When Michael Caine made his professional theatrical unveiling in 1953 , he initially choose the stage name Michael Scott . A few years later , however , he signed with a Modern broker , who told him that there was already another Michael Scott working as an actor in London . Inspiration for his new microscope stage name struck when he was making a call from a phone box . He looked around Leicester Square and noticedThe Caine Mutinywas playing at a nearby movie theater .
Some celebrity stage names are obvious, likeLady Gaga, and some celebs' names sound like stage names but are actually real, like Paul Hollywood. However, some celeb stage names are genuinely surprising.
Here are 17 celebs I genuinely didn’t realize were using stage names:
1.Graham Norton’s real name is Graham Walker.
Hechosea stage name because there was already a performer registered under the name Graham Walker in Equity , the UK player ' union .
2.Keke Palmer’s real name is Lauren Palmer.
She toldWired , " I lot of people think , you know , ‘cuz my full name is Lauren Keyana Palmer , and they ’re , ' Oh , that ’s where [ Keke come ] from . ' haywire . I in reality detest when people credit Keyana for Keke because , actually , Keke should be credited for Keyana . My sis had an notional ally named Keke , and that ’s how I set out the cognomen , and that ’s what informed my full name . "
She also toldGlamour , " The only people that called me Keke were people in my family . Then one day , my manager at that time learn my mom call me Keke because I was n’t listening . He said , ' That should be your level name . ' So [ Keke ] go from being just something that my family called me , to being something that the whole earth called me . And more than anything , I would love to go back to Lauren . "
3.Winnie Harlowis actually Chantelle Brown-Young.
She told theDaily Front Row , " It ’s literally just from Winnie the Pooh ! I was a big fan growing up , and it was actually from a joke with some friends . We were on the phone with some boy . I take hold of the phone from one of my girls , and was like , ' Do n’t give my booster attitude ! ' And the boys asked , ' Who is this ? ' I looked over , my ally was wearing a Winnie the Pooh T - shirt , so I said my name was Winnie . When I started work , it felt kind of lifelike to just continue with it . Harlow comes from Jean Harlow ; I ’m a really bigMarilyn Monroefan , but I did n’t want to apply Monroe , because that finger cheesy . But Jean Harlow was one of Marilyn ’s really big vocation inspiration , so I took the name Harlow . I do love my existent name a lot . At the beginning , I tried to go by Chantelle Winnie , but then decided to keep Winnie Harlow and Chantelle freestanding . My class calls me Chantelle . "
4.Nathan Lane’s real name is Joseph Lane.
He toldPlaybill , " When I joined Actors Equity , I becameNathan Lane , in honour of Nathan Detroit . "
5.Jon Stewartwas born Jonathan Leibowitz.
When he started doing stand up - up comedy in the ' LXXX , he performed under a unlike spelling of his middle name , Stuart . Reportedly , he may have decided to drop his last name because his father left the family when he was nine .
In 1994 , he jokingly told theRecord , " To borrow a line from Lenny Bruce , I just cogitate Leibowitz was too Hollywood . "
6.Lily James’s real name is Lily Thomson.
James is her daddy ’s first name . When he died in 2008 , shedecidedto take over his name as her stage name to honour him .
7.Judy Greer is actually Judith Evans.
Shereportedlyopted to use her mom ’s maiden name professionally .
8.Michael Caine was born Maurice Micklewhite.
When he made his professional theatrical debut in 1953 , he initiallychosethe stage name Michael Scott . A few eld later , however , he signed with a new agent , who tell him that there was already another Michael Scott do work as an actor in London . Inspiration for his new stage name struck when he was do a call from a phone corner . He appear around Leicester Square and noticedThe Caine Mutinywas playing at a nearby flick theater .
9.Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump’s real name is Patrick Stumph.
Hereportedlychanged the spelling of his last name so that people would n’t mispronounce it .
Though he does n’t loosely go by his full name , he pick out a different mediate name as part of his leg name . In 2013 , hetweeted , " I care to employ ' Vaughn ' professionally to honor my mom ’s menage , whom I love dearly . "
10.Jake T. Austin’s real name is Jake Szymanski.
Hisfull nameis Jake Toranzo Austin Szymanski . Toranzo is his mom ’s last name .
11.Issa Rae is actually Jo-Issa Diop.
Sheusesher middle name , Rae professionally . Her parents give it to her in purity of her late aunt .
12.Kat Dennings’s real name is Katherine Litwack.
She toldPhiladelphia Magazine , " I did n’t require to use my family name because I thought , A , it was a little repulsive , and B , I wanted to know when someone really knew me or they did n’t . I was a precocious youngster . "
13.The Cheetah Girlsactor Sabrina Bryan’s real name is Reba Hinojosa.
Sabrina is her middle name , and Bryan is the name of her new brother , who died as an infant .
She toldPeople En Español , " I believe using his name was a way that his life could still go on as I prospered as an actress . "
14.“Riptide” singer Vance Joy is actually James Keogh.
In 2012 , hewantedto create a fresh identity for his music , so he chose the name of a minor character fromBlissby Peter Carey .
15.Jane Seymour was born Joyce Frankenberg.
Shereportedlydecided to use the name of King Henry VIII ’s third wife as her level name because it seemed more vendible .
16.Joan Rivers was born Joan Molinsky.
She told theBaltimore Sun , " In the late ' 50s , when fairly was in , I had an agent named Tony Rivers , who told me that he could n’t send me out to casting agent without a pretty name . No one would see a Joan Molinsky , so I read I ’ll go as Joan Rivers , and it stuck . "
17.And finally, Joan’s daughter, Melissa Rivers, was born Melissa Rosenberg.
She decided to adopt her mother ’s stage name out of respect for her .
OnGeraldo , she say , " Everyone knows my last name is Rosenberg , and I cogitate it ’s time my mom has gotten a lot of credit for what she has done . "
