November 15th is George Spelvin Day
A fake name traditionally used by an actor who plays two parts in a play, so that his name will not appear twice in the program. It may also be used if you're not sure who will play the part at the time you print up the program, or if the actor doesn't want their name used. It's also used for people who aren't really people -- that is, corpses, scarecrows, etc. It has expanded to areas of life other than acting; George Spelvin has 'Authored' at least one collection of science fiction short stories, and he's also written a couple of articles on random subjects.
He first appeared in the 1886 Broadway production of Karl The Peddler by Charles A. Gardiner (on November the 15th). A turning point in his career was his role in Brewster's Millions (1907). The play did well, and the author decided to use him in the rest of his productions for good luck.
His female counterpart is either Georgina Spelvin or Georgette Spelvin. British counterparts are Walter Plinge, Mr. F. Anney, and Mr. Bart. His director counterpart is Alan Smithee.