“Make a name for yourself” are the words many Hollywood stars hear as they embark on their tumultuous journey to stardom. Some people take this literally and choose to assume a new identity and use a stage name for professional purposes.
Some people decide to change their name entirely, like actress and singer Carmen Electra, who recently filed a petition to change her name in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
While some celebrities go the legal route, most simply take on a new name. Let's take a look at some very popular faces who got creative with their alter egos.
A Hollywood star who makes history and goes by just one name.
Just like the lyrics he writes, Bruno Mars cleverly came up with his stage name. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images, SelvaRey)
bruno mars
Although his sound has always been unique, singer Bruno Mars' name is no less original. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, his real name is Peter Gene Hernandez. In an interview with Rap Up circa 2010, the musician explained how he developed his unique stage name.
“Bruno comes from Bruno Sammartino, who was this big, fat wrestler. I guess I was this pudgy little baby, so my dad called me that as a nickname,” he revealed. Ta. “The Mars story came up because I felt completely unattractive. A lot of girls said I was ethereal, so I thought, 'I guess I'm from Mars.' I was there.”
Carmen Electra filed a petition in Los Angeles County Super Court to legally change her name. (Chris Polk/E! Entertainment/NBC via Getty Images)
carmen electra
The persona Electra was created in 1991. All thanks to his royal villain, the Prince. According to Yahoo Music, Carmen said on “The Yo Show” in 2014, “I auditioned for an all-female group he was trying to form, and he ended up joining me and my label, Paisley Park. I ended up signing a contract with him,” he said. “After I danced for him, he said, 'You look like Elektra. That's your name.'” Elektra wasn't too keen on the nickname, saying it sounded like a superhero. He admitted that he thought it sounded like something. “So I was hesitant, but then I started to like it. That's it. Now I'm Elektra.”
Her real name is Tara Lee Patrick. Electra is scheduled to reappear in court on February 24th for a future hearing regarding her legal name change.
Faith Hill chose to keep her ex-husband's last name for professional use. (Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images, Paramount+)
Faith Hill
Fame aside, it's not uncommon for people to go by their middle names. Faith Hill, born Audrey Faith Perry, did just that. When she married superstar Tim McGraw in 1996, she legally changed her last name to McGraw, but professionally she continued to use her ex-husband's last name, Hill.
Faith, who gained notoriety around the time of her split from Daniel Hill in 1994, chose to keep her last name. When her child with Tim was born, she paid homage to her in her birth name and named her third daughter Audrey.
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Jamie Foxx chose his stage name because it was gender-neutral. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
jamie foxx
When Jamie Foxx first came to Los Angeles, he was doing stand-up comedy. His real name was Eric Marlon Bishop, but after finding success on the show using his real name, he was basically ostracized by other comedians.
After going to another stand-up venue in Santa Monica, I noticed that while hundreds of men sign up to perform in comedy, only a few women come forward with their names. He started writing gender-ambiguous names that didn't belong to him because he wanted people to call him his own name.
“I wrote a unisex name: 'Tracy Brown,' 'Stacey Green,' 'Jamie Foxx,'” he told Stephen Colbert in 2018. She received a standing ovation for her role as Jamie Foxx, and the name stuck.
Katy Perry's birth name is almost the same as actress Kate Hudson's name. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
katy perry
Katy Perry gets tongues wagging nicely, but that's not the pop star's name. Perry, who was born Katherine Elizabeth Hudson, reportedly adopted her stage name after the poor performance of her 2001 Christian rock album.
Perry, who was born to strict, religious parents, says identifying as a separate person is a form of protection. “A lot of people live in fear because of something that happened in their childhood or some kind of PTSD that they picked up along the way. And I created this amazing character of Katy Perry. “It's just that kind of thing, and you can step into any world.' But I created that character to protect myself,” she told the Guardian in 2017.
“I was scared that if I saw Kathryn Hudson, the girl with the Biore strip on my nose, people would think 'unattractive.' I've been upset all my childhood, so I'm going to show the world that I'm something, that I'm going to do something, and that I'm enough.” “Katherine Hudson I didn't want to. I didn't like it and I was too scared, so I decided to become someone else.”
“Perry” was Katy's mother's maiden name before she married her father, Keith Hudson. The “Firework” singer also reportedly didn't want to have a name too similar to actress Kate Hudson, who already had an established career in Hollywood around the time Perry was on the scene. .
Miley Cyrus changed not only her first name but also her middle name in 2008. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
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miley cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus has several children in the entertainment industry, but none are as famous as his daughter Miley. Miley was born Destiny Ray Cyrus, reportedly an abbreviation of her childhood nickname. When he was a baby they called him “Smiley” but his name naturally became Miley.
In 2008, the “Hannah Montana” star filed to legally change her name to Miley Ray Cyrus. Her middle name is a tribute to her grandfather, politician Ronald Ray Cyrus.
Natalie Portman takes her privacy extremely seriously, choosing to use her family's name as her last name when she began acting. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
natalie portman
Actress Natalie Portman was born in Israel and immigrated to the United States when she was three years old. Her stage name is not far removed from her real name, Neta-Lee Hershlag, with the May December actress adopting the American version of Neta-Lee.
Portman is known for being extremely private and reportedly chose to use her paternal grandmother's maiden name, Portman, as her last name to protect herself. This change came after her first film role in 1994, Leon: The Professional. She had previously used her real name Portman while appearing in the musical Ruthless!.
Rita Wilson changed her name as a child. (Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty Images)
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Rita Wilson
Actress Rita Wilson changed her original last name when she was still young. The actress and singer, who was born Margarita Ibrahimov in Los Angeles to a Greek mother and a Bulgarian father, spoke about her ancestry during a recent appearance on the series Who Do You Think You Are? I dug deep.
Wilson said his father left Bulgaria as Hassan Khalilov Ibrahimov, then came to America and changed his name. In his 1960, four years after his daughter was born, he changed his name to Alan and changed his family's last name to Wilson.
“I think that's the most American name,” Wilson said on the show.
Rita is a derivative of Margarita.
