The West Highland White Terrier, or “Westie” as they are often called, is a small breed of dog that originates from Scotland. While they are a popular dog breed among the general public, they seem to be even more popular among celebrities.
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Here are some of the more notable famous celebrities who own Westies:
- Jennifer Aniston
- Betty White
- Al Pacino
- Matthew McConaughey
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Kyle Busch
- Robert Pattinson
- Scarlett Johansson
- Melissa Joan Hart
- Rob Schneider
- Paris Hilton
- Glenn Close
- Cary Grant
- Christian Serratos
- Billie Burke
- Charlie Pickering
- Paula Zahn
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee
- Luann de Lesseps
- Joan Caulfield
- Margaret Rhodes
- Lillian Gish
- Genevieve Tobin
- Carolyne Roehm
1. Famous Westie Owner: Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston, shown here with her West Highland White Terrier named Norman, is one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood. She is best known for her starring role on the television sitcom Friends, which aired for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004. Aniston has also starred in several successful films, including Office Space, Bruce Almighty, and Marley & Me.
In addition to her acting career, Aniston is also an active philanthropist, supporting a number of charities and causes. She is widely respected for her work as an actress and humanitarian, and she has been honored with numerous awards over the course of her career.
2. Famous Westie Owner: Betty White
Betty White, who passed away in 2021 at 99 years old, is best known for her roles as Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls and Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. White has won several Emmy Awards for her work in television, and she was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2010.
White is a true Hollywood legend, but she was also well known as an animal rights activist who loved her Westie.
Find out which one of her Golden Girls co-stars owned a Scottish Terrier.
3. Famous Westie Owner: Al Pacino
Al Pacino is one of the most respected actors of our time. He has delivered some of the most iconic performances in film history, from his portrayal of Michael Corleone in The Godfather to his star turn as Tony Montana in Scarface. Pacino has also been nominated for twelve Academy Awards, winning once for his role in Scent of a Woman.
While Pacino often plays the role of a tough guy on the big screen, when it comes to dogs he is softie. Here he is out for a walk in Los Angeles with his two Westies.
4. Famous Westie Owner: Matthew McConaughey
Well alright, alright alright… Matthew McConaughey is one of the most famous actors and A-list celebrities today. First gaining prominence in the 1993 coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused, McConaughey has gone on to star in many more hit movies including The Wolf of Wall Street and Interstellar.
Here is McConaughey taking a jog on the beach with his Westie named BJ.
5. Famous Westie Owner: Alfred Hitchcock
One of the most influential filmmakers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock was known for his mastery of suspense. Born in England in 1899, Hitchcock began his career as a director in the 1920s. His early films were well-received, but it was his 1930 thriller Blackmail that made him a household name. The 39 Steps, Psycho, and The Birds are just a few of the classic suspense films that Hitchcock directed.
Hitchcock reportedly owned at least 4 West Highland White Terriers during his lifetime.
6. Famous Westie Owner: Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is a beloved American actress, comedian, and television host. She first rose to fame in the 1984 film Ghostbusters, and since then has appeared in many iconic films such as The Color Purple, Ghost, and Sister Act. Goldberg is also well-known for her work on television, including her role as a co-host on The View.
In addition to her acting and hosting roles, Goldberg is also an active philanthropist, working to support various causes including animal welfare.
7. Famous Westie Owner: Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch is one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history. He’s a two-time Daytona 500 winner and a one-time Brickyard 400 winner. He’s also won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship and the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.
Busch, who uses his race car to raise awareness for adoptable dogs, owns 2 rescue Westies of his own named Kelly and Suzie.
8. Famous Westie Owner: Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson is an English actor who first gained fame playing the role of Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter films. He has since gone on to star in a number of successful movies, including the Twilight franchise, Water for Elephants, and Cosmopolis.
Pattinson is a dog lover who owns a female West Highland Terrier named Miss Patty.
9. Famous Westie Owner: Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress, appearing in films such as The Horse Whisperer and Lost in Translation. Johansson has since established herself as one of the most successful actresses of her generation, starring in a string of hits including The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Lucy.
10. Famous Westie Owner: Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart got her start in show business at a very young age. She made her acting debut at just four years old, appearing in a commercial for a local ice cream shop. From there, she went on to land small roles in various television shows and movies.
But it was her role as Clarissa Darling in the Nickelodeon series Clarissa Explains It All that made her a household name. The show ran for five seasons and established Hart as one of the most popular teen stars of the 1990s.
In recent years, she has appeared in a number of films and television shows, including the ABC Family comedy Melissa & Joey. Hart has also directed several episodes of the Hulu series Downward Dog.
11. Famous Westie Owner: Rob Schneider
Rob Schneider is a actor, comedian, and director who has appeared in a variety of films and television shows. He is perhaps best-known for his roles in the films Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and The Waterboy. Schneider has also been a regular cast member on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live and the sitcom Men Behaving Badly.
12. Famous Westie Owner: Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. Born in New York City and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she began her modeling career as a teenager when she signed with Donald Trump’s modeling agency, T Management.
Her lifestyle and rumored short-lived relationships made her a feature of entertainment news and tabloid magazines, and Hilton was proclaimed “New York’s leading It Girl” in 2001.
13. Famous Westie Owner: Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an Academy Award-winning actress who has enjoyed a successful career in film, television, and stage. While Close has starred in many films, dog lovers may recognize her as the evil Cruella DeVil in the 1996 movie 101 Dalmatians.
In real life, Close is actually a dog lover who has owned several small dogs including a West Highland White Terrier. In fact, Close even started a high end dog products business called FetchDog.
14. Famous Westie Owner: Cary Grant
Cary Grant was one of the most iconic actors of Hollywood’s golden era. Born in Bristol, England, in 1904, he moved to the United States in the 1920s and began working in vaudeville and theatre. He is perhaps best known for his roles in such classics as The Philadelphia Story (1940), North by Northwest (1959), and Charade (1963).
Grant owned two West Highland Terriers with unique names – Cholmondeley and Archibald.
15. Famous Westie Owner: Christian Serratos
Christian Serratos is an actress best known for her role as Rosita Espinosa on AMC’s The Walking Dead. Born and raised in Southern California, Serratos began her career as a child model before appearing in such films as Selena and The Honeymooners. She has also appeared in the Twilight franchise and Netflix’s Narcos.
In addition to her work on television and film, Serratos is also an active philanthropist, working with such organizations as PETA and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Here, Serratos is hanging out with her Westie puppy Bolt.
16. Famous Westie Owner: Billie Burke
Billie Burke was an American actress who famously played Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz. Over the course of her long career, Burke appeared in over 50 films.
In addition to her work in front of the camera, Burke was also a successful businesswoman. She owned a beauty salon and a clothing boutique, and she wrote a syndicated column on fashion and beauty.
While there is debate over whether Toto was a Carin Terrier or Yorkshire Terrier, Burke owned a West Highland Terrier.
17. Famous Westie Owner: Charlie Pickering
Charlie Pickering is a stand-up comedian, television presenter and producer from Australia. He is best known for his work on the ABC TV show The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. He has also appeared on several other Australian TV shows including Spicks and Specks, Have You Been Paying Attention? and The Project.
Pickering owns a West Highland White Terrier named Waldon and a Scottish Terrier named Kennedy.
18. Famous Westie Owner: Paula Zahn
After beginning her career as a local news reporter, Paula Zahn quickly transitioned to network television, where she became one of the most recognizable faces on CBS News. In 2007, she joined CNN, where she anchored their evening newscast Paula Zahn Now. She has also hosted a number of investigative documentary series, including On the Case with Paula Zahn.
Throughout her career, Zahn has won multiple Emmy Awards and other accolades for her work. In 2018, she was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
Here she is pictured on the cover of Healthy Pet magazine in 2006 with her Westie.
19. Famous Westie Owner: Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian politician who served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms, first for a brief period in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004. He was a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and is credited with helping to revive the party after it suffered a crushing defeat in the 1984 general election.
20. Famous Westie Owner: Luann de Lesseps
Luann de Lesseps, sometimes known as Countess Luann, is a reality television personality, model, and singer. She is best known for her role on The Real Housewives of New York City. Here she is with her Westie named Aston.
21. Famous Westie Owner: Joan Caulfield
In 1948, Joan Caulfield was cast as the female lead in the comedy One Touch of Venus, opposite Dick Haymes. The film was a hit with audiences and helped to secure Caulfield’s place as a leading lady in Hollywood.
Over the next decade, she appeared in a string of successful films, including Family Honeymoon, Sitting Pretty, and Please Don’t Eat the Daisies. In addition to her work in film, Caulfield also appeared on several popular television shows, including General Electric Theater and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Here, Caufield is walking her West Highland White Terrier named Witty down the streets of New York City in 1944.
22. Famous Westie Owner: Margaret Rhodes
Even royalty loves Westies! Margaret Rhodes, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, was very fond of her Westie. Rhodes, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 95, would take her Westie for a walk every day as late as 2011.
23. Famous Westie Owner: Lillian Gish
Born in 1893 in Ohio, Lillian Gish was one of the most celebrated actresses of the early days of film. She began her career as a young girl, appearing in a number of short films and silent movies. Over the course of her long career, she appeared in over 100 films, winning acclaim for her powerful performances.
On a visit to Scotland in 1937, Gish was gifted a West Highland Terrier by Sir Ian Malcolm. Appropriately enough, Malcom was the name she gave her Westie.
24. Famous Westie Owner: Genevieve Tobin
Genevieve Tobin was an American actress who appeared in over 60 films during the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Tobin began her career on the stage before making her film debut in 1917.
Tobin was featured with her Westie named Punch in a 1930’s book about film stars and their pets.
25. Famous Westie Owner: Carolyne Roehm
Carolyne Roehm is an American fashion designer, author, and lifestyle expert. She began her career in the 1970’s as a model and soon transitioned into design, launching her first collection in 1981. Roehm is also a talented cook and author of multiple bestselling cookbooks.
Roehm lives at home with 6 dogs including three Havanese, a Wheaten Terrier, an Australian Kelpie, and a West Highland Terrier named Lucky.