terry

Terry
Terry with Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Born	November 17, 1933(1933-11-17) Chicago, Illinois
Died	September 1, 1945(1945-09-01) (aged 11) Hollywood, California
Occupation	Dog Actress
Years active	1934-42

Terry (November 17, 1933 – September 1, 1945) was a Cairn Terrier whose most famous role was Toto in the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939). She appeared in 15 different movies but was only credited in that one, though not as Terry but as Toto.^[1]

Terry, born in the midst of the Great Depression, was trained and owned by Carl Spitz.^[2] Her first film appearance was in "Ready For Love" which was released on November 30, 1934 roughly one month before her first major film appearance, with Shirley Temple, in 1934's Bright Eyes as Rags.^[3] She, who did her own stunts, almost lost her life during the filming of The Wizard of Oz when one of the Winkie guards accidentally stepped on her, breaking her foot. She spent two weeks recuperating at Judy Garland's residence, and Garland developed a close attachment with her. She wanted to adopt her, but Spitz refused. Her salary, $125 per week, was more than that of many human actors in the film, and also more than many working Americans at the time.^[4] She attended the premiere of The Wizard of Oz at Grauman's Chinese Theater; because of the popularity of the film, her name was changed to Toto in 1942. Her last film was Tortilla Flat (1942), in which she was reunited with Oz director, Victor Fleming, and the "Wizard", Frank Morgan.

Terry died just after the end of World War II on September 1, 1945, in Hollywood, California, and was buried in a pet burial area behind the Spitz's residence and kennel.^{[citation needed]} During the expansion of the Ventura Freeway in Los Angeles, the property was obtained by Caltrans for construction purposes. The facility and the small burial grounds were razed.^{[citation needed]} Terry was the first major cast member from The Wizard Of Oz to die, and one of only two not to survive the 1950s. Frank Morgan, who played the Wizard, died in 1949.

On June 18, 2011, a permanent memorial for Terry was dedicated at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Filmography

• Ready for Love (1934)
• Bright Eyes (1934)
• The Dark Angel (1935)
• Fury (1936)
• The Buccaneer (1938)
• Stablemates (1938)
• The Wizard of Oz (1939) - only credited role (credited as Toto)
• The Women (1939)
• Bad Little Angel (1939)
• Calling Philo Vance (1940)
• Cinderella's Feller (1940)
• The Chocolate Soldier (1941)
• Twin Beds (1942)
• George Washington Slept Here (1942)
• Tortilla Flat (1942)

References

External links

• Terry at the Internet Movie Database
• Toto aka Terry at Animal Discovery
• Toto memorial