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44 Celebrities' Real Names

Neither Demi Moore nor Bruce Willis were born that way

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 8, 2012 10:21 AM CST

(Newser) – It's no secret that sometimes celebrities' names are just too perfect to be the ones they were born with. The Huffington Post rounds up the real names of 44 stars, including:

  • Meg Ryan: Margaret Hyra
  • Pat Benatar: Patricia Mae Andrzejewski
  • Chevy Chase: Cornelius Crane Chase
  • Portia De Rossi: Amanda Lee Rogers
  • Dakota Fanning: Hannah Fanning
  • Steven Tyler: Steven Victor Tallarico
  • Alicia Keys: Alicia Augello Cook

  • Spike Lee: Shelton Jackson Lee
  • Joan Rivers: Joan Alexandra Molinsky
  • Tina Turner: Anna Mae Bullock
  • Demi Moore: Demetria Gene Guynes
  • Helen Mirren: Ilyena Vasilievna Mironov
  • Bruce Willis: Walter Willis
  • Ben Kingsley: Krishna Pandit Bhanji
Click for the complete list, which includes an Oscar-winning actor born with the unfortunate moniker "Maurice Joseph Micklewhite."

In this photograph taken by AP Images for Sobieski, Sobieski Vodka global brand ambassador Bruce Willis offers a toast of Sobieski Vodka for charity at Binny's in Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010.
In this photograph taken by AP Images for Sobieski, Sobieski Vodka global brand ambassador Bruce Willis offers a toast of Sobieski Vodka for charity at Binny's in Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010.   (David Banks/ AP Images for Sobieski)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 11 comments
Utgard_Loki
Feb 8, 2012 8:08 PM CST
This good looking man walks into an agents office in Hollywood and says "I want to be a movie-star." Tall, handsome and with experience on Broadway.... He had all the right credentials. The agent asked, "What's your name?" The guy said, "My name is Penis Von Lesbian." The agent said, "Sir, I hate to tell you, but in order to get into Hollywood, you are gonna have to change your name." "I will NOT change my name! The Von Lesbian name is centuries old, I will not disrespect my grandfather by changing my name. Not ever !" The agent said "Sir, I have worked in Hollywood for years..... you will NEVER go far in Hollywood with a name like Penis Von Lesbian !! I'm telling you, you will HAVE TO change your name, or I will not be able to represent you." "So be it!! I guess, we will not do business together," the guy said....and he left the agent's office. FIVE YEARS LATER..... The agent opens an envelope sent to his office. Inside the envelope is a letter and a check for $50,000. The agent is awestruck ....Who would possibly send him $50,000? He reads the letter enclosed...... " Dear Sir, Five years ago, I came into your office wanting to become an actor in Hollywood. You told me I needed to change my name. Determined to make it with my God-given birth name, I refused. You told me I would never make it in Hollywood with a name like Penis Von Lesbian. After I left your office, I thought about what you said. I decided you were right. I had to change my name. I had too much pride to return to your office, so I signed with another agent. I would never have made it without changing my name, so the enclosed check is a token of my appreciation. Thank you for your advice. Sincerely, Dick Van Dyke
793tango
Feb 8, 2012 7:35 PM CST
Harrison Ford really wanted his name to be changed to "Kurt Affair' before becoming HF.
wyle
Feb 8, 2012 11:21 AM CST
Carlos Ray Norris sounds Mexican, birth certificate please.
 

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