Did a Dog Win the First Best Actor Oscar?

Did a Dog Actually Win the First Oscar for Best Actor?

If you’re under 60, you might not know about Rin Tin Tin, a once-legendary canine star. Back in the day, Rin Tin Tin was synonymous with Hollywood royalty. The dog was born in 1918 in Fliery, France, and adopted by American soldier Lee Duncan during World War I. After returning home, Duncan trained this German Shepherd to perform and embarked on a journey across studios, looking for opportunities for his remarkable pup.

Rin Tin Tin made his film debut in the 1922 movie “The Man from Hell’s River,” stepping in for a difficult wolf. The following year, he won hearts as a Wolf Dog in “Where the North Begins,” catapulting him to fame. Throughout the roaring twenties, Rin Tin Tin starred in over 20 films, often portraying himself. Renowned for his exceptional training, he became the face of numerous pet-related products, and some ticket sales estimates suggest he was the highest-grossing star of the time, though these figures lack concrete validation. Regrettably, many of Rin Tin Tin’s films have faded into oblivion, but audiences can still enjoy his first color film, “The Show of Shows,” a lively revue with musical acts and a memorable dog performance.

The legend of Rin Tin Tin winning an Oscar for Best Actor has lingered in Hollywood for years, largely propagated by Susan Orlean’s 2011 biography, “Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend.” Orlean frequently claimed that Rin Tin Tin garnered enough votes to win Best Actor at the inaugural Academy Awards held on May 16, 1929. According to her, producers opted not to award a dog, fearing it would diminish the prestige of the brand-new Oscars. However, this narrative is far from factual.

In reality, the Academy Awards were established not merely to celebrate cinematic achievements but as a strategic move by studio mogul Louis B. Mayer to counter the growing labor movement in Hollywood. The Academy was designed to entertain and distract actors and filmmakers with awards that conferred a veneer of prestige. Thus, it makes sense that the first Oscar would be awarded to a nominee that upheld the awards’ integrity. Giving the honor to Rin Tin Tin would have undermined the intended gravitas of the ceremony.

The idea that Rin Tin Tin almost won an Oscar is rooted in an urban legend. As pointed out by various outlets, in 1928, ballots for the Oscars were signed and preserved at the Academy’s library in Los Angeles. A thorough examination reveals that Rin Tin Tin’s name appeared nowhere on these ballots. While he was a beloved star who helped keep Warner Bros. afloat, he didn’t receive any actual votes.

So, where did this myth originate? The tale traces back to Fox co-founder Daryl Zanuck, who was a Warner Bros. executive in 1929. Zanuck’s sardonic comments about the Oscars, shared in correspondence with Frank Woods, the Academy’s first executive, included a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Rin Tin Tin deserved the Best Actor award. This humorous take morphed into a rumor as it circulated among executives, eventually creating a false narrative that Rin Tin Tin may have been close to securing the accolade.

The combination of a handful of joking ballots featuring Rin Tin Tin’s name led some to believe that the dog had actually won enough support among the voting members. However, as time has shown, this was nothing more than jest.

While Rin Tin Tin remains an iconic character in film history, he is not an Oscar winner. The story lives on in Hollywood lore, but the truth is that Rin Tin Tin can’t add “Academy Award Winner” to his list of achievements.