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Celebrities using fake names, pseudonyms, stage names, professional names, whatever, instead of their real names is nothing new. Part of the reason for that now is because the Screen Actors Guild stipulates that no two actors may have the same working names. Other reasons are because celebrities don’t think their real name is catchy, or it’s too difficult to spell or pronounce. And then there are some that try to maintain some sense of anonymity by using a fake name. (Does that ever work?)
Sometimes, at least back in the olden days, actors were actually given their stage names by an agent, manager, or even a movie studio. For instance, legendary actor Archibald Leach was renamed Cary Grant by Paramount Pictures.
And while these pseudonyms are usually much more sexy than celebrities’ real names, it’s often even more interesting to find out the name they were actually given when they were born.
We’ll be breaking today’s list, call it Volume One of celebrities’ real names, into two categories: those who completely changed their name with no ties whatsoever to their actual birth name, and those who only altered their name a bit for, more than likely, one of the reasons given above.
[Coming Soon: Volume 2 of celebrities real names, plus rappers’ real names, wrestlers’ real names, and fake names celebrities use when they check into hotels. Stay tuned.]
Celebrities Who Completely Changed Their Names
Vin Diesel was born Mark Sinclair
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Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr.
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Portia de Rossi was born Amanda Lee Rogers
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Bono was born Paul David Hewson
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Zedd was born Anton Zaslavski
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Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop
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Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez
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Lorde was born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor
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Lana Del Rey was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant
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Iggy Azalea was born Amethyst Amelia Kelly
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Celebrities Who Altered Or Shortened Their Names
Jean-Claude Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg
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David Bowie was born David Robert Jones
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Ben Affleck was born Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt
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Nina Dobrev was born Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva
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Natalie Portman was born Neta-Lee Hershlag
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Jon Stewart was born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz
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Tom Cruise was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
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Winona Ryder was born Winona Laura Horowitz
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Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus
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John Legend was born John Roger Stephens
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Olivia Wilde was born Olivia Jane Cockburn
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Katy Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
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Blake Lively was born Blake Ellender Brown
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Jennifer Aniston was born Jennifer Linn Anastassakis
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Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquín Rafael Bottom
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Christopher Walken was born Ronald Walken
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Brie Larson was born Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers
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Guy Fieri was born Guy Ramsay Ferry
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Dove Cameron was born Chloe Celeste Hosterman
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Minka Kelly was born Minka Dumont Dufay
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