Seeing her father perform high-flying dunks and entertain sellout crowds at every Phoenix Suns home game as “Go The Gorilla” put Peyton Woolf on the path to Hollywood.
“My dad has played the biggest role in me really believing that I could become successful in this career as an actress,” she said.
Bob Woolf thrilled millions of fans in his 30-plus years as the Suns' mascot with his daughter playing a role in the show.
"That was a normal life for her," he said. "Part of her world was entertaining with Dad."
They'll share another special moment Sept. 12 when the elder Woolf is inducted into the World Acrobatics Society Hall of Fame.
“My dad made a name for himself and performed at such a high level and really dominated this field and this industry
that is so niche and not a lot of people get to be a part of and really kind of paved his own way and paved his own path in this very unconventional field,” said the 26-year-old Peyton Woolf, who has appeared in episodes of "Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D," "The Goldbergs" and "Good Trouble."
“And so I think definitely for me, it’s definitely been less scary pursuing a career in a field that is sort of strange and unique and competitive and difficult and weird and you really have to pave your own path,” she added. “Because that’s exactly what I saw my dad do.”
Woolf shared with The Arizona Republic childhood memories of being part of her dad's skits with her siblings, Zach and Mayson, singing the national anthem at the age of 3 at a Suns game and more.
Favorite skit with her dad as the Gorilla
“My dad would drive a motorcycle and there would be a Suns’ cheerleader on the back. A real motorcycle and they’d go off a ramp and it was really a cool thing he did almost every game. Then they got a mini motorcycle and they got me a little cheerleading outfit and put my brother, Zach, in a Gorilla Jr. costume and he would follow behind them in a little tykes motorcycle and we’d ride around the court and I would have my noise sign and I remember thinking I was the real deal. My God, I’ve been promoted to cheerleader. That skit got the best reaction from everyone and so I was the coolest kid in the world.”
On singing the national anthem at age 3
“I noticed that every game, someone different came out and sang the national anthem. And everyone cheered for them. I assume the way they chose who sang the national anthem was just by going down the line of seats and everybody got a turn. Like show and tell in preschool. I just remember being patient game after game after game and then one day, I finally looked at my mom and I go, ‘Hey mom, when it’s my turn to do that?’ She’s like, ‘You want to go out there and you want to sing?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, is my turn coming up? Or do I need to wait little longer? When is it my turn?’ She was like, ‘You really want to do that? I was like, ‘Yes, absolutely.’”
Enter Malarie Woolf, mother.
“I went home and my mom taught me the words to the national anthem. Loosely. I messed up a few and then my dad pulled some strings and got me an audition and I think no one thought I could do it, but I went and I sang. And I got all the words out and I held the heavy microphone and they let me do it. So I had got a slot and I went out there for one of the games and I sang the national anthem at 3 years old. I remember everyone really being kind of blown away. There was a clip of it actually was on Jimmy Kimmel the next day.”
"I set the bar. That was my goal in life. Set the bar. I wanted the raise the salary of other NBA mascots."
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) September 7, 2026
Bob Woolf on hitting six figures as Phoenix Suns "Gorilla" mascot.
"I wanted to set that standard because otherwise, we were just regular jobs and regular people." #Suns pic.twitter.com/1dDYCISvsI
Trip to Paris
“Dreamed about seeing the Eiffel Tower since I was a little girl. My dad went to the European All-Star game. He convinced the Suns or the NBA, he said, ‘You know, my daughter has always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. Instead of getting paid for this event, can you just let me bring my family?’ So, we all got to go to Paris and eat croissants and macarons and see the Louvre Museum. His career, we’ve always been a part of it and that’s such a blessing.”
Gorilla Santa
"I remember one year we woke up on Christmas and there weren’t any toys and we’re like, 'Oh no, Santa must have forgotten us' and we go outside. We had asked for bikes that year and all of our bikes were on the roof because Santa couldn’t get the bikes down the chimney. That man didn’t sleep. That man really did not sleep. He would be up all night creating special things for us, finishing projects. It truly is remarkable. Some people say, 'Oh yeah, I do things 110%.' My dad does things 300%. There are just no ifs, ands or buts.”
Keeping dad’s identity a secret
“It was really fun growing up because technically, who the Gorilla was, it was supposed to be a secret. I remember my parents always saying, 'You can’t tell people what your daddy does for work.' At my elementary school, I remember people asking, ‘What does your dad do for work? One kid would say, ‘Oh he’s a firefighter.’ Another kid would say, ‘Oh he’s a banker.’ They’d ask me and I’d just be coy and give a little smile and say, ‘Sorry, I can’t say. Sorry, I can’t tell you (laughs)’ as if he was like the FBI or CIA or something. I really treated it like that and that was always very fun, but the Gorilla would come and visit our school sometimes and do school shows and fundraisers and eventually, everyone knew and kind of made me a local celeb. A lot of popularity points in fourth and fifth grade.”
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Childhood memories from the daughter of Suns' Gorilla mascot | Exclusive
