Celebrity Stage Names vs. Their Real Names

Glossy magazines may try to convince readers that stars are just like normal people, but they're not. For one thing, they can't go grocery shopping in regular clothes without winding up in those glossy magazines. As if that wasn't bad enough, sometimes stars even need to lose their identities once they find fame in their lives. Celebrities change their names for a number of reasons, from people with exotic names who want to sound more mainstream to those with a desire to seem more unique when other stars have similar monikers.

Whatever the reason for the change, it's always interesting to discover the truth behind a celebrity's name. Stacker explores celebrities of all types who perform under a stage name but had a completely different name when they were born. From old-school movie stars looking for a memorable way to find fans to pop stars who went for an out-of-this-world new alias, here are celebrities who took stage names when they hit the big time.