Action Dog Names

Ok, so Frank isn’t the greatest action hero name. In fact, he kind of sounds like the lawn-obsessed neighbor nearly everyone has lived next to at one point in their lives, but the fact remains that he’s still a fantastic action movie character, and also happens to be one of the most famous film Pugs.

Frank the Pug stems from the Men in Black series, and for anyone unfamiliar, it’s trio of films (and later animated television series) that are a mixture of action, comedy, and science fiction. In the first film, Frank is introduced as one of Agent K’s (played by Tommy Lee Jones) informants and his first cameo is easily one of the most memorable of his on-screen tenure. 

Despite having an I love NY hoodie, a New York accent and the attitude to match, Frank is actually an alien, more specifically, a Remoolian, but retains his doglike figure for the sake of blending in. Although his screen time was limited in the first film, both the director and fans appreciated his performance so much, he was featured in greater roles in both the second film of the series as well as the television series — although he was animated for TV. His character is possibly most well-known for his parts in Men in Black II, thanks to his humorous singing of Gloria Gaylord’s I Will Survive, as well as barking to Who Let the Dogs Out, amongst his sass and sarcasm. 

For both of his film parts, Frank was played by Mushu and trained by Animal Actors of Hollywood Inc.’s Cristie Miele, whom he lived with on a 20-acre ranch with eight other dogs, most of whom were all in various stages of their acting careers. While he was still pretty green during the shooting of the first film, Miele called Mushu a natural, stating that he was very easy to work with because of his interest in learning and socializing with the cast. He quickly learned to sit, stay, speak, and hit numerous marks while walking. 

By the time the second movie came around, Mushu was already seven years old and needed washable mascara on his face to cover up his gray hair, yet despite the time off did just as well in his return to the silver screen. Unfortunately, by the time Men in Black III was being filmed nearly ten years later, Mushu had already passed on, but a photograph of him is featured in the movie as a tribute to the lovable Pug that stole the show and the hearts of fans and co-workers alike.