The Surprising Story of a Dog and a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar Nomination

Hollywood has seen plenty of unusual Oscar stories, but one of the strangest involves a dog being nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award.

The story goes back to the 1970s, when screenwriter Robert Towne, known for his work on Chinatown, was developing a script for Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.

Towne’s early drafts focused on Tarzan’s relationship with his foster mother and were described as “very sensual,” according to a Los Angeles Times interview. The film initially had a $6 million budget and the working title Lord Greystroke.

Towne struggled to make sense of his own script’s long, detailed passages. Rather than risk another director changing it, he considered directing it himself. He made a test project, Personal Best, to prepare for this, but it was a commercial flop. Towne eventually sold his interest in Greystoke.

Director Hugh Hudson took over the project, hiring Michael Austin to revise Towne’s script. When the film was released, it received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 1985 Oscars. Alongside Austin’s name appeared P.H. Vazak, who voters assumed was a human co-writer.

The twist? P.H. Vazak wasn’t a person at all—it was Towne’s Hungarian sheepdog.

Towne, frustrated by the changes made to his script, had asked for his own name to be removed and replaced with his dog’s. “Robert Towne never liked it, of course. Why would he? It was his baby to begin with, but he sold his baby, to put it that way. And when we did the film, he put the name of his dog on it,” a source explained.

This makes P.H. Vazak the only dog ever nominated for an Oscar.

It’s a quirky piece of Hollywood history, showing both Towne’s frustration with studio interference and his sense of humor. Even in the serious world of the Academy Awards, sometimes a little mischief sneaks in.

This story is a perfect example of the strange and playful side of Hollywood. While it’s unusual, it also highlights how protective writers can be of their work. Do you think a dog deserves to be nominated for an Oscar if it’s part of a joke like this? Share your thoughts in the comments.