American actor Kirk Douglas kissing a German shepherd, circa 1962. (Photo by Henry Gris/FPG/Getty Images)

Happy 100th birthday to actor and animal lover Kirk Douglas!

The “Spartacus” told PETA Prime in 2011 about his Labrador Retrievers Danny and Banshee,“If I come home and the dogs are not there, the house feels empty. If you don’t have a dog, you are missing a lot in life.”

The actor, who suffered a stroke in 1996, said, “I’ve had dogs all my life. They have never failed to give me friendship.”

Douglas worked with horses often in his films, including the 1962 western “Lonely Are the Brave.”

“I love that character and his relationship with his horse. And I always consider that my best movie,” Douglas told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012.

And who can forget him astride a horse in his most famous film, the 1960 epic “Spartacus”?

Moviepaws salutes Kirk and wishes him many more years of health and happiness.