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What Were They Called At Birth? Quiz
For this quiz, match the name of the star with the name he or she was given at birth. It might seem easy, but there are a few that don't seem to match. You will need to put your thinking cap on! Good luck!
A matching quiz
by Trivia_Fan54.
Estimated time: 3 mins.
(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right
side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.
Questions
Choices
1. Jack Palance
Chaim Witz
2. Joan Crawford
Caryn Johnson
3. Whoopi Goldberg
Michael Douglas
4. Rock Hudson
Lucille LeSueur
5. Hulk Hogan
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr.
6. Shania Twain
Eilleen Regina Edwards
7. Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick McManus
8. Gene Simmons
Volodymyr Palahniuk
9. Michael Keaton
Terry Eugene Bollea
10. Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien
Select each answer
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Jack Palance
Answer: Volodymyr Palahniuk
Palance was born to Ukrainian immigrant parents in 1919. His first name change was when he was boxing in the 1930s and his name was listed as "Jack Brazzo". When he moved to a screen acting career, he appeared in "Panic in the Streets" in 1950. He was credited as "Walter (Jack) Palance" in that film before becoming "Jack Palance" in his future films.
2. Joan Crawford
Answer: Lucille LeSueur
Joan Crawford started her career as Lucille LeSueur, but when she started working for MGM Studios, the head of their publicity insisted that she change her name because her name sounded fake and reminded him of a sewer. The magazine "Movie Weekly" held a contest to find her a new name.
The first name that readers suggested was "Joan Arden", but that name had already been used by another actress. So, she became Joan Crawford.
3. Whoopi Goldberg
Answer: Caryn Johnson
According to Whoopi Goldberg, she got the name "Whoopi" early in her career when she got gassy behind the scenes and was told that she sounded like a whoopee cushion. The origin of the name Goldberg seems to be a little less definitive. She has claimed that the name is part of her family's Jewish heritage.
However, researchers investigating her ancestry have not found any Jewish ancestry in Goldberg's background.
4. Rock Hudson
Answer: Roy Harold Scherer, Jr.
Rock Hudson was born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., but when Roy Harold Scherer, Sr. left the family when he was four, his mother re-married. Her new husband adopted her son, so his name was changed to Roy Harold Fitzgerald. After he developed an interest in acting, he found an agent who took him on as a client, and changed his name to Rock Hudson. Hudson reported in later years that he was not fond of his stage name.
5. Hulk Hogan
Answer: Terry Eugene Bollea
One of Hulk Hogan's first name changes happened when he and his friend Ed Leslie teamed up as "The Boulder Brothers" in tag team wrestling. He used the name Terry Boulder until he appeared on a talk show with Lou Ferrigno, star of "The Incredible Hulk".
The host of the show joked that Boulder was bigger than Ferrigno. After that, he used the name Terry "The Hulk" Boulder in the ring. In 1979, Bollea/Boulder met a wrestling promoter who wanted him to use an Irish name, so the name "Hogan" was chosen.
He's used that ever since. Other names that he used over his career include Hollywood Hogan, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Hulk Machine, Mr. America, Sterling Golden, and The Super Destroyer.
6. Shania Twain
Answer: Eilleen Regina Edwards
Shania Twain's parents divorced when she was two years of age. Her mother re-married and her new husband adopted her children, changing their last names to Twain. In 1993 when Twain started her recording career, she changed her name to Shania from Eileen. There are various theories about where that name came from, but Twain has not confirmed exactly how she ended up with it.
7. Elvis Costello
Answer: Declan Patrick McManus
In 1976 when Costello got his first recording contract, he was using the name "D P Costello" instead of the "McManus" that he'd been born with. At that time, his manager suggested a new first name. He chose to change his first name to "Elvis" at that point and the rest is history.
8. Gene Simmons
Answer: Chaim Witz
Simmons was born in Haifa, Israel. When he was eight, he and his mother moved to the US where he changed his name to Gene Klein, which was his mother's maiden name. When Simmons was starting his singing career, he decided on "Gene Simmons" as a stage name as a tribute to rockabilly singer Jumpin' Gene Simmons.
9. Michael Keaton
Answer: Michael Douglas
When Michael Keaton moved from public television and stage roles to regular television and movies, he was forced to choose a new name due to the Screen Actors Guild rules. He was not allowed to use a name that was the same or similar to one already in use. Michael Douglas (son of Kirk), and daytime talk show host Mike Douglas shared his name, so he chose his stage name, apparently by checking the phone book for a new name.
10. Dusty Springfield
Answer: Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien
Her birth name is quite the mouthful! When she was a child, she enjoyed playing soccer with the boys, so she was given the nickname "Dusty". Early in her career, she sang with a trio known as "The Springfields" with her brother and another artist. This is where she got her stage name when she moved to a solo artist.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
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