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{{short description|British comedy magician and former president of The Magic Circle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ali Bongo
| image = Ali Bongo.jpg
| birth_name = William Oliver Wallace
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|12|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[England]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2009|3|8|1929|12|8|df=y}}<ref name=death/>
| death_place = [[London]], [[England]]
| occupation = Magician
}}
'''William Oliver Wallace''' (8 December 1929 – 8 March 2009), known by his stage name '''Ali Bongo''', was a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[comedy]] [[magic (illusion)|magician]] and former president of [[The Magic Circle (organisation)|The Magic Circle]] who performed an act in which he was known as the "Shriek of Araby".<ref>[[James Randi|Randi, James]]. ''[[Conjuring (book)|Conjuring]]''.(St. Martin's Press, 1992) {{ISBN|0-312-09771-9}} page 237-238</ref>

==Early life==

Born as William Oliver Wallace in England,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Magician to the stars Ali Bongo dies from a stroke, aged 79|url = http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Magician-to-the-stars-Ali.5050744.jp|website = news.scotsman.com|date=9 March 2009|access-date = 27 December 2015}}</ref> where his father (also called William<ref name=independent1641900>{{Cite web|title = Ali Bongo: The magicians' elder statesman|date=11 March 2009|first=Brian|last=Sibley|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ali-bongo-the-magicians-elder-statesman-1641900.html|website = The Independent|access-date = 27 December 2015|language = en-GB}}</ref>) was serving as a sergeant major with the 1st Battalion of the [[Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment]]. Young William spent his early years on a British station in [[Trimulgherry]], [[Secunderabad]] before going to Britain with his mother Lillian, at the age of seven.

After William Wallace senior had ended his army service, the family moved to [[Sutton Valence]] in [[Kent]] and young William won a scholarship to [[Sutton Valence School]], leaving at 16 to begin his career as an entertainer. His time in [[National Service]] was spent with the [[Royal Army Pay Corps]]. He worked for [[Harry Stanley (magician)|Harry Stanley]]'s [[Unique Magic Studio]] and was manager of the magic department at [[Hamleys]] toy shop in London's [[Regent Street]].

==Career==
Wallace created his Shriek of Araby character with an oriental costume (robes, golden curly-toed slippers, horn-rimmed spectacles and headgear that incorporated both fez and turban) and took the name Ali Bongo from a character he had created for a youth club [[pantomime]] he had co-written and appeared in while in his teens. The original character had sung a song which began: "My name is Ali Bongo and I come from Pongo, pong-tiddley-pongo land."<ref name=guardian>{{Cite web|date=12 March 2009|title = Obituary: Ali Bongo|url = https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/mar/12/ali-bongo-magician-obituary|website = the Guardian|access-date = 27 December 2015|first = Matthew|last = Field}}</ref> Among his later magic catch-phrases were "Uju Buju Suck Another Juju", "Aldy Bority Phostico Formio", "Hocus Pocus Fishbones Chokus".<ref name=independent1641900/>

He made his British [[TV]] debut on ''[[The Good Old Days (UK TV series)|The Good Old Days]]'' in 1965 on a bill topped by [[Tommy Trinder]].<ref name=independent1641900/>

Ali Bongo wrote many books on magic, many containing tricks of his own. He also illustrated them in his instantly recognisable style. He acted as [[magic consultant]] for many plays, opera, ballets and TV shows including ''[[David Nixon's Magic Box]]'' and ''[[The David Nixon Magic Show]]'' for Thames Television and ''[[The Paul Daniels Magic Show]]'' for the [[BBC]].<ref>{{Cite news|title = Ali Bongo|date=19 March 2009|url = http://www.economist.com/obituary/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13315660|newspaper = The Economist|access-date = 27 December 2015|issn = 0013-0613}}</ref>

Ali Bongo was the presenter of the ''Ali Bongo’s Cartoon Carnival'', which featured himself and his assistant Oscar. It aired on UK TV BBC1 on Saturdays between 23 October and 18 December 1971, a total of nine episodes.<ref name=guardian/>

Bongo was featured in an episode of Children's TV show ''[[Rainbow (TV series)|Rainbow]]'', appeared in the science-fiction show ''[[The Tomorrow People]]'' in the serial "Revenge of Jedikiah" and had a slot in ''[[Zokko!]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Ali Bongo|date=8 March 2009|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4958574/Ali-Bongo.html|website = Telegraph.co.uk|access-date = 27 December 2015}}</ref> He also acted as the magical advisor on the TV show ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and the 70s cult series, ''[[Ace of Wands (TV series)|Ace of Wands]]''. In 1988 he made a brief appearance in the LWT newspaper-based comedy show ''[[Hot Metal]]''. His well-known ability for devising tricks and illusions and solving magical problems inspired the TV writer, [[David Renwick]], to create a character who was a magician's assistant and amateur sleuth in the series ''[[Jonathan Creek]]''. Bongo was magical adviser to the series.<ref name=death>{{Cite web|title = Magic Circle president Ali Bongo dies|url = https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2009/magic-circle-president-ali-bongo-dies/|website = The Stage|first=Patrick |last=Newley | date= 8 March 2009 |access-date = 27 December 2015}}</ref><ref name=guardian/>

Bongo joined [[The Magic Circle (organisation)|The Magic Circle]] in 1960 and, two years later was made a Member of The Inner Magic Circle. He won The Magic Circle Magician of the Year in 1972, the Carlton Comedy Award in 1983 and the [[David Berglas]] Award in 1991. He served twice as vice-president of The Magic Circle before being elected president on 8 September 2008.<ref name=independent1641900/>

==Death==
At the beginning of February 2009, Bongo collapsed while giving a lecture in Paris. He was taken to hospital and, whilst there, suffered a [[stroke]]. Bongo was subsequently returned to the United Kingdom and cared for in [[St Thomas's Hospital]], London, where he later died from complications arising from [[pneumonia]] on 8 March.<ref name=death/><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.hcms.org.uk/index.php/news/1-latest-news/499-ali-bongo-collapses-in-france.html|title = Ali Bongo Collapses In France - Updated|first = Andrew|last = Webb|publisher = The Home Counties Magical Society|date = 11 February 2009|access-date = 13 February 2009|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090311011623/http://www.hcms.org.uk/index.php/news/1-latest-news/499-ali-bongo-collapses-in-france.html|archive-date = 11 March 2009|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="telegraphKhan">{{cite web|title = Ali Bongo, president of the Magic Circle, dies|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/4958732/Ali-Bongo-president-of-the-Magic-Circle-dies.html|first = Urmee|last = Khan|date = 8 March 2009|website = Daily Telegraph|access-date = 27 December 2015|quote = He died of pneumonia.}}</ref>

Ali Bongo's [[cremation]] and [[broken wand ceremony]] took place on 27 March 2009 at Randalls Park Crematorium, Leatherhead.<ref name=independent1641900/><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.hcms.org.uk/index.php/news/94-broken-wands/525-ali-bongos-final-audience.html|title = Ali Bongos Final Audience|publisher = The Home Counties Magical Society|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111006130041/http://www.hcms.org.uk/index.php/news/94-broken-wands/525-ali-bongos-final-audience.html|archive-date = 6 October 2011|df = dmy-all}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Paul Daniels]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.themagiccircle.co.uk/about-the-club The Magic Circle Website] Ali Bongo, President
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/jonathancreek/stars/bongo.shtml Ali Bongo biography] at Jonathan Creek on [[BBC]]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/jonathancreek/interviews/bongo/ Interview with Ali Bongo] Jonathan Creek on [[BBC]]
*[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4958574/Ali-Bongo.html Obituary in ''The Daily Telegraph'']
*[http://www.economist.com/obituary/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13315660 Obituary in The Economist]
*[https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/mar/12/ali-bongo-magician-obituary Obituary in "The Guardian"]
*[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ali-bongo-the-magicians-elder-statesman-1641900.html Obituary in "The Independent"]
*[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5870288.ece Obituary in ''The Times'']

{{The Magic Circle - The Maskelyne Award |state=autocollapse}}
{{Academy of Magical Arts Lecturer of the Year}}
{{Academy of Magical Arts Masters Fellowship}}
{{Academy of Magical Arts Creative Fellowship}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bongo, Ali}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:British male comedians]]
[[Category:British magicians]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia]]
[[Category:Infectious disease deaths in England]]
[[Category:Artists from Bangalore]]
[[Category:People educated at Sutton Valence School]]
[[Category:20th-century British comedians]]
[[Category:Royal Army Pay Corps soldiers]]
[[Category:20th-century British Army personnel]]
[[Category:People from Sutton Valence]]

Ali Bongo (magician) - Revision history

>GrahamHardy: added Category:People from Sutton Valence using HotCat