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Ali Bongo (b.1929-d.2009) was a British comedy magician who had an act in which he was known as the Shriek of Araby.
Biography
Bongo performed his first magic trick at the age of 5, which he learned from the children’s page of The Times of India. He wrote many books on magic, many containing tricks of his own. As well as writing them he also illustrated them in his instantly recognizable style. He acquired the Ali Bongo name from a character he played in a national youth club pantomime as a teenager.
Bongo was one of the most popular stage magicians in the 1960s. At the height of his stage career he had his own BBC TV series, Ali Bongo’s Cartoon Carnival. He acted as magic consultant for many TV shows and musicals, including the Paul Daniels Magic Show for the BBC. He was also for many years associated with David Nixon, one of television’s earliest celebrities.
Ali traveled throughout the world as a consultant to many internationally famous magicians, including David Copperfield in Las Vegas.
Bongo was involved in a serious car crash in June 2003 on his way to perform at a charity function.