Stage names are common in the entertainment industry, but I have a feeling the real names of more than a few of the celebrities below might just throw you for a loop!
Whether they're trying to avoid confusion with another performer who made their way to the stage or screen before them, or even paying homage to someone who inspired them along the way, it's fascinating to learn what their birth certificates really say.
I know I was surprised to learn Michael J. Fox's middle initial is actually completely different — or that Tina Turner didn't even have a say in what her new moniker would be back when she was getting her start in the biz.
Take a look to see if you know the real names behind some of your favorite celebrities, and don't forget to SHARE the surprising truth about these stars with your friends!
1. Portia de Rossi
Birth name: Amanda Lee Rogers
The Australian actress took her inspiration from a character in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
2. Whoopi Goldberg
Birth name: Caryn Elaine Johnson
The funny lady notoriously took her stage name from the fact that she was known for being quite gassy onstage early in her career.
3. Cher
Birth name: Cherilyn Sarkisian
Though her given name is beautiful, all this entertainer needed was the first four letters to become a huge success.
4. Bob Dylan
Birth name: Robert Allen Zimmerman
The poetic musician has taken several different stage names throughout his career, including Elston Gunnn (yes, with three N's) and Lucky Wilbury while a member of the supergroup Traveling Wilburys. However, he began calling himself by the short and sweet moniker we know him by best back in his college days.
5. Helen Mirren
Birth name: Helen Lydia Vasilievna Mironov
The actress went by the nickname "Ilyena" in her childhood. Her Russia-born father decided to anglicize the family's last name to Mirren in the 1950s.
6. Elton John
Birth name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight
The over-the-top entertainer paid homage to two former bandmates, Elton Dean and Long John Baldry, when he and Bernie Taupin recorded their first song together in 1967.
7. Meg Ryan
Birth name: Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra
Meg decided to use her grandmother's maiden name when she joined the Screen Actor's Guild.
8. Chevy Chase
Birth name: Cornelius Crane Chase
The Saturday Night Live alum has gone by the nickname given to him by his grandmother since childhood.
9. Tina Turner
Birth name: Anna Mae Bullock
Ex-husband Ike Turner had the singer take on the name when finally agreeing to let her perform alongside him. He figured if she ever left him, he could just replace her with a new "Tina."
10. Michael J. Fox
Birth name: Michael Andrew Fox
In his book Lucky Man: A Memoir, the actor explains that the "J." in between his first and last name isn't an abbreviation for his middle name — or anything at all. Since there was already a Michael Fox in the Screen Actor's Guild, he had to set himself apart.
He didn't like the sound of "Michael A. Fox" given that "fox" was used often to mean "attractive," so it seemed like he was calling himself good looking. He settled on "J" as an homage to Michael J. Pollard.
11. Jodie Foster
Birth name: Alicia Christian Foster
Her mom gave her the nickname when she began representing Jodie as a young actress. It stuck with her siblings, so she never changed it back.
12. Mel Brooks
Birth name: Melvin Kaminsky
The funny man paid tribute to his mother's maiden name, Brookman, before being hired as a writer for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows.
13. Nicolas Cage
Birth name: Nicolas Kim Coppola
As the nephew of legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola, he didn't want to be accused of nepotism when he set out on his own career. He took the new last name from the Marvel comic books, Luke Cage.
14. Alan Alda
Birth name: Alphonso d’Abruzzo
The MAS*H star combined the first two letters of his given name to create his new last name.
15. Hulk Hogan
Birth name: Terry Gene Bollea
In My Life Outside the Ring: A Memoir, he explains that while still an amateur wrestler in Memphis, Tennessee, he appeared on a local talk show where Lou Ferrigno, who portrayed the title role on The Incredible Hulk, commented on how the 6'7" wrestler was actually larger than the actor.
He occasionally appeared as Terry "The Hulk" Boulder after that, and eventually made the full change.
16. Bruno Mars
Birth name: Peter Gene Hernandez
The singer was given his nickname at age 2 when his dad felt he had a resemblance to professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino. The performer gave himself the spacey surname for his "out of this world" personality.
17. Shania Twain
Birth name: Eileen Regina Edwards
The Canadian country star adopted her last name from her stepdad, who belongs to the Ojibwa tribe. She has claimed that her new first name translates to "on my way" in the tribe's language.
18. Michael Keaton
Birth name: Michael Douglas
Clearly, he didn't want to be mistaken for the other actor named Michael when he joined the Screen Actor's Guild. There were rumors that he took his last name based on his crush on Diane Keaton, but he was actually inspired by silent film legend Buster Keaton.
Did you know all of these celebs were hiding different names on their birth certificates? Be sure to SHARE the surprising monikers with your friends!
