What Were They Called At Birth? Quiz

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.