These Celebrities Don't Use Their Real Names
You may be their number one fan, but do you even know their name? Many celebrities use a fake moniker, whether out of a desire to create an alternate identity or simply a nickname that stuck. Here are 20 celebrities you didn't know had stage names.
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1. Emma Stone
Emma Stone was forced to take a stage name when she wanted to register with the Screen Actors’ Guild and was told her real name, Emily, was already taken by another actor. Recently though she’s dropped some hints that she wants to return to using her real name. We support you, Emily!
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2. Michelle Yeoh
When she moved to the US in the 80s, the Malaysian actress was told she would have to change her name to make it in the movie industry. The presumption was no one would be able to pronounce her real one, Yeoh Choo Kheng.
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3. Frank Ocean
You would be correct if you’ve ever thought Frank Ocean sounds too cool to be a real name. Born Christopher Edwin Breaux, he changed it because he wanted to do a project without his label knowing. His new name was inspired by Frank Sinatra and his 1960 film Ocean’s 11.
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4. Marilyn Monroe
The actress was born Norma Jeane Mortenson but changed it professionally when she signed her first contract. Hollywood executive Ben Lyon selected Marilyn after Broadway star Marilyn Miller, and Monroe was her mother’s maiden name.
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5. Brad Pitt
Can you imagine the highest profile actor of the early aughts going by any other name? He was born William Bradley Pitt and although it’s unclear when he first changed to his middle name, we’re glad he made the switch. He is such a Brad.
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6. Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was born with the surname Ruston. During World War II, Audrey lived in Nazi-occupied Holland and her mother changed her name to Edda Van Heemstra to hide her British roots. When she moved to Hollywood she changed it again, likely to make herself more palatable to the American audience.
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7. Reese Witherspoon
Did you know Reese’s first name is actually Laura Jeane? Reese is her mother’s maiden name. She opted to use it as her first name when she made her foray into acting likely to make it more short and snappy.
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8. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman was born in Israel and was given a traditional Jewish name, Neta-Lee Hershlag. She chose to use her paternal grandmother’s maiden name Portman in professional circles to separate her public and private identities.
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9. Lana Del Rey
Born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, Lana Del Rey (Del Rey means “of the king” in Spanish) became her powerful alter ego. She chose a Spanish surname to commemorate her time in Miami, and Lana comes from actress Lana Turner.
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10. Olivia Wilde
Born Olivia Cockburn, she changed it to Wilde after being cast as Gwendolen in her High School’s production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. The play planted the seed of her desire to act, so naturally, she had to commemorate the author.
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11. Portia de Rossi
Portia de Rossi was actually born Amanda Lee Rogers. She changed it at 15, a decision she has since tied to her struggle to find her identity as a gay woman. Portia was inspired by a character from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and De Rossi simply sounded exotic and stylish.
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12. Spike Lee
The legendary director’s real name is Shelton Lee but he took the name Spike much before he was famous. His mother gave him the nickname because he was a difficult baby.
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13. Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch to Russian Jewish immigrants. He changed his name because he felt that his real name sounded too Jewish to make it in Hollywood at the time. He has since voiced regret at the decision.
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14. Demi Moore
Demi Moore was born Deme Guynes but at 17, she married musician Freddy Moore, taking his name. Although they divorced four years later, she kept the surname as a stage name. It does have a nice ring to it.
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15. Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars was born Peter Hernandez but he garnered the nickname Bruno at a young age due to his resemblance to the wrestler Bruno Sammartino. He was afraid keeping his surname would pigeonhole him to singing only Spanish music, so he took Mars, a reference to girls telling him he was out of this world.
16. Nicki Minaj
Born Onika Tanya Maraj, Nicki Minaj didn’t even choose her stage name. It was changed by the first production company she worked with. She says she’s always hated it and prefers her friends and family to call her by her real name.
17. Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren was born Ilyena Lydia Mironoff before her father anglicized their surname in the 1950s. She changed her first name when she began acting to make it simpler.
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18. Jamie Foxx
Born Eric Bishop, Jamie Foxx changed his name to something unisex when he first started performing stand-up after noticing that female comedians were often given priority. His chosen surname is an homage to comedian Redd Foxx.
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19. Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore was born Julie Anne Smith, but as was the case with Emma Stone (or Emily) she was told by the Screen Actors’ Guild that her real name was taken. She took Moore from her father, Peter Moore Smith, and kept Anne in her name because it’s her mother’s first name.
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20. Katy Perry
Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, Katy Perry chose a different name out of an adolescent desire to be someone else. The name followed her into her career and became her formidable alter-ego.