Stage name
British
Twiggy
Twiggy was born or originally known as Lesley Hornby and became famous under a different professional name. Model and actress, mononym.
- Birth or original name
- Lesley Hornby
- Name-change type
- Stage name
From union rules and family connections to a name that simply looked better on a cinema marquee, actors have many reasons for adopting a different professional identity. This guide separates stage names from confirmed legal changes.
A stage name, pen name, ring name or mononym can be used publicly without replacing the person's legal identity. We use precise labels so a professional name is not accidentally presented as a legal change.
A name used publicly for work. It may never appear on official documents.
A change reported as having been formalised through the legal process available in that country.
A publishing or sporting identity, usually separate from the person's legal name.
A one-word name, nickname or middle name used as the public identity.
Twiggy was born or originally known as Lesley Hornby and became famous under a different professional name. Model and actress, mononym.
Michael Caine was originally named Maurice Joseph Micklewhite and the change was publicly reported as legal. Legally changed to Michael Caine, inspired by The Caine Mutiny.
Ben Kingsley was born or originally known as Krishna Pandit Bhanji and became famous under a different professional name. Oscar winner for Gandhi.
Helen Mirren was born or originally known as Helen Lydia Mironoff and became famous under a different professional name. Anglicised Russian surname.
Stewart Granger was born or originally known as James Lablache Stewart and became famous under a different professional name. Changed to avoid a clash with James Stewart.
Vivien Leigh was born or originally known as Vivian Mary Hartley and became famous under a different professional name. Gone with the Wind star.
Julie Andrews was born or originally known as Julia Elizabeth Wells and became famous under a different professional name. Mary Poppins star.
Dirk Bogarde was born or originally known as Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde and became famous under a different professional name. Shortened for the screen.
Boris Karloff was born or originally known as William Henry Pratt and became famous under a different professional name. Horror icon.
Meghan Markle was born Rachel Meghan Markle and uses a middle name professionally. Duchess of Sussex, goes by her middle name.
Cary Grant was born or originally known as Archibald Alec Leach and became famous under a different professional name. Hollywood leading man.
Judy Garland was born or originally known as Frances Ethel Gumm and became famous under a different professional name. Star of The Wizard of Oz.
Marilyn Monroe was born or originally known as Norma Jeane Mortenson and became famous under a different professional name. Screen icon.
John Wayne was born or originally known as Marion Robert Morrison and became famous under a different professional name. Western star.
Kirk Douglas was originally named Issur Danielovitch and the change was publicly reported as legal. Changed to Kirk Douglas before his acting career.
Doris Day was born or originally known as Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff and became famous under a different professional name. Singer and actress.
Rock Hudson was born or originally known as Roy Harold Scherer Jr. and became famous under a different professional name. Leading man of the 1950s and 60s.
Fred Astaire was born or originally known as Frederick Austerlitz and became famous under a different professional name. Dancer and actor.
Rita Hayworth was born or originally known as Margarita Carmen Cansino and became famous under a different professional name. Golden-age star.
Natalie Wood was born or originally known as Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko and became famous under a different professional name. Anglicised Russian surname.
Michael Keaton was born or originally known as Michael John Douglas and became famous under a different professional name. Changed his name because Michael Douglas was already registered.
Emma Stone was born or originally known as Emily Jean Stone and became famous under a different professional name. Emily Stone was taken at the union, so she became Emma.
Diane Keaton was born or originally known as Diane Hall and became famous under a different professional name. Diane Hall was taken, so she used her mother's maiden name Keaton.
David Tennant was originally named David John McDonald and the change was publicly reported as legal. Adopted Tennant because another David McDonald was already registered with Equity, and later legally changed his surname.
Nicolas Cage was originally named Nicolas Kim Coppola and the change was publicly reported as legal. Nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, took Cage to avoid nepotism.
Angelina Jolie was born or originally known as Angelina Jolie Voight and became famous under a different professional name. Dropped Voight, using her middle name Jolie professionally.
Zendaya uses a one-name professional identity based on the birth name Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman. Uses first name only.
Brad Pitt was born William Bradley Pitt and uses a middle name professionally. Goes by his middle name Bradley, shortened to Brad.
Reese Witherspoon was born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon and uses a middle name professionally. Goes by her middle name Reese.
Bruce Willis was born Walter Bruce Willis and uses a middle name professionally. Goes by his middle name.
Ashton Kutcher was born Christopher Ashton Kutcher and uses a middle name professionally. Goes by his middle name.
Halle Berry was born Maria Halle Berry and uses a middle name professionally. Goes by her middle name.
Rooney Mara was born Patricia Rooney Mara and uses a middle name professionally. Goes by her middle name.
Faye Dunaway was born Dorothy Faye Dunaway and uses a middle name professionally. Goes by her middle name.
Whoopi Goldberg was born or originally known as Caryn Elaine Johnson and became famous under a different professional name. Comedian and actress.
Vin Diesel was born or originally known as Mark Sinclair and became famous under a different professional name. Action star.
Jamie Foxx was born or originally known as Eric Marlon Bishop and became famous under a different professional name. Actor and musician.
Portia de Rossi was originally named Amanda Lee Rogers and the change was publicly reported as legal. Legally changed her name at 15.
Natalie Portman was born or originally known as Neta-Lee Hershlag and became famous under a different professional name. Uses her grandmother's maiden name.
Winona Ryder was born or originally known as Winona Laura Horowitz and became famous under a different professional name. Named the surname after Mitch Ryder.
Charlie Sheen was born or originally known as Carlos Irwin Estevez and became famous under a different professional name. Took his father's stage surname Sheen.
Martin Sheen was born or originally known as Ramon Antonio Gerard Estevez and became famous under a different professional name. Adopted the surname Sheen.
Woody Allen was originally named Allan Stewart Konigsberg and the change was publicly reported as legal. Filmmaker and comedian.
Chevy Chase was born or originally known as Cornelius Crane Chase and became famous under a different professional name. Chevy is a childhood nickname.
Alan Alda was born or originally known as Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo and became famous under a different professional name. M*A*S*H star.
Tom Cruise was born or originally known as Thomas Cruise Mapother IV and became famous under a different professional name. Dropped the Mapother.
Demi Moore was born or originally known as Demi Gene Guynes and became famous under a different professional name. Kept first husband's surname.
Sigourney Weaver was born or originally known as Susan Alexandra Weaver and became famous under a different professional name. Took Sigourney from a character in The Great Gatsby.
Michael Landon was born or originally known as Eugene Maurice Orowitz and became famous under a different professional name. Little House on the Prairie star.
Meg Ryan was born or originally known as Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra and became famous under a different professional name. Used her grandmother's surname.
Julianne Moore was born or originally known as Julie Anne Smith and became famous under a different professional name. Combined her names to avoid a union clash.
Chuck Norris was born or originally known as Carlos Ray Norris and became famous under a different professional name. Goes by Chuck.
Olivia Wilde was born or originally known as Olivia Jane Cockburn and became famous under a different professional name. Chose Wilde as a professional surname in tribute to writer Oscar Wilde.
No. Actors can work under their birth name, but some adopt a stage name because another performer already uses it, because it is easier to remember, or because they want a separate professional identity.
Professional unions and databases may require a distinct working name. Emma Stone, Michael Keaton and David Tennant are well-known examples of performers who adopted another name because their original professional name was already in use.
Not automatically. A person can use a stage name professionally without changing their passport or other legal records. Some actors later make the change legal, while others never do.
Yes. An adult in the UK can generally use an unenrolled deed poll to make a chosen professional name their legal name, provided the change is not for a fraudulent purpose.
These links support selected additions and key examples. The wider list was built from the research spreadsheet supplied for this project and editorially reorganised for clarity.
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