Orangey

Orangey (also Orangey Minerva), a male marmalade tabby cat,[1] was an animal actor owned and trained by the cinematic animal handler Frank Inn.[2][3]

Orangey
Orangey with Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Other name(s)
  • Jimmy
  • Jeremy
  • Rhubarb
SpeciesFelis catus
BreedTabby
SexMale
BornOrangey Minerva
Unknown
United States
DiedLos Angeles, California, United States
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California, United States
Nation fromAmerican
OccupationActor
Notable role
  • Rhubarb
  • Neutron
  • Butch
  • Cleopatra
Years active1950s–1960s
OwnerFrank Inn
AwardsPATSY Award (1951, 1961)

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),[4] a story about a cat who inherits a fortune, and the second for his portrayal of "Cat" in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961).[4] For this film Orangey won the 1962 PATSY Award for his portrayal of "the poor slob without a name". He has also been credited as the cat Mouschi in the film adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank (1959).[1] In that film, he nearly reveals the Jews' hiding place, and later becomes its only escapee. The cat was credited as the family pet, "Butch," in the film The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), in which he is mistakenly assumed to have eaten the title character.

According to Sam Wasson, author of 5th Avenue, 5AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman, Inn said Orangey was "a real New York type cat, just what we want. In no time at all I'm going to make a method, or Lee Strasberg type, cat out of him."[4]

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.[3]

Other appearances included a regular role as "Minerva" on the television series Our Miss Brooks (1952–1958).

The cat was also credited as "Jimmy", "Jeremy" and "Rhubarb".[5] Orangey's last known appearance came in two consecutive episodes in the TV series Batman in 1967-68 in which he played an uncredited role alongside Eartha Kitt who portrayed Catwoman.

Sofia Bohdanowicz's 2020 short documentary film The Hardest Work Cat in Show Biz, based on Dan Sallitt’s essay of the same name, explores Orangey's history, mythology, and rumors that the name "Orangey" was ascribed to several different cats as opposed to one single cat.[6][7]

Death

The date or cause of Orangey's death is unknown; old age-related illness was the most likely cause, as the date span of his credits (spanning 1951 to 1967) imply the cat was at least 16 years old at the time of his death. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), located in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.[8]

Filmography
List of film credits
Title Year Role Notes Ref(s)
Rhubarb 1951 Rhubarb Uncredited, one of 14 cats in the role
This Island Earth 1955 Neutron Uncredited
The Incredible Shrinking Man 1957 Butch Uncredited
The Matchmaker 1958 Himself - a Cat (as Rhubarb)
The Diary of Anne Frank 1959 Mouschi Uncredited
Visit to a Small Planet 1960 Clementine Uncredited
Breakfast at Tiffany's 1961 Cat Frank Inn also credited
Gigot 1962 Uncredited
The Comedy of Terrors 1964 Cleopatra credited as Rhubarb
Village of the Giants 1965 Giant Cat Uncredited
Television
Documentary
  • Audrey Hepburn Remembered (1993) as Cat

Awards
Year Nominated work Category Awards Result
1952 Rhubarb Picture Animal Top Star of the Year PATSY Award Won
1962 Breakfast at Tiffany's Picture Animal Top Star of the Year PATSY Award Won

References
  1. Bass, Iris (2011). Cat Lover's Daily Companion. Quarry Books. p. 250. ISBN 1592537499.
  2. "Anna Jane Grossman: Training a Cat Actor for Broadway? Better Understand the Peculiar World of Feline Motivation".
  3. Powe Allred, Alexandra (2005). Cat's Most Wanted. Washington D.C.: Potomac Books. p. 172. ISBN 1612342930.
  4. Deczynski, Rebecca (25 March 2015). "6 Cats Who Made a Mark on the Silver Screen". Mental Floss. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  5. Billson, Anne (January 25, 2014). "Cats improve every film they are in". The Telegraph. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  6. Sallitt, Dan. "The Hardest Working Cat in Show Biz". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  7. Rizov, Vadim. "Online Premiere: Sofia Bohdanowicz's The Hardest Working Cat in Showbiz". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  8. Noni (4 August 2003). "Orangey the Cat". Find A Grave. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
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