Uggie Retires: Dog Actor Quits Showbiz

Uggie, the famous Jack Russell who starred in the Oscar-winning movie The Artist, announced his retirement from film today.

According to his trainers, Omar Von Muller and Sarah Clifford at Animal Savvy Uggie is now 10-years-0ld (70 in human years) and is ready for retirement.

Clifford told The Hollywood Reporter:

“We don’t force our dogs to do this. It’s always has to be fun for them. Uggie’s still enjoying it but he’s getting up there and he’s slowing down a little.”

Clifford said that Uggie may do a commercial or a short film in the future but he won’t be doing anymore feature-length films.

Clifford said:

“He’s at the stage where he just says, “I think I want to go and lay in the sun by the pool.”

The Telegraph reports that Uggie won the 2011 Palm Dog award at the Cannes film festival and was given a Golden Collar Award in Los Angeles earlier this year. Uggie was also immortalized earlier this week in California when he sunk his paws into the wet cement outside of Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

Here’s a scene from The Artist featuring Uggie.