Orangey, a male marmalade tabby cat, was an animal actor owned and trained by the cinematic animal handler Frank Inn.
Orangey (credited under various names) had a prolific career in film and television in the 1950s and early 1960s and was the only cat to win two Patsy Awards (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year, an animal actor's version of an Oscar), the first for the title role in Rhubarb (1951), a story about a cat who inherits a fortune, and the second for his portrayal of "Cat" in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). He has also been credited as the cat in the 1959 film adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank. The cat was credited as being the family pet in the 1957 film The Incredible Shrinking Man, in which he is mistakenly assumed to have eaten the title character.
Orangey was called "the world's meanest cat" by one studio executive. He often scratched and bit actors. But he was prized for his ability to stay for several hours. Sometimes, however, he would flee after filming some scenes and production would be shut down until he could be found. Inn would sometimes have to post guard dogs at the studio entrance to keep him from running away.
Other appearances included a regular role as "Minerva" on the television series Our Miss Brooks (1952â€"1958).
The cat was also credited as "Jimmy" and "Rhubarb".
Partial filmography
Film
- Rhubarb (1951) as Rhubarb (uncredited)
- This Island Earth (1955) as Neutron (uncredited)
- The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) as Butch (uncredited)
- Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) as Cat
- Gigot (1962) (uncredited)
- The Comedy of Terrors (1964) as Cleopatra (credited as Rhubarb the cat)
- Village of the Giants (1965) as Giant Cat (uncredited)
Television
- Our Miss Brooks (1952-1958) as Minerva (uncredited)
- Mission Impossible {"The SeaL"} as IMF agent Rusty {Uncredited}
References
External links
- Orangey on Internet Movie Database
