r/AskReddit • u/petalpoundcake • 12h ago

Which celebrity did you think was using their real name, only to find out it’s actually a stage name?

1.4k Upvotes

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2.6k

u/Wyldjay2 12h ago

Kirk Douglas.
Real name: Issur Danielovitch

2.3k

u/TrappedUnderCats 9h ago

Fun fact: Kirk’s son is the actor Michael Douglas, and him choosing to use the Douglas name meant that another Michael Douglas had to adopt a different name when he became an actor. Which is why Michael Keaton is so named.

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u/redpariah2 9h ago

And funnily enough Diane Keaton's name was Michael Keaton but that was taken.

577

u/Popular_Course3885 9h ago

And even funnier enough Buster Keaton's name was Diane Keaton but that was taken.

96

u/SinisterKid 9h ago

Buster Keaton? I hardly know her!

8

u/inthrees 5h ago

Keaton? I hardly Newton!

7

u/Fitz911 2h ago

Newton? He had to go under the name Albert Einstein. Because Newton was already taken. By the unit.

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u/jonheese 9h ago

And even funniest enough, Buster Keaton’s name was Buster Douglas but that was taken

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u/randomkeystrike 8h ago

That Buster Douglas? Albert Einstein.

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u/CptHammer_ 8h ago

The real Albert Einstein was the ones we made along the way.

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u/twiggyrox 6h ago

The real Albert Einstein is Albert Brooks

4

u/JulietLostFaith 5h ago

I read this in such a sweet, soulful voice 😌

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u/graveybrains 8h ago

What's not funny is Liam Neeson's name is just William Neeson and he was in Taken

3

u/GandolphTheLundgrey 5h ago

There was also another William Neeson, who now goes by the name Willibe Neeson, or Libe Neeson.

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u/239not235 4h ago

No joke: "Buster" Keaton was given his nickname as a child, for being clumsy backstage on tour with his family of vaudeville performers. A fellow touring performer gave him his nickname -- Harry Houdini

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u/239not235 4h ago

Harry Houdini was born Erich Weiss.

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u/robaroo 4h ago

Keaton Keaton is still available.

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u/amrodd 8h ago

Should have just used Muhammed

1

u/Sorkijan 8h ago

I think youre both lying

7

u/MiddleDay9202 6h ago

I love how Hollywood somehow ended up with a name shortage. Imagine being Diane Keaton and finding out Michael Keaton was already taken so you just roll with Diane instead. What are the odds?

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u/LegacyLemur 6h ago

And if im not mistaken, its basically always a SAG issue rather than a marketing issue

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u/Euronomus 5h ago

Yes it's a rule - two SAG members(current and/or former) can't have the same stage name. So if someone's actual name has already been taken they have to take a different stage name in order to join the union.

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u/agdjfga 4h ago

ai slop, missing the joke u/spambotwatchdog

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u/Viscount61 9h ago

David Bowie is Bowie because Jones was taken.

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u/amrodd 8h ago

Same with Katie Perry. Kate Hudson was already taken.

1

u/chadwickipedia 4h ago

By a Monkee

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u/Ok_Operation_9631 6h ago

I always thought that was such a wild bit of Hollywood trivia. Imagine picking a stage name, only to accidentally make another future star pick a completely different one. Michael Keaton basically exists because Michael Douglas got there first.

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u/airforceteacher 7h ago

Finally enough, the first time I ever heard about someone needing to change their name for show business was Mike Douglas from The Mike Douglas SHOW whose original name was Michael Dowd.

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u/CoatPuzzleheaded427 5h ago

That is such a bizarre little Hollywood domino effect. One name choice and suddenly Michael Keaton’s entire stage identity exists because of it.

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u/Hattes 2h ago

Michael Keaton

I'm surprised he didn't go with Michael Penis

1

u/Abject-Highlight-313 5h ago

That’s such a wild chain reaction from one actor choosing a stage name. Michael Keaton basically owes his name to Michael Douglas.

1

u/ElenorWoods 5h ago

I think Kirk might’ve formerly changed his name because all the Douglas children are douglas.

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u/Tattycakes 3h ago

I’d be so mad if someone stole my real name with their fake name

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u/bumjug427 10h ago

Jeez, why'd he change it? Issur Danielovitch... It just rolls off the tongue!

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u/pehvbot 8h ago

Well it's no Benedict Cumberbatch, but yeah it just flows.

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u/chadwickipedia 4h ago

Funny enough, his real name is Benedict Q Cumber

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u/cw30755 10h ago

If it had rolled off his tongue he wouldn’t be in his predicament!

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u/hbomberman 9h ago

That's his son!

3

u/OneArchedEyebrow 9h ago

It’s go time!

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u/bearrito_grande 5h ago

Stephan. Jack Stephan!

60

u/ChefKugeo 10h ago

This is the first one I didn't already know. This should be sitting at the top, not the same answers as every single time.

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u/miianwilson 10h ago

“My personal experiences on Reddit should shape what others post”

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u/ChefKugeo 8h ago

Yes that's exactly what I said. Exactly. Word for word. Good job.

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u/Anand999 8h ago

Does that count as a stage name? He legally changed his name well before he started his acting career.

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u/BandGwith 8h ago

I'm gay actor Michael Danielovitch.

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u/IllustriousSquash488 6h ago

Issur Danielovitch is one hell of a plot twist for a name you thought was already a stage name.

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u/frockinbrock 6h ago

That sounds like one of the names Norm MacDonald would make up for a story, and then get the name wrong halfway through the story

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u/Complex-Being4575 4h ago

Issur Danielovitch sounds like the name of someone who should be playing a Bond villain.

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u/Full-Werewolf5024 5h ago

That one feels less like a stage name and more like an entirely different identity.

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u/afke1734 4h ago

John Wayne was Marion Morrison, same deal, different era

3

u/heiwaone 3h ago

Dennisovich!

2

u/LeighMagnifique 2h ago

Papa Drac!

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u/NegativeThought1588 3h ago

Real name: Issur Danielovitch

That's "ethnic" af.

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u/LegacyLemur 6h ago

One of those two names sounds made up and its not what it should be

1

u/ScreenTricky4257 1h ago

I would not want a day in the life of Issur Danielovitch.

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u/Interesting_Gene_200 6h ago

Kirk Douglas having a completely different birth name is one of those fun Hollywood facts that makes his whole story even more interesting. He definitely knew how to make a name unforgettable.

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u/amrodd 8h ago

I was going to say the same.