''For fictional dogs named Spike, see Spike (character)#Dogs''. Spike (1952–1962) was a lop-eared yellow Mastador ( Mastiff/ Labrador Retriever crossbreed) and a dog actor best known for his performance as the title character in the 1957 film '' Old Yeller'', in which he co-starred with Tommy Kirk, Beverly Washburn, Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, and

Kevin Corcoran Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran (June 10, 1949 – October 6, 2015) was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. Hi ...

. Spike was rescued as a pup from a shelter in Van Nuys, California, and became the pet and pupil of animal trainer Frank Weatherwax. Spike also appeared as Patrasche in

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

's ''

A Dog of Flanders ''A Dog of Flanders'' is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog, Patrasche, and is set in Antwerp. In Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine and ...

'' with Donald Crisp and David Ladd in

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

and as King in the 1956 film '' The She-Creature''. In 1961, Spike was the star of '' The Silent Call'', playing as Pete with Roger Mobley, David McLean and Gail Russell; the entire film focused on his efforts to reunite with his human family who had been forced to leave him behind while traveling from Nevada to California. Various television episodes of the period in which Spike appeared included '' The Mickey Mouse Club'' and ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called ''Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fic ...

'', and he appeared in every episode of '' The Westerner'' with Brian Keith.

Filmography

*'' The She-Creature'' (1956, uncredited) *'' Old Yeller'' (1957, uncredited) *'' Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' (1959, uncredited) *''

'' (1960, uncredited) *'' The Westerner'' (1960, uncredited) *''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to ...

'' (1961, uncredited) *'' The Silent Call'' (1961) *'' Disney anthology television series'' (1967) *'' Hondo'' (1967) *'' What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?'' (1969)

References

External links

* Dog actors 1952 animal births 1962 animal deaths {{dog-stub