8 Stars You Didn’t Know Were Animal Lovers

Although he's best known for playing Batman and earning a reputation as one of Hollywood's more temperamental characters, Christian Bale is an enormous animal lover. According to Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Bale has two dogs, named Mojo and Ramone, and three cats named Miriam, Molly and Lilly, all of whom were strays before landing in the lap of luxury with Bale and his family. He's also involved in various animal welfare and conservation organizations, including the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the World Wildlife Fund.

Famous for her tough love as a trainer on The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels takes a considerably softer approach with her animal friends. She's an ambassador for Best Friends Animal Society and says on the Best Friends website, "To this day, I would be lost without my animals. I practically have my own zoo with four dogs, a horse, a fish tank, two tree frogs and a hermit crab. I can't imagine my life any other way." 

Did you know that Big Papi is a big softie when it comes to shelter animals? The Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz is considered one of the greats in Major League Baseball history, and he has a big heart for animals in need, which he shares in a video filmed for Pedigree at the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Massachusetts.

Sarah Silverman doesn't generally come off as the warm and fuzzy type with her arsenal of jokes peppered with four-letter words and remarks about race and other politically charged topics, but the tribute she wrote when her dog, Duck, passed away in 2013 certainly shows the comedienne's softer side.

In 2014, Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan was featured on the cover of Paws Chicago, a local publication put out by the region's largest no-kill humane organization, and gave an interview discussing his first experience with pet adoption back in 2004. He told the magazine, "The blessing of having an animal is the healing and joy from a relationship that’s based in unconditional love ... that makes it all worth it." He's also involved as an advocate and fundraiser for PAWS Chicago and other animal-related causes.

When a movie calls for a hardened criminal, Danny Trejo is probably one of the top names on the list, but in real life, he's far from a bad guy these days. Like Jillian Michaels, he's a Best Friends Animal Society supporter. Trejo, who has five rescued dogs, says in an article on Ecorazzi, "I believe that anyone working with animal rescue has a special place in heaven waiting for them.”

Academy Award winner Charlize Theron not only grew up on a farm in South Africa, where her family took in every stray that came around (including your standard dogs and cats but also sheep, goats, ostriches and more, according to an interview with Animal Fair), but she remains a true animal lover today. She now has several dogs of her own and is an outspoken critic of the fur industry, urging people to consider where fur comes from, according to her IMDb page.   

Novak Djokovic is another athlete who's fierce on the court but melts when it comes to animals. The top-ranked tennis star takes his Poodle, Pierre, everywhere he can (even to the point of making news: In 2011, Pierre was banned from Wimbledon grounds). Djokovic has also used his fame to bring attention to animal adoption by visiting — and renaming — a Goldendoodle at the Dogs Trust Canterbury Rehoming Centre.