DashVibe

Highlights

• Moose, the dog who played Eddie on Frasier, was one of the highest-paid animal actors in Hollywood history.
• Moose's earnings from Frasier helped his owner, Mathilde de Cagny, finance her own dog training facility.
• Moose's son, Enzo, took over the role of Eddie on Frasier.

Frasier is one of the most successful sitcoms of the 1990s. The Cheers spin-off netted a ton of Emmys during its 11-season run, and has proven to be so popular on streaming platforms that it was brought back for another season in 2023. Kelsey Grammer is charming as ever in the title role, but a complaint that some fans have is that the 2023 version lacks the chemistry of the original.

Frasier had an embarrassment of comedy riches in the form of Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, the late John Mahoney, and Moose. The fourth actor might not ring a bell, because he's better known as Eddie, the show's lovable Jack Russell Terrier. Name recognition doesn't matter, though, when one is able to make the kind of money Moose did during Frasier's peak.

Moose was one of the best-paid animals in Hollywood history, and you'll be surprised to find out what happened to his money after he retired from the show.

Moose's Salary From Playing Eddie On Frasier Helped To Finance His Owner's Training Facility

Moose, who played Eddie, was a beloved presence on Frasier. He received more fan mail than any of his human co-stars and was selected to be on the cover of Entertainment Weekly two months after the show premiered in 1993. According to Reader's Digest, Moose was making a whopping $10K per episode, which was the second-highest salary ever given to an animal for a recurring role in a sitcom.

The Cast Of Frasier Ranked By Net Worth

It was an impressive turn of events for Moose, who had been given up by his owners because he was "difficult" to train. According to a 1994 article by Animal Press, Moose was sent to the animal talent agency Birds and Animals Unlimited, and subsequently taken on by one of the agency's trainers, Mathilde de Cagny.

De Cagny had only been working with Moose for six months when he was cast in Frasier, but the partnership between owner and actor proved to be wildly successful, and the $3.2 million net worth that Moose accumulated during his time on the show led to de Cagny opening her very own training facility.

Frasier ended its run in 2004, and Cagny opened Mathilde de Cagny Dog Training in 2010. According to de Cagny's Linkedin, the dog training agency will help develop a profile for a dog, "evaluate breeders and litters of puppies," and find the perfect match between owner and pet.

Moose's Frasier Salary Was Passed Down To His Son Following His Retirement

Moose was 3 years old when production started on Frasier, and he managed to appear in 192 episodes between 1993 and 2003. It was determined early on that Moose could star as Kelsey Grammer on cue, which the writers capitalized and made a running gag on the show.

During a 2007 interview with Dog Star Daily, however, Mathilde de Cagny talked about the difficulty that she had maintaining Moose's focus as he got older:

"He’s changed so much throughout his life. He’s now nine, and he’s a different dog…interested in training, and he loves the idea of being busy, of doing something. He has always been very impatient. So through the years, I taught him to be more patient and to be a little nicer with me. Originally, he was extremely independent."

Naturally, age made it increasingly difficult for the Jack Russell Terrier to perform, but he was actually able to keep his fortune in the family when his son, Enzo, took over the role of Eddie in 2001.

Enzo, who was born in 1995, would occasionally be used as a stunt double for Moose in early seasons, but he started playing Eddie full-time in season 8. Enzo didn't get to play the role for as long as Moose did, since Frasier ended in season 11, but he still managed to land a huge payday thanks to the uncanny resemblance he had to his dad.

Kelsey Grammer's Addiction Issues May Have Canceled Frasier Had It Not Been For David Hyde Pierce

It's been revealed, however, that Moose and Enzo didn't get along with each other on the set of Frasier. During a Vanity Fair oral history, co-creator Peter Casey divulged that the two Jack Russell Terriers would get into fights if they were in the same vicinity:

"Moose and Enzo hated each other. They couldn't be on set together. Apparently, it was one of those classic parent-child Hollywood rivalries."

Moose Had An Estimated Net Worth Of $3.2 Million When He Died In 2006

Moose made just under $2 million for his work on Frasier, making one of several well-off cast members, but the Jack Russell Terrier didn't stop there: he had side hustles. He played the title character in My Dog Skip (2000), which not only boasted movie stars like Frankie Muniz and Luke Wilson, but grossed $35 million at the worldwide box office.

Moose also had credited appearances in Rold Gold Pretzel TV commercials, and in 2000, he published an "autobiography" titled My Life As A Dog. The autobiography recalls his troubled upbringing, his rise to fame, and his experiences acting with the rest of the Frasier cast. The book was actually written by Brian Hargrove, who is the husband of Moose's Frasier co-star, David Hyde Pierce.

Due to the success of these other ventures, Moose amassed an estimated net worth of $3.2 million by the time he died in 2006. He spent the last couple of years of his life with his owner, Mathilde de Cagny, and her husband, Michael Halberg. He also lived with his son, Enzo, and another dog named Jill, who appeared in the Oscar-winning film As Good As It Gets (1997).

The Truth About Niles And Daphne's Relationship On 'Frasier'

Several of Moose's co-stars made statements about Moose after he died. John Mahoney praised the dog for his professionalism, and told The Los Angeles Times that he considered Moose to be more of an actor than a pet:

"To me, dogs never grow up, as opposed to cats -- there's always a touch of the puppy in a dog. But there was never any of that in Eddie, or Moose, I should say, because Eddie was his stage name."

Mathilde de Cagny told People Magazine that Moose "had an incredible charisma" and was a "free spirit." She also informed the outlet that the Jack Russell Terrier had lived to the ripe old age of 16.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGicnZyZmnqlu8ZmpqdllqeutLXEq2SsmZyWv7p51qGYrWWYlr2xsc2em2asn2K7psCMsKarrJhirqfAxKtkoZ1dmbamsI4%3D