The real names of celebrities in the public eye

Stage Names

The real names of famous celebrities - their pseudonyms uncovered.

There are many reasons for choosing a stage name instead of using your birth name. Often names are changed because they don't have the right sound or they are thought to be too plain and ordinary. Sometimes people wish to conceal their family origins. Another reason for changing a name, particularly in the acting profession, is that many acting organisations specifically prevent more then one member having the same name. For example David Walliams of Little Britain fame changed his name from Williams because of an existing member of Equity Acting Association

Celebrity Stage Name	Real Name
50 Cent	Curtis Jackson
Adam Ant	Stuart Leslie Goddard
Adam Faith	Terence Nelhams
Alice Cooper	Vincent Damon Furnier
Anna Nicole Smith	Vickie Lynn Hogan
Axl Rose	William Bailey
Barbara Windsor	Barbara-Ann Deeks
Barry Manilow	Barry Alan Pinkus
Benny Hill	Alfred Hawthorne Hill
Bez	Mark Berry
Big Daddy	Shirley Crabtree
Bill Wyman	William Perks
Billy Idol	William Broad
Billy Ocean	Leslie Sabastian Charles
Bing Crosby	Harry Lillis Crosby
Bob Dylan	Robert Allen Zimmerman
Bono	Paul Hewson
Boy George	George O Dowd
Brigette Bardot	Camille Javal
Buddy Holly	Charles Hardin Holley
Carmen Electra	Tara Patrick
Charlie Sheen	Carlos Irwin Estevez
Charlton Heston	John Charles Carter
Cher	Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere
Cheryl Baker	Rita Crudgington
Chris De Burgh	Christopher Davidson
Cilla Black	Priscilla White
Cliff Richard	Harry Webb
Crystal Gayle	Brenda Gail Webb
David Bowie	David Robert Jones
David Copperfield	David Kotkin
David Essex	David Albert Cook
David Jason	David John White
David Tennant	David McDonald
David Walliams	David Williams
Demi Moore	Demetria Gene Guynes
Diana Ross	Diane Earle
Dido	Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong
DJ Jazzy Jeff	Jeffrey Townes
Elle Macpherson	Eleanor Gow
Elton John	Reginald Dwight
Elvis Costello	Declan Mcmanus
Eminem	Marshall Bruce Mathers III
Englebert Humperdinck	Arnold George Dorsey (Gerry Dorsey was an earlier stage name)
Eric Clapton	Eric Clapp
Frank Skinner	Chris Collins
Freddie Mercury	Farrokh Bulsara
Freddie Starr	Freddie Powell
Gary Glitter	Paul Gadd
Gary Numan	Gary Webb
Gene Wilder	Jerome Silberman
George Michael	Georgios Panaylotou
George Orwell	Eric Blair
Gloria Estefan	Gloria Fajardo
Goldie	Clifford Price
Harry Houdini	Erich Weiss
Hulk Hogan	Terry Bollea
Janet Street Porter	Janet Bull
Jennifer Aniston	Jennifer Anastassakis
Joe Strummer	John Graham Mellor
John Cleese	John Cheese
John Wayne	Marion Morrison
Jordan	Katie Price
Kenny Everett	Maurice Cole
Lulu	Marie Lawrie
Madonna	Madonna Louise Ciccone
Marilyn Manson	Brian Warner
Marilyn Monroe	Norma Baker
Meatloaf	Marvin Aday
Meg Ryan	Margaret Hyra
Mel Gibson	Columcille Gibson
Michael Barrymore	Michael Parker
Michael Caine	Maurice Micklewhite
Michael Crawford	Michael Dumble-Smith
Moby	Richard Melville Hall
Mos Def	Dante Terrell Smith
Natalie Portman	Natalie Hershlag
Neil Diamond	Noah Kaminsky
Nicolas Cage	Nicolas Coppola
Nina Ricci	Maria Nielli
Nina Simone	Eunice Wayman
Omar Sharif	Michael Shalhoub
Ozzy Osbourne	John Osbourne
Paul McCartney	James Paul McCartney
Pink	Alecia Moore
Prince	Prince Nelson
Ralph Lauren	Ralph Lipschitz
Ricky Martin	Enrique Morales
Ringo Starr	Richard Starkey
Robert Palmer	Alan Batley
Russ Abbot	Russell Roberts
Seal	Sealhenry Samuel
Shakin Stevens	Michael Barratt
Snoop Doggy Dogg	Calvin Broadus
Spike Milligan	Terence Alan Milligan
Stevie Wonder	born Steveland Judkins changed to Steveland Morris
Stewart Granger	James Lablanche Stewart
Sting	Gordon Sumner
Suggs	Graham Mc Pherson
The Edge	David Evans
Tiger Woods	Eldrick Woods
Tina Turner	Anna Bullock
Tom Cruise	Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
Twiggy	Lesley Hornby
Vanilla Ice	Robert Van Winkle
Vic Reeves	Jim Moir
Vin Diesel	Mark Vincent
Whoopi Goldberg	Caryn Johnson
Woody Allen	Allen Konigsberg

Suggestions or corrections email me andy@pubquizhelp.34sp.com

To: GreenLanternCorps

Actually, little known fact: “Love” is actually her stage name, in reference to her feelings towards me.

:-P

21 posted on 06/05/2007 9:06:51 AM PDT by pcottraux (Fred Thompson pronounces it "P. Coe-troe"...in 2008.)

Vanilla Ice = Robert Van Winkle

Now people are going to stalk the guy! sheesh! :o)

22 posted on 06/05/2007 9:21:58 AM PDT by IllumiNaughtyByNature (I buy gas for my SUV with the Carbon Offsets I sell on Ebay!)

Vanilla Ice = Robert Van Winkle

Funniest skit ever...

Vanilla Ice

23 posted on 06/05/2007 9:24:18 AM PDT by IllumiNaughtyByNature (I buy gas for my SUV with the Carbon Offsets I sell on Ebay!)

I knew a lot of these. David Bowie had to change from his given David Jones to avoid confusion with one of the Monkees.
A soul singer, Barrence Whitfield, had to change his name
from his given monikker of...Barry White...similar reason.

Didn’t know about Manilow (my sister’s a huge fan). Pinkus?

Some “name droppers”:
Tom Cruise= Thomas Cruise Mapother
Ann Margret (Olson)
George Ivan “Van” Morrison

baseball division:
Anthony Nomar Garciaparra (goes by middle name, which is
his dad’s first name spelled backwards)

William Roger Clemens
Christopher Trotman “Trot” Nixon

24 posted on 06/05/2007 9:26:34 AM PDT by raccoonradio

To: raccoonradio

another name dropper:
Willard Mitt Romney

25 posted on 06/05/2007 9:27:29 AM PDT by raccoonradio

To: raccoonradio

Larry King = Larry Ziger
Jerry Williams (talk radio legend) = Gerald Jacoby
Jimmy Severino = Jay Severin
if not mentioned above, Chevy Chase’s real first name
is Cornelius

in the world of punk
Johnny Rotten = John Lydon
Jello Biafra = Eric Boucher
Sid Vicious = Simon John Ritchie, later Simon John Beverley

26 posted on 06/05/2007 9:33:14 AM PDT by raccoonradio

In your dreams pal...

Besides, I’ve already worked out a plan to meet, woo, and marry her. Unfortunately my wife objected, so that went no where. ;-)

27 posted on 06/05/2007 9:42:46 AM PDT by GreenLanternCorps (Past the schoolhouse / Take it slow / Let the little / Shavers grow / BURMA-SHAVE)

Snope is no better than Wikipedia for veracity. Both are run by partisan leftists who bend the truth as is suits their politics.

28 posted on 06/05/2007 10:13:05 AM PDT by weegee (Libs want us to learn to live with terrorism, but if a gun is used they want to rewrite the Const.)

There are rules I must follow...

29 posted on 06/05/2007 10:19:16 AM PDT by GreenLanternCorps (Past the schoolhouse / Take it slow / Let the little / Shavers grow / BURMA-SHAVE)

To: GreenLanternCorps

Unfortunately my wife objected, so that went no where. ;-)

Ha! The upper hand is mine!

30 posted on 06/05/2007 10:22:11 AM PDT by pcottraux (Fred Thompson pronounces it "P. Coe-troe"...in 2008.)

“Ha! The upper hand is mine!”

So that’ll be your photo under the headline “STALKER ARRESTED”?

31 posted on 06/05/2007 10:27:40 AM PDT by GreenLanternCorps (Past the schoolhouse / Take it slow / Let the little / Shavers grow / BURMA-SHAVE)

To: GreenLanternCorps

No, it’ll be her photo.

I’ll finally have had enough of her calling me all the time. Sheesh. Doesn’t she know how busy I am?

I would join you in the photo-posting thing, but I’m at work right now, and don’t want to risk my boss barging into my cubicle and finding me looking at pictures of JLH. That would just be weird.

32 posted on 06/05/2007 10:31:38 AM PDT by pcottraux (Fred Thompson pronounces it "P. Coe-troe"...in 2008.)

33 posted on 06/05/2007 10:32:47 AM PDT by GreenLanternCorps (Past the schoolhouse / Take it slow / Let the little / Shavers grow / BURMA-SHAVE)

To: yankeedame; All

I am a performer myself, with some professional credits and aspirations of a career one day, and have tossed around the idea of a professional name for some time.

“Paul Klenk” is not exactly a singer name. It would be fine if I limited my career to acting and comedy, but singers can’t have a name like Klenk. Just doesn’t work in the business.

For a while I used my grandmother’s maiden name, Strandberg. When I explored standup comedy, for a very short while, I used the the Robert Rittenhouse. Robert is my middle name and I liked the name Rittenhouse from a character in Marx Brothers’ Animal Crackers.

Well, finally, I’ve settled on my last name — if ever I do use one seriously. The name is Easterday.

Mrs. Easterday was my Kindergarten teacher, and I was in love with her. So I sort of feel like it’s family name, in a way.

Plus, it’s very musical, and it reflects my faith in Jesus Christ. Easterday comes from the German Ostertag.

Eric/Erik, Jonathan, Jon, Andrew, Jan (Scandinavian), Paulie (nah) are some of the first names I’ve considered.

Your thoughts, friends, are welcome.

Silly

34 posted on 06/05/2007 10:33:14 AM PDT by Silly (http://www.paulklenk.us)

I’ll finally have had enough of her calling me all the time. Sheesh. Doesn’t she know how busy I am?

You hate to get the restraining order, but some women just don't know when it's over.

35 posted on 06/05/2007 10:37:28 AM PDT by Oberon (What does it take to make government shrink?)

I have no idea! I got it from a search and found it on some websites. They didn’t say.

36 posted on 06/05/2007 11:34:29 AM PDT by Shimmer128 (Life isn't fair, but it's still good.)

Hey there Silly,

If you ever come to Frederick, Maryland, the fine folks at Easterday Well Drilling will pump out your septic tank for a very reasonable fee!

Cheers!

37 posted on 06/05/2007 4:08:16 PM PDT by mrs. a (It's a short life but a merry one...)

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