27 celebrities who were born with very different names, from Whoopi Goldberg to Tom Cruise
Clémence Michallon and Jacob Stolworthy
·1-min read
27 celebrities who were born with very different names, from Whoopi Goldberg to Tom Cruise
It’s not uncommon for celebrities to change their names on their way to fame – so much so that fans usually aren’t aware that their favourite artists used to go by another moniker.
Some have elected to make the change official by legally taking on a new name, while others simply go by their chosen aliases.
Bob Dylan, for example, was born Robert Zimmerman but legally changed his name in 1962.
Portia de Rossi was once known as Amanda Lee Rogers, but like Dylan, she legally changed it, in her case at the age of 15.
In 2019, Rocketman documented Reginald Dwight’s decision to go by Elton John instead as he grew into his music star persona.
This is a common move for performing artists, with David Bowie, Katy Perry and John Legend having all chosen new stage names for themselves on their path to fame.
Below are 27 celebrities who were born with very different names
Click through the bellow gallery to see what made the list
27 celebrities who were born with very different names
David Bowie: The Thin White Duke was once known as David Robert Jones. (Getty)
Bob Dylan: Robert Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan in 1962. (Evening Standard/Getty Images)
Nicolas Cage: Cage was born Nicholas Kim Coppola, but sharing his uncle Francis For Coppola's surname was too much for the budding actor. (Alberto E Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Michael Caine: Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr in 1933. ( ANTHONY HARVEY/AFP/Getty Images)
Elvis Costello: Elvis Costello was born Declan Patrick MacManus in 1954. (Getty)
Tom Cruise: Thomas Cruise Mapother IV picked a new name before becoming a Hollywood star. (CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Vin Diesel: The Fast & Furious icon was born Mark Sinclair in 1967. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Minnie Driver: Minnie Driver was born Amelia Fiona Driver in 1970. (Getty)
Jodie Foster: Jodie Foster was born Alicia Christian Foster in 1962. (Getty Images)
Jamie Foxx: The internet was shocked to discover in 2017 that Foxx's birth name is Eric Marlon Bishop. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Whoopi Goldberg: Caryn Elaine Johnson has said that
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