View Full Version : REAL NAMES OF THE STARS


savageamusement
08-29-2006, 07:59 AM


Nicolas Cage started life as Nicholas Coppola, but changed it to disassociate himself with famous film director Uncle Francis Ford Coppola. The name 'Cage' came from the comic book character 'Luke Cage'.


Red Buttons was originally known as Aaron Chwatt. The idea for his new name came from his hair colour and the 48 buttons on his bellboy's uniform.


Bette Davis started out as Ruth Davis but changed to Bette after Balzac's cousin Bette.


The Phantom of the Opera star was once called Michael Dumble-Smith. The unsurprising desire for a name change was concluded after he saw a passing Crawford's buscuit lorry.


The former Roy Scherer became Rock Hudson after his agent searched the globe for an alternative, coming up with an amalgamation of the Hudson River and the Rock of Gibraltar.


Orginally Susan Weaver, Sigourney picked out her unusual new name from a character in the novel, The Great Gatsby.


Oprah is actually a typo. Her parents wanted to use the biblical name Orpah, but the midwife couldn't spell so it became Oprah.


Friends star Luke Perry was originally Coy Luther Perry but changed to Luke after the character in his favourite movie, Cool Hand Luke.


Originally Doris Von Kappellof, Doris followed the wise advice of band leader Barney Rapp and changed her name. She used to sing the song 'Day after Day' for him.




Born Frank Cooper, his agent persuaded him to change to Gary after the agent's home town - Gary, Indiana.

phoebe7165
08-29-2006, 12:01 PM
Interesting information!!

My info isn't as fascinating....:lol:

I think a director told Judy Garland to change her name from Frances Gumm.

Would John Wayne still have been the big star he was if he stayed with his actual name, Marion Morrison?

I think it was Ike Turner's idea to change Annie Mae Bullock to Tina Turner.

I wonder if both Eugene Orowitz and Allen Konigsberg changed their names to Michael Landon & Woody Allen early on because at first they didn't want people knowing they were Jewish. I think back then that was a bit of a big deal.

And I don't think Cary Grant would be Cary Grant if he were still Archibald Leach.

Dr. Thong
08-29-2006, 02:12 PM
• Friends star Luke Perry was originally Coy Luther Perry but changed to Luke after the character in his favourite movie, Cool Hand Luke.

What about Beverly Hills 90210 star Matthew Perry??:confused:

savageamusement
08-29-2006, 08:57 PM
Yeah

The DUKE as "marion"

Just not as tough

I alwys think of the happy days mom with that name

ahhahahaa

tv star collector
08-30-2006, 09:08 AM
Boris Karloff was born William Henry Pratt (doesn't sound as scary, does it?).

Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson.

Don Adams changed his name from Donald Yarmy because he got tired of
always being at the end of the alphabet!

A few others:
Joseph Levitch (Jerry Lewis)
Dino Crocetti (Dean Martin)
Betty Joan Perske (Lauren Bacall)
Norma Jean Baker (Marilyn Monroe)
Diane Belmont (Lucille Ball)
Eugene Klass (Gene Barry)
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (Tony Bennett)
Benny Kubelsky (Jack Benny)
Milton Berlinger (Milton Berle)
Salvatore Bono (Sonny Bono)
Nathan Birnbaum (George Burns)
Cornelius Crane Chase (Chevy Chase)
Leslie Townes Hope (Bob Hope)
Harry Lillis Crosby (Bing Crosby)
Louis Francis Cristillo (Lou Costello)
William Abbott (Bud Abbott)
Moses Horowitz (Moe Howard)
Louis Feinberg (Larry Fine)
Jerome Horowitz (Curly Howard)
Samuel Horowitz (Shemp Howard)
Doris von Kappelhoff (Doris Day)
Peggy Yvonne Middleton (Yvonne DeCarlo)
Phyllis Driver (Phyllis Diller)
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. (John Denver)
Issur Danielovitch Demsky (Kirk Douglas)
Robert Zimmerman (Bob Dylan)
Frances Butts (Dale Evans)
Leonard Slye (Roy Rogers)
William Claude Dukenfield (W.C. Fields)
John Elroy Sanford (Redd Foxx)
Arnold Dorsey (Englebert Humperdinck)
William Martin Joel (Billy Joel)
Thomas Woodward (Tom Jones)
Brenda Mae Tarpley (Brenda Lee)
Harold Lip****z (Hal Linden)
Bela Lugosi Blasko (Bela Lugosi, who else?)
Harold Lee Yeary II (Lee Majors)
Julius (Groucho) Marx
Arthur (Harpo) Marx
Leonard (Chico) Marx
Herbert (Zeppo) Marx
Hugh Krampke (Hugh O'Brian)
Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (Minnie Pearl)
Louis Bert Lindley (Slim Pickens)
Freddie Preutzel (Freddie Prinze)
Donna Belle Mullenger (Donna Reed)
George Besselo (George Reeves)
Joe Yule, Jr. (Mickey Rooney)
Frances Rose Shore (Dinah Shore)
Richard (Red) Skelton
Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr)
Gail Shikles (Craig Stevens)
Gordon Sumner (Sting)
Harold Lloyd Jenkins (Conway Twitty)
Judith Mae Hess (Judy Tyler)
Norman (Clint) Walker
Armand Catalano (Guy Williams)
Isaiah Edwin Leopold (Ed Wynn)
Angus Young (Alan Young)