Hollywood celebs' original names

Helen Mirren

IANS

NEW YORK: Celebrities often go under false names or what you would say stage names, rather that abiding by their original.

Huffington Post has come up with a list of Hollywood celebrities whose original names are unknown to many of us.

Oscar winner Helen Mirren was born as Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna

Mironov in 1945. Mirren’s father, a cab driver and violist, changed his name from Vasiliy Petrovich Mironov to Basil Mirren when she was a child.

Martin Sheen is originally named Ramon Antonio Gerard Estevez. The half-Irish, half-Spanish Emmy winner is still officially named Ramon Estevez — he never legally changed it to Martin Sheen.

He created the moniker by combining the names of a friend, casting director Robert Dale Martin, and televangelist Fulton J Sheen.

Best known for his role as a famous Indian activist, Ben Kingsley’s name is Krishna Pandit Bhanji. The son of an Indian doctor and Russian Jewish mother, Bhanji changed his name to Ben Kingsley at the suggestion of his father, who thought casting directors would more likely hire someone with an English-sounding name.

Born to actress Thelma Leeds and comedian Harry Einstein, the writer, actor, and voice of Finding Nemo’s Marlin allegedly took his stage surname from another comedy legend.

Blazing Saddles auteur Mel Brooks is rumoured to be the inspiration for Albert Brooks’ stage name.

George Michael is actually called Georgios Kyriacos Panagiotou. The son of a Greek restaurant owner and British dancer, Panagiotou adopted his stage name before his first group, WHAM!, started blowing up big.

Chaim Witz aka Gene Simmons, KISS frontman was born in Tirat HaCarmel, Israel, and changed his name to Eugene Klein upon emigrating to the US.

“Simmons” didn’t come along until the early ’70s, when KISS was just starting out.

Michael Keaton also originally named Michael Douglas, but there already was one with that name. He also considered calling himself “Michael Jackson” before settling on his final surname choice, Keaton.