This list of stages lists names used by those in the entertainment industry, alphabetically by their stage name's surname, followed by their birth name. Individuals who dropped their last name and substituted their middle name as their last name are listed. In many cases, performers have legally changed their name to their stage name.Note: Many cultures have their own naming customs and systems (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hungarian, Indian and others), some rather intricate. Minor changes or alterations, including reversing Eastern-style formats, do not in and of themselves qualify as stage names, and should not normally be included. For example, Björk, whose stage name appears to be an original creation, is part of her full Icelandic name, Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Her second name is a patronymic instead of a family name, following Icelandic naming conventions. "Björk" is not a stage name but how any Icelander would refer to her, casually or formally. People are not listed here if they fall into one or more of the following categories: Those who have more than one family name, provided at least one is represented in the professional name. This is especially common with people from Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries and the Philippines. Examples Hermione Baddeley, Jacqueline Bisset, Christopher Guest, Richard Todd.For more information, see Spanish naming customs, Hispanic American naming customs, Filipino names, and Portuguese names.Those who changed their surname due primarily to marriage: Living: Examples Maud Adams, Glynis Barber, Victoria Beckham, Pat Benatar, Kate Capshaw, Sandra Dickinson, Sheena Easton, Bianca Jagger, Cheryl Ladd, Demi Moore, Priscilla Presley, Susan Sarandon, Talia Shire, Jada Pinkett Smith. Dead: Examples Cheryl Barrymore, Phyllis Diller, Cassandra Harris, Edith Head, Cynthia Lennon, Nobu McCarthy, Linda McCartney, Estelle Reiner, Tanya Roberts. Those who changed their surname due to adoption or legal name change prior to entering the entertainment industry: Living: Examples Dame Julie Andrews, Neneh Cherry, Charlotte Church, Elle Macpherson, Frances McDormand, Steve McFadden, Katie Price, Louis Tomlinson, Steven Van Zandt. Dead: Examples Nancy Davis, Joan Fontaine, Charlton Heston, Madeline Kahn, John Noakes, Alan Thicke. Those known by generational nicknames: Examples Trey Anastasio (whose full name is Ernest Joseph Anastasio III), Noah Beery Jr., Noah Beery Sr., Lon Chaney Jr., Pops Staples. Those referred or known publicly and/or professionally by an amended forename (substantial changes, indirect nicknames, etc.): Examples Canelo Álvarez, Tori Amos, David Carradine, Jim Davis, Buster Douglas, Charles Gray, Tippi Hedren, Benny Hill, Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Hattie Jacques, Buddy McGirt, Buster Merryfield, Pat Morita, Sam Neill, Juice Newton, Smokey Robinson, Telly Savalas, Leo Sayer, Peter Sellers, Bubba Smith, Midge Ure, Slim Whitman, Christopher Walken, Billy Wilder, Tiger Woods. Those who may be popularly, though not professionally, known by a nickname, such as Jason "J" Brown, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Sugar Ray Leonard, Ian "H" Watkins. Those whose stage forename is a middle name: Examples Sean Connery, Scott Glenn, Tom Hardy, Elaine Hendrix, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Paul McCartney, Olivia Munn, Michael Nesmith, Marie Osmond, Gregory Peck, Brad Pitt, Diana Rigg, Jane Russell, Bruce Willis – these are their real middle names, not stage names. Those whose stage surname is a middle name: Examples Ana Alicia, Christopher Atkins, Bonnie Bedelia, Ray Charles, Tom Cruise, Les Dennis, Trevor Donovan, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Hale Jr., Ian Holm, Leslie Howard, Jonah Hill, John James, Ron Jeremy, Angelina Jolie, Tommy Lee, Robert Lindsay, Joe Louis, Shirley MacLaine, Ben McKenzie, Vince Neil, Ritchie Neville, Adrian Paul, Owen Paul, Cristiano Ronaldo, William Russell, Frank Vincent – these are their real middle names (at least at birth), not stage names. Those who changed only a middle or second name, or who switched their first and middle names: Examples Halle Berry, David Clayton-Thomas, Michael J. Fox, Paul Michael Glaser, Phil Spector. Those who adopted a pseudo-nobiliary particle, prefix, suffix, hyphenation or other diacritic/symbol: Examples John D'Aquino, Brian Doyle-Murray, Anton du Beke, John Nathan-Turner, Dawn O'Porter, Annette O'Toole, Troy Titus-Adams, David Van Day, Denise van Outen, Lars von Trier. Those who simplified their name(s) by the removal of a genuine particle(s), prefix, suffix, hyphenation or other diacritic/symbol: Examples Dirk Bogarde, Tabby Callaghan, Lyn Christie, Timothy Dalton, Britt Ekland, Marsha Fitzalan, Alec Guinness, Trevor Howard, Michael Lonsdale, Jean Pascal, Léa Seydoux, Shakur Stevenson, Frank Tashlin, Peter Ustinov. Those who changed the spelling of a surname to either ensure proper pronunciation or due to name conflicts in Actors Equity (or other acting unions), resulting in a name which is basically the same phonetically as the original surname: Examples Don Ameche, Claudine Auger, James Blunt, Jon Bon Jovi, Ric Flair, Marvin Gaye, Julie Newmar, Ric Ocasek, Rick Rude, Izabella Scorupco, Bill Smitrovich, Jaclyn Smith, Gloria Stuart. Those who changed their name(s) due to change in sexual gender or identity, or due to dysphoria or other recognized gender-related issue, or drag performers: Examples Courtney Act, Alexis Arquette, Lili Elbe, Dame Edna Everage, Caitlyn Jenner, Holly Woodlawn, Jake Zyrus. Those whose stage name consists of a single word, not including those commonly referred to by their surname: See List of one-word stage names Those who changed their names for religious reasons: See List of converts to Islam Those who adopted a matriname: See List of people who adopted matrilineal surnames Those who changed their name(s) due to other or unknown reasons: Examples Vondie Curtis-Hall, Betty Huntley-Wright, Scout Taylor-Compton.The following are listed here for the following reasons: Tupac Shakur is listed here, but under the stage name 2Pac. He was born either Lesane Parish Crooks or Parish Lesane Crooks, depending on the source, but his name was changed in early childhood to Tupac Amaru Shakur. Elton John is listed here because he used the name professionally before he legally adopted it in 1972. #/ other Includes stage names which do not begin with Latin alphabet characters A B Ba–Bk Bl–Br C Ca–Ch Ch–Cor D Da–Des Det–Dq E F G H I J K L M Ma–Md Me–Moo N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z See also List of nicknames of blues musicians List of nicknames of jazz musicians List of people who adopted matrilineal surnames List of one-word stage names List of pen namesReferences. Discover the Kristen Proby popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Kristen Proby books.