"Crystal the Monkey: 32 and Still Stealing the Show in a Wild New Life – What Is Her Secret?"
Added on August 21, 2026 inFree CelebrityNews
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The bittersweet reality of beloved animal actors often creeps up on us like a sly fox under the cover of night—just when we start to form bonds, we’re faced with their tragically shorter lifespans. Reflect for a moment: how can we truly enjoy their antics if we know they won’t be around for long? From Toto in The Wizard of Oz to Lassie, we’ve had our fair share of tearful farewells. But wait—what about our cheeky primate pals? Enter Crystal the Monkey and her fellow long-lived capuchin, Marcel from Friends, both defying the odds with their astonishing 32 years of adventure. Ah, isn’t it just typical that while our canine companions fade too soon, these little monkeys seem intent on sticking around for the long haul? Perhaps the stars have aligned favorably for them! Curious how these two furry pals of Hollywood have tamed time—and possibly thrown a few tantrums along the way? Buckle up, because this tale is too good to miss! LEARN MORE.
The sad part about beloved animal actors is that we usually don’t get to grow up with them, since they usually have far shorter lives.
We’ve had to say goodbye to a lot of famous dogs over the years, whether it’s Toto from The Wizard of Oz, Lassie from Lassie or even the one who flew in the plane in Come Outside. What a throwback.
But when it comes to monkeys, with whom we of course share a lot of DNA, they can actually live a lot longer, and there’s two very famous examples who are both living life to the fullest at the grand old age of 32.
You might remember Marcel from Friends, who features heavily as Ross’ pet monkey in the hugely popular comedy series, but there’s another famous Hollywood capuchin who also stole our hearts with its performance alongside Ben Stiller in Night at the Museum, although its clear that they didn’t really get on.
You might remember Crystal, who plays a mischievous monkey called Dexter in the film, regularly stealing his keys and even slapping him across the face at one point, something which her trainer encouraged by shouting ‘get him’.
Stiller later joked: “I really dislike the monkey. There’s no way to feel great about having a monkey slap your face on any level.”
Crystal was one of the stars from Night at the Museum (Rob Kim/Getty Images)
That’s nothing compared to the treatment that Crystal gave to legendary actor Robin Williams however, as she famously relieved herself on him while he was in his Teddy Roosevelt costume.
He said: “It combines the worst aspects of working with children and animals when you have an animal that looks like a child.”
Crystal’s acting career actually began all the way back in 1997 when she starred in George of the Jungle and her most recent credit on IMDB came in 2024, which suggests that she’s still living it large alongside her long-time trainer.
She also appeared in The Hangover where Ken Jeong praised her skills as an actor, even though she’s obviously never had any speaking lines and is frankly a nightmare to interview.
Popular X account Covered Geekly recently provided an update on Crystal’s life now, which suggests that she might be taking a step back from acting and focusing on her own monkey business, which in this case is just relaxing alongside plenty of other animals in her home.
She’s had a pretty crazy life (Rob Kim/Getty Images)
The post read: “We’re happy to share that the legendary Crystal the Monkey, from classics such as Night at the Museum and George of the Jungle, is still alive and well.
“She is currently 32 years old and lives in Los Angeles County, California, with her trainer Tom Gunderson and is living a nice and private life after entertaining millions for years.
“Crystal shares a home with several other animals, including another female capuchin named Squirt, a cat, and dogs – horses are also kept on the property too!”
But it might not be the last we hear of Crystal, since Capuchin monkeys can easily live between 40 and 50 years when looked after properly.
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