Strongheart

Silent-era hero of The Silent Call (1921) and its follow-ups Born Etzel von Oeringen in Germany and trained in Berlin as a police dog, this German Shepherd served with the German Red Cross in World War I before director Laurence Trimble spotted him and persuaded screenwriter Jane Murfin to buy him. Renamed Strongheart, he became one of the earliest dog stars, and Trimble directed him in four rugged outdoor adventures. Start here if you want to see where the canine leading man began. He was burned by a hot studio light in 1929 and died that year, and in 1960 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.