Messi (born 4 April 2016) is a French

Border Collie The Border Collie is a British list of dog breeds, breed of herding dog of the collie type of medium size. It originates in the region of the Anglo-Scottish border, and descends from the traditional Sheep dog, sheepdogs once found all over the ...

dog actor Animal actors are non-human animals that perform as characters in productions such as film, television, or theater. Bears Birds Cats Cetaceans Dogs Elephants Horses Primates Reptiles See also *Animal training *List of wealthie ...

, best known for his role as Snoop in the 2023 film ''

Anatomy of a Fall ''Anatomy of a Fall'' () is a 2023 French psychological legal drama film, directed by Justine Triet from a screenplay she co-wrote with Arthur Harari. It stars Sandra Hüller as a writer trying to prove her innocence in her husband's death. A ...

'', for which he won multiple awards, including the

Palm Dog Award The Palm Dog Award is a yearly award presented by the international film critics during the Cannes Film Festival. Begun in 2001 by Toby Rose, it is awarded to the best performance by a canine (live or animated) or group of canines. The award cons ...

at the

2023 Cannes Film Festival The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2023. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund served as jury president. With the French film ''Anatomy of a Fall'' winning the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, Justine Triet became ...

Early life and family

Messi is owned by

dog trainer Dog training is a type of animal training, the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents (trigger for a behavior) and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to assist in specific activiti ...

Laura Martin Contini, who adopted him from a neighbor when he was a puppy. Named after Argentine football player

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...

, he was the first dog that Contini trained for cinema. Messi lives with Contini in a suburb outside of Paris, France.

Career

In 2023, Messi made his film debut playing the role of Snoop in

Justine Triet Justine Triet (; born 17 July 1978) is a French film director, screenwriter, and editor. She has received several awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, a Palme d'Or, three César Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Triet started her ...

's legal drama ''

'', for which he won the

at the

, with the jury stating that Messi's performance "covers the gambit... one of the best we've ever seen." Triet told ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' that Messi's character "was not just another character or some animal running around utas much a part of the film's ensemble as any of the other actors." Following his performance in ''Anatomy of a Fall'', Messi became an internet sensation and the subject of several

Internet memes An Internet meme, or meme (, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through social media platforms. Internet memes manifest in a variety of formats, including images, v ...

. On 12 February 2024, Messi attended the Oscars nominees luncheon alongside his co-stars from ''Anatomy of a Fall''. On 10 March 2024, Messi attended the ceremony of the

96th Academy Awards The 96th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the gala, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonl ...

and had his own seat in the audience. Before the ceremony, the show's host,

Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967), known professionally as Jimmy Kimmel, is an American television host, comedian, writer, voice actor, and producer. He has been the host and executive producer of '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-n ...

, shared a video in which he could be seen rehearsing his Oscars jokes with the dog. A clip of Messi "clapping" with the aid of his crew was shown during Kimmel's monologue. At the end of the show, Messi was shown appearing to urinate on

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...

's star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

as part of the satirical

Damon–Kimmel feud The Damon–Kimmel feud is a satirical public feud between actor Matt Damon and television host Jimmy Kimmel. The feud has garnered nationwide coverage since 2005, when Kimmel ended a season 3 episode of his show, ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', by joking ...

. In May 2024, at the

2024 Cannes Film Festival The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. American filmmaker Sean Baker (filmmaker), Sean Baker won the Palme d'Or, the ...

, Messi was hired as a reporter and interviewed celebrities during the festival using the voice of French actor and comedian Raphaël Mezrahi. The show in which Messi interviewed celebrities was titled ''Messi: The Cannes Festival Seen from a Dog's Point of View''. In June 2024, Messi appeared in the first episode of the French-Belgian miniseries . In February 2025, he appeared on the sixth episode of the second season of the French television series ''

Bref ''Bref.'' (stylized with a period; English: ''In short.'') is a French television series created by Kyan Khojandi, cowritten with Bruno Muschio, and produced by Harry Tordjman for My Box Productions. The first episode was released on Canal+ 29 ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards

References

External links

* {{Animal actors Dog actors Dogs in France Individual animals in France 2016 animal births