Celebs Who Changed Their Names Because They Were Told It Sounded “Too Ethnic”

Hollywood has a long history of encouraging actors to anglicize their names to appeal to a wider audience or avoid typecasting. Many famous performers felt pressured to hide their heritage to secure roles in an industry that favored assimilation. The following celebrities altered their birth names after receiving advice that their original monikers sounded too foreign or ethnic for mainstream success.

Chloe Bennet

This actress was born as Chloe Wang to a Chinese father and a Caucasian mother. She struggled to book roles in Hollywood while using her birth name and faced explicit bias from casting directors. After changing her surname to Bennet, which is her father’s first name, she landed her breakout role on ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ within days. She has since been vocal about the racism she encountered in the industry that necessitated the change.

Ben Kingsley

The Academy Award-winning actor was born Krishna Pandit Bhanji to a Gujarati Indian father and an English mother. He feared that a foreign-sounding name would relegate him to minor roles or prevent him from getting auditions entirely. He chose his stage name by combining his father’s nickname, “Clove,” with his grandfather’s nickname, “King.” The change proved successful as he almost immediately began securing diverse acting work in theater and film.

Martin Sheen

Born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez, this legendary actor adopted a stage name to bypass the prejudice against Hispanic names in the entertainment industry. He took the name Martin from a casting director friend and Sheen from the televangelist Fulton J. Sheen. Despite the professional change, he never legally altered his name and regrets that he felt forced to do so. He maintained his legal name on his identification documents throughout his entire life.

Rita Hayworth

Born Margarita Carmen Cansino, she was originally marketed as a Spanish dancer and typecast in exotic roles. Studio executives at Columbia Pictures convinced her to undergo a transformation to appear more American and less “Mediterranean.” This process included electrolysis to alter her hairline and a name change to Rita Hayworth. The rebranding helped launch her into superstardom as the ultimate golden-age Hollywood pin-up girl.

Oscar Isaac

This acclaim actor was born Oscar Isaac Hernández Estrada in Guatemala before moving to the United States. He dropped his surnames to avoid being pigeonholed into roles solely portraying gangsters or drug dealers. He felt that using his middle names would allow him to audition for a wider variety of characters without immediate bias. The strategy worked, allowing him to play diverse roles ranging from Shakespearean characters to space pilots.

Kal Penn

The actor and former White House staffer was born Kalpen Suresh Modi. He decided to experiment by splitting his resume and sending half out under his birth name and half under the anglicized Kal Penn. The resumes with the name Kal Penn received significantly more callbacks and interview requests than the ones with Modi. He adopted the name professionally to navigate the racial biases of casting agents.

James Roday Rodriguez

Known for his role in ‘Psych’, he started his career as James David Rodriguez but was encouraged to drop his last name. He was told during early auditions that he could not be cast as a Latino because of his appearance, but his name prevented him from getting Caucasian roles. He utilized his middle name Roday to bypass this confusion and secure work. In recent years, he has reclaimed his birth name to honor his Mexican heritage.

Bruno Mars

Born Peter Gene Hernandez, the pop superstar adopted a stage name to avoid being categorized strictly as a Latin artist. Executives initially wanted him to sing Spanish songs solely based on his last name. He chose the name Bruno because it was a childhood nickname and Mars because he felt “out of this world.” This change allowed him to navigate the music industry without being restricted to a single genre.

Mindy Kaling

The comedic actress and writer was born Vera Mindy Chokalingam. She shortened her last name early in her career because emcees at comedy clubs frequently struggled to pronounce it. She felt the long, distinctively Indian surname distracted audiences and wanted a name that was easier to remember. The simplification helped her gain traction in the stand-up circuit before she moved to television.

Paul Wesley

The ‘The Vampire Diaries’ star was born Pawel Tomasz Wasilewski to Polish parents. He realized that the pronunciation of his surname was a barrier for casting directors and the American public. With his family’s permission, he changed it to Wesley to make it more palatable for Hollywood. He has stated that the name change had an immediate positive effect on his casting prospects.

Natalie Wood

Born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko to Russian immigrant parents, she began acting as a child. Studio executives at RKO Radio Pictures decided her birth name was too “dark” and foreign for an American child star. They renamed her Natalie Wood after the director Sam Wood to give her a more wholesome, domestic appeal. She became one of the few child stars to successfully transition into an adult screen legend.

Kirk Douglas

The screen icon was born Issur Danielovitch to Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. He faced significant anti-Semitism and xenophobia while trying to break into the acting world in the 1940s. He legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before entering the Navy during World War II to sound more American. This reinvention helped him become one of the biggest box-office stars in history.

Raquel Welch

Born Jo Raquel Tejada, she faced pressure from 20th Century Fox to change her name to “Debbie” because Raquel was considered too ethnic. She refused to change her first name but agreed to use her first husband’s surname, Welch. This compromise allowed her to keep her identity while presenting a name that studio executives found acceptable. She went on to become an international sex symbol and Golden Globe winner.

Tony Bennett

The legendary crooner was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto. Entertainer Bob Hope discovered him but felt his Italian surname was too long for the marquee. Hope suggested he shorten it to Tony Bennett just before inviting him to sing at the Paramount Theatre. The simplified name stuck and became synonymous with American jazz and traditional pop standards.

Dean Martin

Born Dino Paul Crocetti, the King of Cool changed his name to appeal to a broader American audience. He initially performed as Dino Martini but eventually anglicized it further to Dean Martin to avoid being viewed strictly as an Italian lounge singer. The change helped him cross over into mainstream movies and television hosting. He became one of the most popular and enduring entertainers of the 20th century.

Sophia Loren

The Italian film goddess was born Sofia Villani Scicolone. Producer Carlo Ponti urged her to change her name to something that would appeal more to international and American audiences. She adopted the surname Loren, which was inspired by a Swedish actress named Märta Torén. The change was part of a complete makeover that helped turn her into a worldwide cinema icon.

George Michael

The pop icon was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou to a Greek Cypriot father and an English mother. He adopted the stage name George Michael to make his name more accessible and memorable for pop music fans. He felt his birth name would be difficult for radio DJs to pronounce and might hinder his success in the UK and US charts. The change helped facilitate his rise as a global superstar in the group Wham! and as a solo artist.

Lea Michele

Born Lea Michele Sarfati, the Broadway and television star dropped her surname at a young age. She was teased in school about her last name and was told it sounded “too Jewish” for certain roles. By using her middle name as her professional surname, she avoided these specific prejudices during auditions. She has used the professional name Lea Michele since her early days on Broadway.

Freddie Mercury

The Queen frontman was born Farrokh Bulsara to Parsi parents from Zanzibar. He began calling himself Freddie during his school years in India and later adopted the surname Mercury in London. The name change coincided with his artistic transformation and desire to become a rock deity. It also helped him assimilate into the British music scene where his birth name might have been viewed as too exotic.

Jon Stewart

The political satirist was born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz. He dropped his surname because he had a strained relationship with his father and because it sounded “too Hollywood,” which he noted was often code for “too Jewish.” He legally changed his name to Jon Stewart in 2001 after using it professionally for years. The name change allowed him to create a distinct persona separate from his family background.

Winona Ryder

Born Winona Laura Horowitz, she changed her name on a whim when asked how she wanted to be credited in her first film. Her agent and father felt Horowitz might limit her casting opportunities in the late 1980s. She chose Ryder after seeing a Mitch Ryder album that belonged to her father. The name became synonymous with 90s cool and grunge culture.

Gene Simmons

The KISS bassist was born Chaim Witz in Israel and moved to New York as a child. He changed his name to Gene Simmons to sound more American and honor the rockabilly singer Jumpin’ Gene Simmons. He wanted to assimilate into American culture and succeed in the rock and roll business without the baggage of an immigrant identity. The new moniker helped him build a larger-than-life rock persona.

Jason Alexander

Best known as George Costanza on ‘Seinfeld’, he was born Jay Scott Greenspan. He created his stage name during high school because he felt Greenspan sounded too clearly Jewish and would lead to typecasting. He decided to use his father’s first name, Alexander, as his professional surname. The generic quality of the name helped him book a wide variety of roles in theater and television.

Bob Dylan

The Nobel Prize winner was born Robert Allen Zimmerman. He began using the name Bob Dylan during his college years to create a new identity separate from his upbringing. While he has given conflicting stories about the origin, many believe he wanted to avoid the anti-Semitism prevalent in parts of America at the time. He legally changed his name in 1962 as he began his ascent in the folk music world.

Mel Brooks

The comedy legend was born Melvin Kaminsky. He changed his name to Mel Brooks because his last name was often confused with the comedian Max Kaminsky. Additionally, the change helped him avoid the anti-Jewish bias that was common in the entertainment industry during the 1940s and 50s. The shorter, punchier name suited his quick-witted style of comedy perfectly.

Tony Curtis

Born Bernard Schwartz to Hungarian Jewish immigrants, he faced struggles similar to many actors of his generation. He was told that audiences would not embrace a leading man with a distinctively Jewish name. He experimented with different stage names before settling on Tony Curtis. The change allowed him to play a wide range of roles from heartthrobs to historical figures.

Lauren Bacall

The screen siren was born Betty Joan Perske. She adopted the name Lauren Bacall at the suggestion of director Howard Hawks, who wanted her to have a more glamorous and less ethnic persona. Bacall was a modification of her mother’s maiden name, Weinstein-Bacal. This reinvention was key to her marketing as a sophisticated and mysterious leading lady.

Anne Bancroft

Born Anna Maria Italiano, she was pressured to change her name early in her career. Studio executives felt “Italiano” was too ethnic and would limit her to stereotypical roles. She was given a list of dignified names to choose from and selected Bancroft because it sounded elegant. The name served her well as she became one of the most respected actresses of her generation.

Steven Tyler

The Aerosmith frontman was born Steven Victor Tallarico. He changed his name to Steven Tyler in the early 1970s as the band was forming. While Tallarico is Italian, he felt the simpler name Tyler had a better ring for a rock star and was less tied to a specific ethnicity. The name change coincided with his emergence as one of rock’s most dynamic frontmen.

Joan Rivers

The comedy pioneer was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky. Her agent told her that she needed a name that sounded more like a star and less like a girl from Brooklyn. She chose the name Rivers because it sounded sophisticated and removed the ethnic marker of her birth name. The change helped her break into the mainstream late-night television circuit.

Mark Strong

The British actor was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia to an Italian father and an Austrian mother. His mother legally changed his name to Mark Strong when he was a child to help him fit in with his peers in England. She worried that his birth name was too difficult to pronounce and would cause him social problems. He has since become a ubiquitous character actor known for his intense performances.

Charles Bronson

The action star was born Charles Dennis Buchinsky to Lithuanian parents. He changed his surname to Bronson during the McCarthy era in the United States. His agent feared that a Slavic-sounding name like Buchinsky would make him a target for anti-communist sentiment. The name Bronson was taken from the gate of Paramount Studios and sounded undeniably American.

John Garfield

Born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, he was a pioneer of method acting in Hollywood. Studio executives insisted he change his name because “Garfinkle” was considered too Jewish for a romantic lead. He reluctantly agreed to John Garfield but maintained his defiant, working-class persona on screen. He paved the way for future method actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean.

Edward G. Robinson

The iconic gangster actor was born Emanuel Goldenberg in Romania. Like many Jewish actors of his time, he changed his name to avoid discrimination and appeal to general audiences. He chose the initial “G” to retain a connection to his birth name, Goldenberg. Despite the anglicized name, he brought a unique intensity to his roles that made him a legend.

Jack Benny

The beloved comedian was born Benjamin Kubelsky. He faced legal pressure from other performers with similar names and general advice to de-emphasize his Jewish heritage. After trying several stage names, he settled on Jack Benny, which sounded friendly and all-American. The name became a household brand in radio and television for decades.

Judy Holliday

Born Judith Tuvim, the actress faced pressure to change her name because Tuvim was Hebrew for “holidays.” She translated her surname to English to create Judy Holliday. The change allowed her to keep a connection to her real name while satisfying studio demands for an anglicized moniker. She went on to win an Academy Award for her performance in ‘Born Yesterday’.

Barbara Hershey

The actress was born Barbara Lynn Herzstein. She changed her name to Hershey in the 1960s to sound less ethnic and more commercially viable. The sweet-sounding surname helped her secure roles in television and film as a young ingenue. She eventually transitioned into a serious dramatic actress with a career spanning decades.

Danny Thomas

The founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was born Amos Muzyad Yakhoob Kairouz to Lebanese parents. He anglicized his name to Danny Thomas to avoid the prejudice often directed at Arab-Americans. He used the names of his brothers to create a familiar-sounding stage name. This allowed him to become a major television star in ‘Make Room for Daddy’.

Please share your thoughts on these name changes in the comments.