George Ali

George Ali, born George Bolingbroke around 1866, was an actor who built his career around animal impersonation, a specialty known in the trade as the "skin game." Born in Washington, D.C., to Irish immigrant parents, he was the youngest in his family. He later settled in New York, where he remained until his death on April 26, 1947, in Freeport, Long Island.

Ali's stage work spanned several decades, with Broadway appearances running from 1899 to 1935. His theatrical roles were almost exclusively animal characters. On Broadway, he appeared in productions including The Jersey Lily, in which he played Pretty Polly; The Wild Rose, where he was cast as Baby; Chee-Chee, in which he played San Toy; and White Wings, where he portrayed Joseph. Additional Broadway credits include The Dress Parade and other productions. Beyond Broadway, his stage work encompassed a wide range of animal roles, among them Tige in Buster Brown, Mouser the Cat in Dick Whittington and His Cat, Mr. Black Bear in George W. Lederer's Mid-Summer Night Fancies, Baron Barbon in Hoity Toity, and The Jackass in Parade.

Ali brought considerable physical skill to these performances. A trained gymnast and puppeteer, he was capable of sustained movement on all fours while simultaneously manipulating costume elements from within, including operating the mouth and eyes of animal headpieces to pick up objects such as towels and spoons.

His most widely recognized work came in the 1924 film adaptation of Peter Pan, in which he played both the canine nursemaid Nana and the Crocodile. J.M. Barrie had originally written the Nana role with a boy in mind, but the technical demands of the part led to the casting of an adult. Ali took on the role at the age of 58. The film remains the primary work for which he is remembered. Ali died on April 26, 1947.