George Spelvin
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George Spelvin, Georgette Spelvin, and Georgina Spelvin are the traditional pseudonyms used in programs in American theater by actors who don't want to be credited or whose names would otherwise appear twice because they are playing more than one role in a production.
In some mystery plays and melodramas, this name has appeared in cast lists as the name of an actor (or actress) portraying a character who is mentioned in the dialogue but never turns up onstage: by crediting the role to "George Spelvin", the audience are not forewarned that the character never makes an entrance.
The name appeared on a cast list for the first time in 1886 in Karl the Peddler, a play by Charles A. Gardiner. "Georgina Spelvin" has fallen out of general use since it was adopted as a screen name by pornographic actress Dorothy May, who was credited by that name in The Devil in Miss Jones (1973) and her subsequent films.
The 1927 musical play Strike Up the Band by George S. Kaufman and George and Ira Gershwin features a character named George Spelvin.
The one-act play The Actor's Nightmare by Christopher Durang features a main character named George Spelvin.
The columnist Westbrook Pegler used this name in his writings; one of his books of collected columns is titled George Spelvin, American.
The 15th of November has been designated "George Spelvin Day". [1]
