Famous Celebrities Whose Real Names Will Surprise You
Jan 07, 2014 21:16
Turns out that a lot of celebrities change their names before they become big in Hollywood. Here are some famous examples of celebrities who ditched their birth names for fame and fortune:
Mila's parents allowed her to shorten her name when she started booking her first roles on "Days of our Lives," "7th Heaven," and playing a young Angelina Jolie in "Gia."
Joaquin's parents were once members of a religious cult. They soon became disenchanted with the cult, moved back to the U.S. before changing their last name to "Phoenix" to symbolize "new beginning." Young Joaquin started calling himself "Leaf" because he wanted similar nature-related name like his siblings.
He later changed it back when he turned 15, because Leaf is a stupid name.
The "Sweet Home Alabama" actress traded her first and middle name in for her mother's maiden name, "Reese."
This former Christian musician adopted her mother's maiden name to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson.
The change in name came about after singer Monique Van Vooren, whom Walken worked for at the time, renamed him Christopher for no real apparent reason. The name stuck, though his friends still call him Ronnie.
Born in Jerusalem to an Israeli gynecologist father and American mother, the family changed their last name from "Edelstein" to "Stevens" when arriving in the U.S.. Portman also holds a dual American and Israeli citizenship.
Whoopi's mother who felt her daughter should take a Jewish-sounding last name to advance her Hollywood career. While working in a theater in San Diego, her friends noticed she had a bit of a flatulence problem, and decided to call her Whoopi after a whoopee cushion.
The comedian's Hungarian surname is pronounced SEK-kay; however, after people had a tough time pronouncing his name, he decided to change it to an easier English translation: SEE-Kay.
Cyrus' father first gave her the nickname "Smiley" to match with her cheery persona, which eventually became shortened to Miley. Cyrus then legally changed her name in 2008.
Moore kept the last name of her first husband Freddy Moore after they divorced in 1984.
According to Foster's estranged brother, the name change was based on the "Jo D" nickname that was used by their mother's partner, Josephina Dominguez.
Rumor has it Foxx picked an androgynous name because he noticed female comedians were often picked over men to perform at comedy clubs.
Just like her "30 Rock" Liz Lemon character. Her stage name is just a shortened version of her middle name.
Before becoming a rapper, Ludacris was known as "Chris Luva Luva" on Atlanta's Hot 97. The rapper has said the stage name explains his split personality.
Born to Roman Catholic parents, she changed her name after dropping out of NYU one semester early in order to pursue a budding acting career.
In an interview with "Inside the Actors Studio" the actor admitted that he feared his foreign name would hurt his career.
The actors are decedents of immigrants who were originally from Spain and Ireland. Martin decided to adapt a more American-sounding name in order to fit in. Although Charlie felt the same way, his brother Emilio Estevez decided to keep his name.
Fanning goes by her middle name professionally instead of her legal first name.
According to IMDB, Caine changed his name after advice from an agent, re-naming himself after Humphrey Bogart's character in "The Caine Mutiny".
Before he became world famous, the Irish musician was known by the name Paul David Hewson. Bono was originally a nickname, short for "Bono Vox" meaning "good voice" in Latin, said to be given by his friend Gavin Friday.
In the October 2013 issue of Elle magazine the singer said she changed her name because Stefani is "a perpetually tortured artist" that she can't be in public."
The actor was apparently named after his mother's adoptive father, and heir to the successful New York company, Crane Plumbing. The nickname Chevy was given by his grandmother.
The Australian actress told advocate.com in 2005 she changed her name legally at the age of 15 to reinvent herself after coming out as gay. The name Portia was based on a Shakespearean character, while the the Italian last name was picked because it sounded more exotic.
Born in San Francisco to Russian immigrant parents in 1938, Wood Americanized her name when she became a child actress at just four years old.
The "Fast and Furious" star changed his name while working as a bouncer at New York nightclubs. Vin is actually a shortened version of the actor's last name, while
Diesel was a nickname from friends who said he ran on "diesel" fuel
because he had so much energy.
The "Batman" actor changed his name early in his career to avoid confusion with actor Michael Douglas and TV host Mike Douglas. It's believed he chose Keaton because of comedian Buster Keaton.
After being a member of the children's TV show "Kids Incorporated" and performing with the girl group "Wild Orchid," Ferguson picked a catchier name to help her pop like her music.
According to New York Magazine, the director first got his pseudonym from co-workers of a Rockville BMX store where "he'd come to work without showering, and his hair was usually sticking straight up."
According to GQ, the singer changed his Puerto Rican name "to avoid being stereotyped" into performing solely Latin and Spanish music. Bruno was the nickname his father gave him at the age of two because he reminded him of his favorite wrestler, Bruno Sammartino. The last name was then added to give him that extra edge.
Mila Kunis - Milena Markovna Kunis
Mila's parents allowed her to shorten her name when she started booking her first roles on "Days of our Lives," "7th Heaven," and playing a young Angelina Jolie in "Gia."
Joaquin Phoenix — Joaquin Rafael Bottom/Leaf Phoenix
Joaquin's parents were once members of a religious cult. They soon became disenchanted with the cult, moved back to the U.S. before changing their last name to "Phoenix" to symbolize "new beginning." Young Joaquin started calling himself "Leaf" because he wanted similar nature-related name like his siblings. He later changed it back when he turned 15, because Leaf is a stupid name.
