Walter Plinge is a pseudonym, used in British theatres since the 19th century on occasions when it is not possible or desirable to make an actor's real name known.
[3] Another former Bensonian recalled the pseudonym "Hugh S. Hay" being used when the American actor Walter Hampden was in the company.
[8] Analogous pseudonyms – for writers rather than actors – are Alan Smithee in Hollywood and David Agnew at the BBC.
[9] Walter Plinge is also used as the name of a character in Terry Pratchett's novel Maskerade, which is a parody of opera and musical theatre.
The character is an amalgam of two parts played by Michael Crawford: Frank Spencer and the Phantom of the Opera.