Buddy (March 23, 1988 – February 10, 1998) was a Golden Retriever dog actor. He was best known for playing the title role in the film ''

Air Bud ''Air Bud'' is a 1997 sports comedy film directed by Charles Martin Smith. The film was financially successful, grossing $4 million in its opening weekend and totaling $27.8 million in its run against an estimated $3 million budget. Plot After ...

''.

Early life

Buddy was found by Kevin di Cicco as a stray dog in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

in the summer of 1989. Di Cicco adopted the disheveled Golden Retriever and brought him home to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, where he trained him in the sports of basketball, baseball, football, soccer, and hockey. Buddy's most eagerly awaited sport was basketball. He was touted as the

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

of dogs and the Scottie pippen too. Di Cicco revealed that Buddy tried to bite the ball, but its slipperiness, enhanced by saliva or more efficiently by olive oil, would propel it from his mouth., ScreenSlam.com

Early appearances

His first appearance was on '' America's Funniest Home Videos''. He then gained further fame bouncing a basketball off his muzzle and into a basketball hoop on

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

's "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment of ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

''. Buddy appeared three times on ''Late Night'' and the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

''. Buddy took his skills to the NBA when he appeared during halftime at a Laker game on Christmas Day in 1991 where he had a better shooting percentage than three of the starting players of the opposing Clippers team. This opened up further opportunity to showcase his talents for game day entertainment at professional sporting events around the country.

Film

He was cast as Buddy in the 1997 Disney film ''

'', a film that tells the story of a golden retriever abandoned by his alcoholic abusive owner; in the film (which was Buddy's final acting role), he moved in with a boy named Josh Framm who was depressed after his father died in a plane crash. He appeared on the

Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...

in 1998, where he was nominated for a Blimp Award for the film. Prior to his death, Buddy sired nine puppies.

Illness and death

In 1997, Buddy had his right hind leg amputated due to

synovial cell sarcoma A synovial sarcoma (also known as malignant synovioma) is a rare form of cancer which occurs primarily in the extremities of the arms or legs, often in proximity to joint capsules and tendon sheaths. It is a type of soft-tissue sarcoma. The name ...

, a type of cancer that manifests near the joints, although he was still able to play basketball. Six months later Air Buddy died in his sleep due to complications from cancer on February 10, 1998, at his owner's

home. At the time of his death, Buddy was 9 years old. Buddy was a month and 13 days away from celebrating his 10th birthday. '' Air Bud: Golden Receiver'' was dedicated to his memory.

Book

Buddy's story is told in the 2012 book ''Go Buddy!'', written by his owner Kevin di Cicco.

Awards and nominations

Films and TV

Film

* ''

Fluke Fluke may refer to: Biology * Fluke (fish), a species of marine flatfish * Fluke (tail), the lobes of the tail of a cetacean, such as dolphins or whales, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs Mosasaurs (from Latin ''Mosa'' meaning the 'Meuse', and Greek ...

'' - Fluke (1995) (uncredited) * ''

'' - Buddy (1997)

Television

* '' Full House'' - Comet (1 episode) (1995) * '' America's Funniest Home Videos'' - Himself (1992) * ''

'' - Himself (1992) * ''

'' - Himself (1994) * ''

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...

'' - Himself (1995, 1998)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Air Buddy (dog) 1988 animal births 1998 animal deaths Air Bud (series) Dog actors Deaths from synovial sarcoma Animal deaths from cancer Deaths from cancer in California Neurological disease deaths in California

Early life

Early appearances

Film

Illness and death

Book

Awards and nominations

Films and TV

Film

Television

See also

References

External links