Melanie Griffith had lion for 'pet' as a teen

Melanie Griffith had a lion as a pet when she was in her teenage years.

The 57-year-old actress' wild cat was named Neil after her parents, Tippi Hedren and stepfather Noel Marshall, and had starred the in the film 'Roar' they had made along with Griffith's whole family, the New York Post reported.

According to the pictures taken by LIFE photographer Michael Rougier, which shows the grown up lion playing in their outdoor pool, lazing around the house and even eating from the fridge, it seemed like Neil was treated like just like a family at their Sherman Oaks, California, home in the 1970s.

In one picture, a 14-year-old Griffith is seen curled up in her bed with Neil, who's covered up in his very own red blanket, while another shows the 'Working Girl' star jumping into the pool with the lion's mouth open and his paw extended as if to grab her leg.

The film, which had taken 11 years to make, had flopped at box-office and had resulted in numerous cast and crew injuries, including Griffith getting 50 stitches.