Kevin di Cicco.

Awards and nominations

Films and TV

Film

* ''

'' – Buddy (1997)

Television

* ''

'' – Himself (1992) * ''

'' – Himself (1994) * ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about the recently widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend ...

'' – Comet (1 episode) (1995) * ''

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in tel ...

'' – Himself (1995, 1998)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Air Buddy (dog) 1988 animal births 1998 animal deaths Air Bud (series) Animal amputees animal deaths from cancer dog actors

Early life

Early appearances

Film

Illness and death

Book

Awards and nominations

Films and TV

Film

Television

See also

References

External links