Dogs have starred in movies and television for years. They’re entertaining, humorous, and cute to look at. Dog’s add a certain element of entertainment that humans can’t, which is why they are in the media so often.
German Shepherds are especially popular in movies and television. Dating back to as early as the 1920s, German Shepherds have starred in countless numbers of features. Sometimes, they star as a helpful sidekick, but a lot of the time Shepherds are running the show.
These dogs have a level of discipline that makes them a great candidate for acting. Down below, we will go over some of the best movies and television shows starring German Shepherds. We even have listed a few actor German Shepherds who were notable enough for their own mention.
Questions that will be answered in the article below:
- What movies and television shows starred a German Shepherd?
- Who made these movies/shows?
- When were these released?
Continue reading for all of those answers, and then some!
1. K-9
Year: 1989
Director: Rod Daniel
Cast: Jim Belushi, Mel Harris, Kevin Tighe
Theme: K-9 is a 1989 action-comedy starring Jim Belushi and Mel Harris. An ill-tempered police detective named Michael Dooley is tagged for execution by a notorious drug dealer, Ken Lyman. To help Dooley fight off Lyman, the police department’s K-9 sergeant gives him a drug-sniffing police dog named Jerry Lee.
Jerry Lee is almost too smart for his own good, and much of the film revolves around his humorous antics. Together, Dooley and Jerry Lee work together to put Lyman behind bars.
2. Terminator
Year: 1984
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
Theme: The Terminator is a 1984 science-fiction action film which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a cyborg assassin. He was sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor because her son would one day save the world from the machines.
Throughout the movie, you will see dogs. During the motel scenes, the director’s German Shepherd, Wolfie the German Shepherd, can be seen barking at the terminator.
3. Ace of Hearts
Year: 2008
Director: David Mackay
Cast: Dean Cain, Britt McKillip, Mike Dupond
Theme: An officer of the K-9 police unit, named Officer Daniel Harding, is best friends and partner with a German Shepherd police dog. This dog is named Ace. Ace is accused of mauling a suspect, which leads to the district attorney demanding Ace to be put down.
Harding disagrees with the euthanization and fights for his friend’s life. This sends the two of them on a mission which eventually clears his dog’s name.
4. Finding Rin Tin Tin
Year: 2007
Director: Danny Lerner
Cast: Tyler Jensen, Ben Cross, Gregory Gudgeon
Theme: Finding Rin Tin Tin tells the incredible story of Rin Tin Tin, the world’s most legendary German Shepherd. He was a famous German Shepherd actor! The original Rin Tin Tin starred in many different movies and TV shows in between 1918 and 1932. In 1918, US Air Corporal Lee discovered a bombed-out dog kennel. Inside, there was a mother German Shepherd and her five puppies. Duncan chooses two dogs, a male, and a female, and let his battalion take the rest.
Over the next two months, all of the dogs, except for the two that Duncan chose, passed away. One of the living pups was Rin Tin Tin. After the war was over, Duncan took the two dogs back to his home in California, but unfortunately, Rin Tin Tin’s sister passed away. In 1922,
Duncan took Rin Tin Tin to a dog show, where producer Darryl Zanuck asked Duncan if he could try out making his “moving pictures” with the dog. Zanuck pitched Rin Tin Tin to just about every studio in Hollywood, until he happened to come across a low-budget film crew having a difficult time shooting a wolf. Duncan approached the director and claimed Rin Tin TIn could do the scene in one take. He did, and this led to countless movies and TV shows being made by Warner Brothers. In 1932, Rin Tin Tin died at the age of 14.
5. I Am Legend
Year: 2007
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan
Theme: Robert Neville, played by Will Smith, was a scientist that unsuccessfully tried to stop an incurable, man-made virus. Neville was immune to the virus and is now the last human survivor left in New York City, and possibly the world.
He spent three years sending out radio messages, hoping someone would hear him. All that remains are mutant survivors of the plaque, The Infected, who lurk in the shadows, watching Neville’s every move. Neville has one remaining mission, to use his immune blood to find a cure. Throughout this journey, he had his trusty German Shepherd on his side.
6. The Return of Boston Blackie
Year: 1927
Director: Harry O. Hoyt
Cast: Bob Cluster, Strongheart The Dog
Theme: The Return of Boston Blackie is a 1927, low-budget silent film starring Bob Cluster and Strongheart The Dog. Former jewel thief Boston Blackie has just gotten out of jail and is determined to go straight in life.
Boston Blackie follows a pretty blonde girl who stole a necklace from a cabaret dancer. He learns the jewel belonged to the blonde girl’s mother, and the blonde girl’s father gave the necklace to a cabaret girl he was having an affair with. Boston Blackie must look for a way to return the necklace to the girl’s mother without raising any suspicions in her family.
7. Inspector Rex
Year: 1994-2004
Director: Peter Hajak, Peter Moser
Cast: Tobias Moretti, Gedeon Burkhard, Alexander Pschill
Theme: Set in Vienna, Inspector Rex is a police-drama focused on German Shepherd police dog Rex and his partners. Rex works for the Austrian police force’s homicide unit. He is a cadaver dog, a sniffer dog for both contraband and narcotics, and an additional pair of eyes for his partners. Often times, Rex will have a GPS-device attached to him which he uses to stalk and track suspects.
As a pup, Rex was stolen by criminals. He escaped and befriended a boy, which is when Rex helped solve his first case. Usually, Rex is called upon to solve difficult situations. He isn’t just usually, everything Rex does has an added element of humor. A lot of the time, this humor involves annoying his partners.
8. We Think the World of You
Year: 1988
Director: Colin Gregg
Cast: Gary Oldman, Alan Bates, Max Hall
Theme: We Think the World of You is a German Shepherd movie that takes place in post-war London. Aimless, young, married, bisexual man Johnny is sent to prison. When he goes to prison, he must trust his down-trodden parents and lover Frank with his German Shepherd.
After Frank visits Johnny’s parents home numerous times, Frank bonds with the dog. His mischievous spirit reminds Frank of Johnny. Frank realizes that Johnny’s father has been beating the dog. This causes a class-war to erupt. Megan, Johnny’s wife, causes this class-war to progress as she wants to claim Johnny back from Frank once he is released. A set of relationships evolve with the dog as he represents the hold they have over each other.
9. For the Love of Rusty
Year: 1947
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Ted Donaldson, Tom Powers, Ann Duran
Theme: Hugh Mitchell, an active attorney, is concerned about his relationship with his teenage son, Danny. He starts to arrange a luncheon, but soon discovers that his son would prefer attending the local carnival instead.
Danny still decides to go to the event and brings his German Shepherd, Rusty, too. Other kids at the event are amused when it is interrupted by Rusty fighting with another dog there. Danny’s dad is enraged, which leads Danny to forming a relationship with a veterinarian, Dr. Francis Xavier Fay. The Mitchells were upset about their son’s new friendship, and they were determined to bring him back.
He takes his son to the carnival with Rusty, where a man kicks Rusty and causes Rusty to attack the man. Hugh is furious that Rusty attacked someone so Rusty is forced to wear a muzzle. Danny runs away with Rusty in the middle of the night and goes to the doctor’s camp in the woods. During the night, the doctor goes to bed with his stove on.
Rusty smells the gas from the stove and begins barking to alert everyone. Frightened, Rusty hides under the trailer and is injured when the trailer falls onto him. When the dog yelps aloud, Danny awakens and wakes up the unconscious doctor. The doctor treats Rusty at his camp and Danny goes back to his parents. Hugh mends his relationship with his son and they go together to bring Rusty back home.
10. Max
Year: 2015
Cast: Josh Wiggins, Lauren Graham, Thomas Haden Church
Director: Boaz Yakin
Theme: A German Shepherd named Max is a U.S. military helper and is handled by Kyle Wincott. When weapons seized by the squad go missing, Kyle is questioned. He realizes his friend Tyler is involved in the shady dealings, so he informs him he will not cover for him. Kyle and Tyler go into battle together with Max on point.
Kyle is killed in the gun fire, and Max is injured in an explosion. Kyle’s family is informed of what has happened. When Kyle’s body is brought home to his family, the squad notices that Max must sense that his brother Justin is his brother, as Max is only calm around Justin. Max was going to be euthanized, but Kyle’s family decides to adopt him.
At first, Justin didn’t want anything to do with Max, but other time their relationship formed. At first, Max has behavioral problems and is bad around people, but slowly over time training fixed this. One night, Tyler visits the Wincott family which causes Max to act out aggressively. Kyle’s father, Ray, decides to ask Tyler what really happened with Kyle.
He says that Max turned aggressive onto Kyle and caused him to discharge his weapon on himself. Justin doesn’t believe this information to be true, so he investigates further. He finds a touching video of Max and Kyle during training and determines that what Tyler said can’t be true. Kyle’s family finally decides that they are willing to accept Max into their home.
