Find out which famous foreigners use stage names

Actor Michael Keaton was born in Coraopolis in 1951. Michael John Douglas wanted to use the stage name Michael Douglas, but there was already a film actor with that registration. He accidentally found the name “Keaton” in a phone book.

Keaton only changed his last name, but there are artists who have also changed their first name – or their entire name – to develop their artistic career. See some that are surprising.

The American actress Whoopi Goldberg, born in 1955 in New York, is named Caryn Elaine Johnson. She had a flatulence problem and that is why she was given the nickname Whoopi (a reference to the whoopee cushion, a toy cushion that farts). The artistic surname is of maternal origin.

American actress Sigourney Weaver born in 1949 is called Susan. She took Sigourney from a character in the novel “The Great Gatsby”.

The American singer Bruno Mars, born in 1985, is called Peter Gene Hernandez. He adopted his stage name because, as a pop musician, he did not want to be associated with the Latin genre. He chose Bruno because as a child he resembled the fighter Bruno Sammartino. And Mars in reference to the planet Mars.

American actor Jamie Foxx was born in 1967, his name is Eric Marlon Bishop. When he started his career, women had more opportunities in comedy clubs in Los Angeles. He adopted Jamie, who is unisex. Foxx is a tribute to comedian Redd Foxx, his idol.

American singer Miley Cyrus, born in 1992, is called Destiny Hope Cyrus. She officially changed her name in 2008. She chose Miley because she was very happy and her father called her Smiley. I just got the S

American singer Tony Bennett, who died on 7/21 at the age of 96, was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto.

American singer Katy Perry, born in 1984, is called Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson. To avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson and to ensure her own identity, Katy (nickname) adopted the surname Perry, her mother’s maiden name.

American actress Julianne Moore, born in 1960, is named Julie Anne Smith. She merged her two names into one and adopted her father’s surname.

American actor Joaquin Phoenix, born in Puerto Rico in 1974, is named Joaquin Rafael Bottom. The surname changed when the family stopped joining the religious group Children of God in 1978. Phoenix (the phoenix, which is reborn) symbolized the new life of the family.

The American actress Winona Ryder, who turned 53 on 10/29/2023, bears this same name, inspired by the town of Winona, Minnesota, where she was born. But the surname was adopted in honor of the singer Mitch Ryder. Her original name is Winona Laura Horowitz.

American singer Lana del Rey, born in 1985, in New York, is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. Her stage name was inspired by the combination of the names of actress Lana Turner and the car Ford Del Rey.

The American actress Demi Moore, born in Roswell in 1962, is called Demetria Gene Guynes. Demi is the diminutive of her name and Moore comes from her first marriage. She married very young, at 18, but preferred to keep that last name.

American actress Jodie Foster, born in 1962 in Los Angeles, is named Alicia Christian Foster. Foster’s stage name apparently comes from a nickname given to her by her older brothers.

Actress Natalie Portman, born in Jerusalem in 1981, is named Neta-Lee Hershlag. This choice was made to protect her family’s privacy, especially during her childhood and adolescence. The surname “Portman” is the maiden name of her paternal grandmother.

American singer Rihanna, born in Saint Michael in 1988, is called Robyn Rihanna Fenty. She chose to use only her middle name as her stage name.

American actor Brad Pitt, born in Shawnee in 1963, is named William Bradley Pitt. He chose to shorten his birth name to something simpler and easier to remember, a common practice among actors to create a more striking and memorable identity.

American actress Emma Stone, born in Scottsdale in 1988, is named Emily Jean Stone. She wanted to be called “Emma” because of her admiration for Emma Bunton. However, the practical reason was that there was already an actress registered with the Screen Actors Guild with the name “Emily Stone”, which led her to adopt “Emma” professionally.

British actress Helen Mirren, born in London in 1945, is Dame Helen Lydia Mirren. She gave her stage name by simplifying her birth name to facilitate her career in the entertainment world.

British actor Ben Kingsley, born in Scarborough in 194, goes by the stage name Krishna Pandit Bhanji. He chose his stage name under the influence of his maternal grandfather, to create a more accessible and memorable identity in the entertainment world.

American actor Paul Wesley, born in New Brunswick in 1982, is named Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski. He found it difficult to pronounce his birth name and, with his family’s permission, changed it to “Paul Wesley” in 2005.

American actor Charlie Sheen, born in New York in 1965, is named Carlos Irwin Estevez. He chose his stage name after his father, Martin Sheen, whose real name is Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez. He adopted his stage name in honor of Archbishop and theologian Fulton J. Sheen.

American actor Vin Diesel, born in Alameda County in 1947, is named Mark Sinclair Vincent. He chose his stage name inspired by his work as a bouncer in a nightclub. The nickname “Diesel” was given to him by his friends for his tireless energy.