Like so many early film celebrities, Jean the Vitagraph Dog, America’s first canine screen star, broke into the movies by being in the right place at the right time. The black-and-white border collie belonged to Lawrence Trimble (1887–1954), an aspiring writer who happened to be on the Vitagraph set one day when a dog was needed to play a scene. Jean performed perfectly and a star was born. Trimble joined the company, directing some 60 films before relocating to Britain in 1913.