Jed was a

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

ern American animal actor, known for his roles in the movies '' White Fang'' (1991), '' White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf'' (1994), '' The Journey of Natty Gann'' (1985), and '' The Thing'' (1982). He was born in 1977 and died in June 1995. He was a Vancouver Island wolf-

Alaskan Malamute The Alaskan Malamute () is a large breed of dog that was originally bred for its strength and endurance to haul heavy freight as a sled dog and hound. It is similar to other arctic breeds such as the husky, the spitz, the Greenland Dog, ...

hybrid.

Life and Career

Jed was born at Whatcom Humane Society in

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (lo ...

where Gerhardt "Gary" Winkler ( Henry Winkler's second cousin) adopted him as part of his collection of Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes. His first role was a brief one as a Norwegian dog in

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...

's '' The Thing'' (1982). The character he played in the film was the first form to be taken by a shapeshifting alien creature; some scenes required him to behave in an unsettling and unnatural way. Jed's performance in ''The Thing'' has been lauded by the many fans of the movie. His next film appearance would be in Disney's '' The Journey of Natty Gann''. In 1991, Jed starred as Jack London's titular character White Fang in the

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

film of the same name, starring a young

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...

. Jed was trained by Clint Rowe, who was involved in the films that Jed was cast in and was also associated with the film ''

Turner and Hooch ''Turner & Hooch'' is a 1989 American buddy cop comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Beasley the Dog as the eponymous characters respectively. The film also co-stars Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson and Reginald VelJohnson. It was directed by Rog ...

''. After filming Disney's sequel to "White Fang", Jed permanently remained with Clint Rowe in Acton, California until his death in June 1995. His remains were interred at Gary Winkler's mixed-dog breed animal sanctuary in Bellingham, Washington.

Filmography

*'' The Thing'' (1982) (uncredited) *'' The Journey of Natty Gann'' (1985) *'' White Fang'' (1991) *'' White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf'' (1994) (uncredited)

References

External link

* {{IMDb name, 1058600 1977 animal births 1995 animal deaths Dog actors Individual wolves