A Star Is Born—Just Not with That Name

Find out what these celebrities were called before they were famous

By Amanda Greene 

from WomansDay.com

It’s not uncommon for stars to change their names before making it big. Whether to avoid confusion (one comedian’s birth name was Albert Einstein) or to add that special star quality (another famous heartthrob upgraded from Archie Leach), swapping out given names is a time-honored Hollywood tradition. Read on to see if you know which well-known stars have given the term “name dropping” a whole new meaning.

Albert Brooks (Birth name: Albert Einstein)

Through his first year of college, actor Albert Brooks was known by his birth name, Albert Einstein (no relation). To avoid confusion with the famous scientist, the actor chose Brooks, a family name, when he began his stand-up comedy career. The name switch was an obvious move for him: When asked why he did it, he replied: “Do I even have to answer?” Photo by Retna.

Ben Kingsley (Birth name: Krishna Bhanji)

The Academy Award winner was born in England as Krishna Pandit Bhanji—Krishna is the name of a Hindu god and Bhanji is a Muslim surname. He started his acting career in the theater, but when he decided to make the move to film, he changed his name because he, along with his father, believed a British name would help him succeed. He chose his father’s nickname, Ben, and a last name inspired by his grandfather’s nickname, King Clove. Of the name change, Kingsley has said: “The irony is that I changed my name from Krishna Bhanji to Ben Kingsley in order to play Mohandas Gandhi!” Photo by Retna.

Cary Grant (Birth name: Archibald Alexander Leach)

Hollywood legend Cary Grant was once known by a far less recognizable name—Archibald Alexander Leach. In order to escape his working-class English upbringing, Grant ran away from home and joined a troupe of comedians and acrobats. His travels with the troupe eventually led him to Hollywood, where he was offered a contract from Paramount under one condition: that he change his name to Cary Lockwood. After some negotiations, he settled on Cary Grant. Photo by Getty Images.

Charlie Sheen (Birth name: Carlos Irwin Estévez)

Like father, like son. Actor Charlie Sheen, born Carlos Irwin Estévez, decided to take dad Martin Sheen’s surname instead. But Martin Sheen was actually born Ramón Antonio Gerard Estévez, and adopted the name Sheen from his favorite Catholic archbishop, Fulton J. Sheen, in order to improve his chances at an acting career. It looks like it worked for both generations. Photo by Retna.

Demi Moore (Birth name: Demetria Guynes)

Despite the fact that Demi Moore no longer goes by her birth name, Demetria (her last name is from first husband Freddy Moore), she clearly has an affinity for unusual monikers: She named her three daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah. And it seems that name-swapping runs in the family: In 2007, Moore’s daughter Tallulah Willis (then 13 years old) legally changed her name to Lula Willis. Photo by Retna.

Elton John (Birth name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight)

The iconic singer, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, changed his name to pursue fame. His choice was inspired by singer Long John Baldry and sax player Elton Dean. The star never felt at ease with his birth name—he’s even said that hearing it made him cringe—because he thought it didn’t have enough star power. “If you're going to make a record, Reg Dwight is not going to make it," he’s said. Photo by Retna.

Judy Garland (Birth name: Frances Ethel Gumm)

Judy Garland, born Frances Gumm, and her sisters used to tour the vaudeville circuit as “The Gumm Sisters.” But when the name was met with laughter at a performance, they were encouraged to choose a new moniker. The reason behind the choice of Garland remains a mystery, but there are plenty of theories. Two such explanations: that it was a tribute to the character Lily Garland from the film Twentieth Century, and that the trio had been told they were prettier than “a garland of flowers.” The star chose Judy as her first name based on a popular song. Photo by Getty Images.

Michael Keaton (Birth name: Michael Douglas)

Actor Michael Keaton was actually named Michael Douglas, but when he moved to Los Angeles and started auditioning for TV roles, he had to change his name to avoid confusion with the more well-known star. He chose Keaton for a surname because he’d read an article about actress Diane Keaton and thought her name sounded good. Years later, Michael called Diane and thanked her for her name, but the two have more in common than he realized: Diane Keaton was actually born Diane Hall. Photo by Retna.

Miley Ray Cyrus (Birth name: Destiny Hope Cyrus)

At age 15, Destiny Hope Cyrus legally changed her name to her childhood nickname, Miley. Her friends and family used to call her “Smiley” which eventually changed to “Miley.” As a tribute to her dad, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley adopted “Ray” as her middle name. Photo by Retna.

Whoopi Goldberg (Birth name: Caryn Johnson)

We have to agree: Caryn Johnson just isn’t as catchy as Whoopi Goldberg. The actress decided to give up her birth name when she started acting, and instead chose to go by her nickname, “Whoopee Cushion” (we’ll let you imagine how she got that name). Her mother convinced her to change her last name to something more conventional, and suggested Goldberg. Photo by Retna.

Mickey Rooney (Birth name: Joe Yule, Jr.)

Actor Mickey Rooney, born Joe Yule, Jr., got his big break when he was a child actor—he scored the part of Mickey McGuire in a show based on a comic book series. His mother wanted to legally change his name to Mickey McGuire to beef up the publicity for the show, but the comic’s creator wasn’t wild about the plan, so they went with Mickey Rooney instead. Photo by WireImage.

Shirley MacLaine (Birth name: Shirley Beaty)

Because she changed her name, it’s not common knowledge that actress Shirley MacLaine is actor Warren Beatty’s big sister (he added the extra “t” himself). During her early acting career she was auditioning for a role and the producer kept mispronouncing her name, so she opted to change it from Beaty to MacLaine. But she kept her first name, which was inspired by Shirley Temple. Photo by Getty Images.

Anne Rice (Birth name: Howard Allen O’Brien)

Author Anne Rice didn’t have fame in mind when she changed her name from Howard. According to Rice, her mother had named her after her father, but when a nun asked Rice what her name was on the first day of school, she told her it was “Anne.” Her mother, knowing how self-conscious Rice was about her given name, let it go, and she’s been known as Anne ever since. Clearly a fan of playing the name game, Rice has also published novels under the pen names Anne Rampling and A.N. Roquelaure. Photo by Retna.

Bono (Birth name: Paul Hewson)

Thanks to his vocal skills, the lead singer of U2 was given the nickname Bono Vox—which means “good voice” in Latin—by a friend. He dropped the Vox and became known as Bono by everyone, including close friends and family. Photo by AFP/Getty Images.

Elvis Costello (Birth name: Declan MacManus)

Musician Elvis Costello, born Declan MacManus, has gone through plenty of monikers. During early performances he adopted the name DP Costello, a tribute to his father, who performed as Day Costello (Costello was his great-grandmother’s maiden name). A few years later, Costello’s manager decided to change his first name to Elvis, after the legendary musician. About 10 years after that, he decided to go back to his original name, adding Aloysius as a middle name. Finally, he adopted the alias Napoleon Dynamite for his 1986 album, Blood and Chocolate. Photo by Getty Images.