From Brad Pitt to Winona Ryder
It’s quite common for actors and actresses to use stage names in their work. This could be for the sake of easier pronunciations, because they’re inspired by something, or simply due to change. With that in mind, here are 20 celebrities you probably didn’t know use stage names.
Mark Taylor from Rockville, USA on Wikimedia
1. Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is best known as a defining actress in the 50s and 60s who starred in notable films like Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Her actual name was Norma Jean Mortenson, and then eventually Norma Jean Dougherty after her first marriage. Deciding that the pronunciation would be too hard, she instead took a name inspired by a 1920s starlet named Marilyn Miller.
Los Angeles Times on Wikimedia
2. Gigi Hadid
This supermodel and actress was actually born with the name Jelena Noura Hadid, however her own family would refer to her as Gigi. It was a popular nickname for the women in her family, and when Gigi started grade school, she found the shorter name was easier for her classmates to pronounce.
3. Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg was actually born as Caryn Johnson, but chose the stage name after claiming to act like a whoopee cushion after first starting out. Apparently it started out as a bit of a joke but had some truth to it too.
Library of Congress Life on Wikimedia
4. Joaquin Phoenix
Known for his work in films like Joker and Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix was actually born as Joaquin Rafael Bottom. However, after his family left their religious group, they decided to change their surname to Phoenix.
5. Tina Fey
Tina Fey is a very talented actress and comedian best known for her roles in 30 Rock and Mean Girls. Her original name was Elizabeth Stamatina Fey, and she chose to shorten her middle name to Tina as her stage name.
6. Kit Harington
Known for his role in Game of Thrones, Kit Harington was actually born Christopher Catesby Harington. Apparently, the actor already liked the name Kit at the age of 11, and Christopher was more so a tradition in his family.
7. Demi Moore
Demi Moore has stepped back into the limelight due to her role in the movie Substance, but she has a long list of accolades prior to that. She was born as Demi Gene Guynes, but took her first husband’s last name after marrying him at the young age of 17.
8. Lady Gaga
When most people hear this name, it’s easy enough to assume that it’s probably a stage name. In reality, Lady Gaga is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, and she chose Gaga after being inspired by the 1984 Queen song “Radio Gaga.”
SMP Entertainment on Wikimedia
9. Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren’s real name is Ilyena Lydia Mironoff, however this would be changed when her father shifted their surname to Mirren in the 1950s. To further simplify things, Ilyena chose to change her name to Helen when she began acting.
Gage Skidmore at https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore on Wikimedia
10. Nicolas Cage
Known for plenty of iconic roles and still going strong to this day, Nicolas Cage’s actual name is Nicolas Kim Coppola. Interestingly, Nicolas is related to director Francis Ford Coppola.
11. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus first skyrocketed to fame after her success as Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel. It turns out her actual name was Destiny Hope Cyrus, but her family had nicknamed her Smiley as she was always grinning as a child.
Miley_cyrus_fashion_rocks_2008.jpg: Vanessa Ip
derivative work: Keraunoscopia (talk) on Wikimedia
12. Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton’s actual name is Michael John Douglas. Apparently this was done because there was already a popular actor at the time named Michael Douglas. Since the Screen Actors Guild refuses actors to use the same professional name, Michael decided to go with Keaton instead.
13. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman’s real name is Neta-Lee Hershlag, which is a traditional Hebrew name. However, her family changed their surname to Portman when they emigrated to the U.S., so by then she was already Neta-Lee Portman.
14. Michael Caine
Michael Caine is still super popular to this day, appearing in iconic roles in The Dark Knight and Interstellar. His actual name, however, is Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, and he changed it on advice from his agent.
Manfred Werner / Tsui on Wikimedia
15. Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon was actually born as Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon, but decided that was probably too long. So instead, she adopted her mother’s maiden name Reese, and used it as her first name instead.
16. Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is best known for her work in Hannibal and Children of Men. Her original name was actually Julie Anne Smith, but her father’s middle name is Moore. So she decided to combine the names to create Julianne Moore.
17. Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt’s actual name is William Bradley Pitt. It’s easy to see where the stage name comes from, as he simply shortened his middle name. However, as a fun tidbit, it’s reported that when he’s flirting, he introduces himself as William.
18. Emma Stone
Emma Stone is a short and sweet name, which was probably why the actress decided to ditch her actual name, Emily Jean Stone. Turns out the actual reason was because there was already an Emily Stone in Hollywood.
19. Mindy Kaling
Vera Mindy Chokalingam always preferred her middle name from the start and used it as her preferred name early on. Then as she was breaking into Hollywood, she decided to shorten her last name from Chokalingam to Kaling.
20. Winona Ryder
A defining actress in the 80s and 90s, Winona is still putting out hits to this day. Her actual name is Winona Laura Horowitz, but she was inspired by Mitch Ryder’s music at the time and decided to use his last name as her credit.
