More

What If Celebrities Went By Their Real Names? (PICTURES)

The Huffington Post     First Posted: 09/28/10 10:50 AM ET   Updated: 05/25/11 06:50 PM ET

There are several reasons for a performer to change his name. Maybe someone famous already exists with that moniker or maybe someone thinks he'll never get famous with a name like Marion. Whatever the reason, some of our favorite celebrities have ditched their birth names and replaced them with stage names. We at HuffPost Comedy imagined a world in which that never happened.


Flavor Flav
1 of 9
Total comments: 599 | Post a Comment
1 of 9
This Poster
Should've kept it!
Great change!

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

  • 5

  • 6

  • 7

  • 8

  • 9

  • 10
Top 5 Posters
loading...
Users who voted on this slide
loading...


FOLLOW HUFFPOST COMEDY

There are several reasons for a performer to change his name. Maybe someone famous already exists with that moniker or maybe someone thinks he'll never get famous with a name like Marion. Whatever the...
There are several reasons for a performer to change his name. Maybe someone famous already exists with that moniker or maybe someone thinks he'll never get famous with a name like Marion. Whatever the...
 
 
  • Comments
  • 599
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Favorites
Recency  | 
Popularity
Page: 1 2 3 4 5  Next ›  Last »  (13 total)
09:25 PM on 10/02/2010
Sometimes celebrities will pick names to avoid being only known as another celebrity's sibling. Peter Graves was the brother of actor James Arness. Their real last name was Aurness. Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty are siblings. Shirley uses only her first and middle names and dropped her last name while her brother uses his middle and last name. His first name is really Henry.
09:21 PM on 10/02/2010
From what I've heard about Whoopi Goldberg, she picked her first name from whoopie cushions because she ate a diet high in garbanzo beans and suffered flatulence as a result. She said the Goldberg came from a family name.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
MJinCanada
Safe from zombies until my 2nd cup of coffee
03:46 PM on 10/01/2010
In a different twist, William Henry Pratt changed his name to Boris Karloff, partly because it was a more exotic, movie villain sort of name and partly because he worried that his respectable English family might be embarrassed.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
BrianMac
11:25 AM on 10/01/2010
If you want to hear a doozy of a stage name search story, check out Michael Keaton's. Hell: just look at several of them:

http://www.cracked.com/article_18613_6-insane-true-stories-behind-stage-names-celebrities.html

The Michael J. Fox one is rather interesting (and just beyond the fact that the "J" doesn't reference any part of his given name).
09:14 PM on 10/02/2010
Micjael J, Fox took the "J" in honor of MIchael J. Pollard, who is another dimunitive actor.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Oilvike
Go Hawks! Go Vikings! Go Cards!
02:28 AM on 10/01/2010
Well, on Night Court, Dan Fielding's name was really Reinhold Elmore.
01:05 AM on 10/01/2010
farewell Bernie Schwartz - Tony Curtis, famous as actress Jamie Lee Curtis' dad; for playing the Cary Grant type cad and drag queen Josephine in an "all girl band" in the 30's in Some Like it Hot with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe etc. He was incredibly handsome in the 50's. We'll miss him.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
charles116
11:00 PM on 09/30/2010
Psssssssst.
My real name is Charles123.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
Wanjiru
Debatably relatable ...
10:57 PM on 09/30/2010
Tom Cruise (#4) is Thomas Who-now?!! LOL.
.
09:19 PM on 09/30/2010
Eric Bouchet...any guesses?
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
charles116
11:03 PM on 09/30/2010
Should I google it - I'm already on the computer.
Actually I will Yahoo it. We are boycotting google.
08:49 PM on 09/30/2010
Musician/Artist David Bowie -- David Robert Hayward-Jones, Portugal Artist Cristina Canas-- Cristina Fernandes Canas Pinto,Singer Madonna -- Madonna Louise Ciccone, Singer/Actress Cher -- Cherilyn Sarkisian, Actress Marilyn Monroe -- Norma Jean Mortensen ,Actress Jodie Foster -- Alicia Christian Foster, Singer/Actor Sting -- Gordon Matthew Sumner, I think they all made the right decision, changing their names, it just sounds better. http://www.cc-finearts.com/
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
BrianMac
07:04 PM on 09/30/2010
For you folks who just can't understand why celebrities, especially actors, do not stick with their birth names, a little instruction is in order as to why celebrities change their names:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stage_name#Motivation_to_use_a_stage_name

Check it out before rolling your eyes.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
Wanjiru
Debatably relatable ...
10:58 PM on 09/30/2010
Thank you for info.
Can I roll eyes now? :)
.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
BrianMac
11:18 AM on 10/01/2010
Yes, you may! Many celebrities don't actually change their name; they just adopt a stage, screen or air name and keep their given name for other purposes.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
MJinCanada
Safe from zombies until my 2nd cup of coffee
06:55 PM on 09/30/2010
The late John Vernon, known for his lovely deep voice and elegant portrayal of villains was born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz in Zehner, Saskatchewan.

He missed the entire alphabet by only 7 letters.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
BrianMac
11:20 AM on 10/01/2010
Great Montgomery Scott! Perhaps he should have just called himself Arva (A.R.V.A.).
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
MJinCanada
Safe from zombies until my 2nd cup of coffee
03:17 PM on 10/01/2010
Well, I guess he just picked the bit that was easy for the reviewers and fans to spell and/or pronounce. Not that Agopsowicz is all that difficult, really. It's pronounced just as it's spelled and vice versa. (Accent on second syllable.)
06:20 PM on 09/30/2010
I think Caryn is pretty spelled that way.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
VanTroi
03:53 AM on 10/01/2010
I like the real name better
09:16 PM on 10/02/2010
She goes by her real name in private. It's just that her real last name is very common and there is likely another actress of that name registered with the SAG.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Longbaugh
05:14 PM on 09/30/2010
Celebrities do this stuff almost as if just for fun. Brad Pitt's first name is William (Brad is his middle name). William Pitt sounds just fine.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
AbuHamza
05:33 PM on 09/30/2010
Bill Pitt? :)
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Hard2kill
06:45 PM on 09/30/2010
Its William Bradley "Brad" Pitt and I think that's pretty fine....

How about:
Stacy Ann Ferguson - Fergie
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta - Lady gaga
Nicolas Kim Coppola - Nicolas Cage
Carlos Irwin Estévez - Charlie Sheen
04:11 PM on 09/30/2010
Kudos to Meryl Streep for keeping her actual last name. I'm sure at some point she was pressured to change it, but she stuck with "Streep".
08:52 PM on 09/30/2010
Meryl Streep...Streep sounds good...great she stuck with it,,,
09:18 PM on 10/02/2010
She did change her first name. Meryl is a combination of her first and middle names Mary Louise.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
charles116
10:59 PM on 09/30/2010
Perhaps Street was suggested.

On an interesting note Tovah Feldhah's real first name is TerrySue.

I wished the Law and Order folks turned HER character into a series.
Din not care for L&H LA.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
charles116
11:04 PM on 09/30/2010
L&O, pardon.