Celebrities You Didn't Know Use Stage Names
List of celebrities with stage names, loosely ranked according to fame and popularity. It's tough to break into show business, but a good stage name might give you a leg up in a sea of boring Joe Smiths and Anne Taylors. This list includes famous people you didn't know were using fake stage names, including those who go by their middle names and celebrities who used variations of family names. A number of people on this list changed their names to avoid confusion with other actors. For example, the Batman you know as Michael Keaton was born Michael John Douglas - not to be confused with Michael Kirk Douglas (whose own father, Kirk Douglas, was born Issur Danielovitch). Other celebrities changed their names to protect their privacy. Natalie Hershlag was a famous child actress, but you have always known her as Natalie Portman. Some celebrities who use pseudonyms changed their names themselves just because they sounded better.
This list of famous stage names includes celebrities who go by nicknames and famous people who have changed their names. It does not, however, include female celebrities who use their married surnames professionally, famous people who were adopted by stepparents at a young age and had their names legally changed as children, or celebrities with obviously theatrical stage names, such as many wrestlers and eponymous artists. You know Adele must have a last name. You know Sting's real name is not Sting. You are pretty sure it's not just a coincidence that the Macho Man's last name was Savage. For more lists of celebrity names, check out the funniest real names of celebrities and this list of stupid celebrity baby names.- Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell (born December 18, 2001), known professionally as Billie Eilish, is an American singer and songwriter signed to Interscope Records. Her first experience with ...more
- Taika David Waititi (born 16 August 1975), also known as Taika Cohen, is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2004 short film Two Cars, One ...more
- Blake Ellender Lively (née Brown; August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Lively is known for starring as Serena van der Woodsen in the CW drama television series Gossip Girl (2007–2012). She also ...more
- Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer, songwriter, record producer and comedian. For his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 ...more
- Jo-Issa Rae Diop (born January 12, 1985), credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer. Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series ...more
- Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers (born October 1, 1989), known professionally as Brie Larson, is an American actress and filmmaker. Noted for her supporting work in comedies when a teenager, she has since ...more
- Michael Che Campbell (born May 19, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, where he serves as co-anchor on Weekend Update and ...more
- Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidad and Tobago-born rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Born in Saint James, Port of Spain, and ...more
- Natalie Portman (born Neta-Lee Hershlag; June 9, 1981) is an actress and filmmaker with dual Israeli and American citizenship. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award ...more
- Guy Ramsay Fieri (US: , Italian: [ˈfjɛːri]; né Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, game show host, and an Emmy Award winning television personality. He co-owns three ...more
- Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award and has been nominated for two Academy ...more
- John Adedayo B. Adegboyega (born 17 March 1992), known professionally as John Boyega, is an English actor known for playing Finn in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its 2017 sequel Star ...more
- Natalie Wood (born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and became a Hollywood star as a young adult. Wood ...more
- Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. A classically-trained pianist, Keys was composing songs by age 12 ...more
- Olivia Wilde (born March 10, 1984), is an American actress, producer, director, and activist. She is known for her role as Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series House ...more
- Eleonora Pons Maronese (born June 25, 1996), known online as Lele Pons, is a American-Venezuelan internet personality and actress, most notable for her YouTube videos.
- Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and dancer. He is known for his stage ...more
- Mahershalalhashbaz Ali (né Gilmore; born February 16, 1974), known professionally as Mahershala Ali (), is an American actor and rapper who is a recipient of several awards, including two Academy ...more
- Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and vaudevillian. During a career that spanned 45 years, she attained international ...more
- Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. Sheen has appeared in films including Platoon (1986), Wall Street (1987), Young Guns ...more
- Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its stylized, cinematic quality; it explores themes of ...more
- Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962) was an American actress, model, and singer. Famous for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the ...more
- Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles. He ...more
- Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television judge. After singing in church during her childhood, she ...more
- Dove Olivia Cameron (born January 15, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing a dual role as both title characters in the Disney Channel sitcom Liv and Maddie and for ...more