Buddha, an orangutan, played Clyde in the Clint Eastwood action-comedy film Any Which Way You Can (1980). Buddha was allegedly beaten to death by his trainer for stealing doughnuts from craft services. The weapon was an axe handle wrapped in newspaper and had been nicknamed a "Buddha club" since it had been previously used to discipline him.[2] This claim has been disputed by the author William Munns.[3]
Çarli (born 1993), a chimpanzee, starred in the live-action movie The Jungle Book (1994) and in the Turkish television series Çarli before retiring to Monkey World in Dorset, UK.[4]
C.J., an orangutan, played in the 1981 film Tarzan the Ape Man.
Clara, a chimpanzee, played Livingston in the movie comedy Delicatessen (1991).[5]
Evie (short for Evolution), a chimpanzee, played robot dogMuffit II in the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series.[6]
Jiggs, a chimpanzee, was the first Cheeta in the Tarzan films in the 1930s.
Jimmy, a chimpanzee, appeared in the film Dark Venture
Joe Martin, an orangutan, appeared in several silent-era American films
Judy, a chimpanzee, appeared in the 1960s CBS series Daktari. She also played Penny Robinson's alien chimpanzee-like pet, Debbie, in the simultaneously running Lost in Space.[7]
Louie, a chimpanzee, appeared in numerous music videos and TV commercials; he starred in the popular Carpet Monkey commercials in 2007 for Human Giant on MTV. Louie retired to Little Rock Zoo with his brother Mikey in 2008. Louie died at the zoo in August 2011 from an immunodeficiency disorder, one week short of his seventh birthday.
Manis, an orangutan, played Clyde in the Clint Eastwood action-comedy film Every Which Way But Loose (1978), but not in the 1980 sequel Any Which Way You Can, as the animal had outgrown his part. His successor died shortly after the film.
Napoleon and Sally were two chimpanzees which starred in more than 40 shorts around 1916.[10]
Oscar, a young chimpanzee, was the subject of a 2012 Disney documentary, Chimpanzee.[11]
Pankun (パン君, born October 1, 2001), a chimpanzee, was featured in Japanese TV shows Tensai! Shimura Dobutsu-en (Genius! Shimura Zoo) and the TBS program Dobutsu Kiso Tengai! (Unbelievable Animals!) with bulldog James, (active 2005–2012).
Peter (active 1907–1910)—a chimpanzee vaudeville performer who was study by Lightner Witmer
Pierre of Vienna, Austria,[13][14] an orangutan "trained for motion picture work," reportedly nursed a grudge against a brutal trainer for a long time and when the opportunity arose circa early 1922 that they were alone together high in a tree "strangled the trainer and threw his body to the ground."
Anonymous, sometimes known as his pseudonym Bonzo, acted in the 1952 film Bonzo Goes to College.
Jonah and his twin, Jacob, both appeared as the chimpanzee Pericles in 2001's Planet of the Apes, Trunk Monkey, and with Tango in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.[19]
Mikey, a chimpanzee, appeared in the film Manchurian Candidate (2005), and on Saturday Night Live (2005) and the World Series of Poker (2006).[20]
Tonka, a chimpanzee, appeared in the 1997 film Buddy and figures prominently (as himself) in the HBO documentary series (2024) Chimp Crazy. As of 2024, Tonka is living at Florida sanctuary, Save the Chimps.[21]
Peter, alias Pierre Brassau, a chimpanzee, was the subject of a famous hoax through which the chimpanzee's paintings were presented as the avant-garde works of unknown French (human) artist "Pierre Brassau".
Abang (born 1966)—orangutan, taught to use and make a stone tool (cutting flake)
Bokito (1996–2023), a silverback gorilla, escaped from the Blijdorp Zoo on 18 May 2007 and injured a woman.
Bushman, a famous gorilla from Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, died in 1951. While alive, he brought over 100 million visitors to the zoo; his taxidermic remains can now be seen at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History.[29]
Charles (born 1972), a wild-born silverback western lowland gorilla, resides at the Toronto Zoo and since 1974 has been renowned for his artwork.
Charlie (1958–2010), a chimpanzee in a South African Zoo, was taught to smoke and was able to walk upright.[30]
Colo (1956–2017) was both the first gorilla born in captivity and, living to be 60, the oldest gorilla in captivity. She was born in the Columbus Zoo and lived there her entire life.
Fifi, the matriarch of the chimpanzees at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, died on July 19, 2007, at age 60.[31]
Gust (1952–1988) was a Congolese gorilla that became an icon of the Antwerp Zoo
Guy the Gorilla (1946–1978) was a famous gorilla in London Zoo.
Harambe (1999–2016) was a gorilla shot dead by the Cincinnati Zoo after a child fell into his enclosure.[32] This would eventually lead to the deceased ape becoming a popular Internet meme.
Jabari, a 300-lb. (136kg) gorilla at the Dallas Zoo, received national attention when, on March 18, 2004, he escaped and attacked four people, including a toddler, during a 40-minute rampage inside the jungle exhibit before being shot to death by police. He was the son of Charles the Gorilla.[33]
Jambo (1961–1992), a gorilla, cared for a boy who fell into his enclosure.
Jenny (1953–2008), a western lowland gorilla, lived at the Dallas Zoo from 1957 until her death, and was the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of her death.
Jo Mendi II (1939–1980), a chimpanzee at the Detroit Zoo who became known as "the greatest performing chimp of all time."[34]
Louie (chimpanzee) (2004–2011) — Louie was retired to the LRZ by his owners after a career in the entertainment industry. He was retired to LRZ with his older brother, Mikey.
Pattycake (1972–2013), first baby gorilla born in New York, mother of 10, later died in captivity at Bronx Zoo
Phil, was a lowland gorilla in the St. Louis Zoo. He arrived as a toddler on September 10, 1941, and died as a 525 lb. (238kg) silverback on December 1, 1958.[36]
Sami (1979–1992) — chimpanzee at the Belgrade Zoo, known for escaping his enclosure twice in February of 1988
Samson (1949–1981)—for many years the face of the Milwaukee County Zoo, one of the largest silverback gorillas on record, weighing 652lbs. (296kg) in 1973[37]
Santino, a male chimpanzee at Furuvik zoo in Sweden, was notable for having the cognitive skills for forward planning (calmly collecting stones, and later throwing them at visitors).
Sebastian—former resident of the animal orphanage near Nairobi National Park, Kenya, famous for smoking and not requiring a cage.[38]
Bubbles (b. 1983)—chimpanzee belonging to singer Michael Jackson from 1985 to 2005. Appeared in Jackson's "Liberia Girl" music video. In 2005, Jackson admitted that Bubbles had grown from the cute and cuddly 10lb (4.5kg) "baby" Jackson had treated as a human child, to a very large, very strong, pugnacious 180lb (82kg) adult male. Bubbles was initially moved to a private wildlife reserve in the late 1980s, and in 2004, he was relocated to the Center for Great Apes, in Wauchula, Florida.
Moe, a chimpanzee who lived with a California couple until he was seized by authorities.[43]
David, F.; Jamel, A. "Fundação RIOZOO" (in Portuguese). Prefeitura da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2013-02-13.