How Many Broadway Actors Have Stage Names?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 1:37am

And if you know their real names, can you tell them? I'm just curious (I'm watching the "A Chorus Line" film and I started wondering this question.)

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 1:46am

correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Michael Arden's real name is Michael Moore. I know he picked Arden b/c he loves "As You Like It" and he also composed the score for a production they did at Julliard and his solo in it is a BEAUTIFUL song. Anyways I know that he couldn't keep Moore b/c someone in Equity already has it.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 1:47am

I know Nathan Lane's real name is Joseph Lane.

[Isabella2]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 1:57am

REALLY? damn...

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 2:18am

Interesting. Michael Arden seemed so simple to be a stage name, but I guess that's the beauty of it.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 2:28am

Maya Days' real name is Laura Dias (which she used to go by).

[BlueStarGirl]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 2:34am

I hate to admit that I know this, but Idina Menzel changed the spelling of her last name from "Mentzel". Hardly groundbreaking, but a change nonetheless.

[FoscasBohemianDream]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 2:39am

Jane Krakowski was born Jane Krajkowski but dropped the "j."
Bernadette Peters' real name is Bernadette Lazarro and Chita Rivera's real name is Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero which she had to change for it to fit in the marquee I believe.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 3:18am

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardname=bway&thread=902176#2292228

[Charlayne Vivika]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 3:27am

Charlayne Vivika is a stage name, though my real name has the same initials.

[rosekwbp]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 3:31am

Bernadette Peters real name is Bernadette Lazzara. She changed it so that it would fit on the marquee and so that she woulnd't get type cast in Italian roles.

[Sant]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 7:10am

BEBE NEUWIRTH uses her nickname as her first name. Her real name is Beatrice.

According to one source, MICHAEL CRAWFORD's name is actually Michael Dumble-Smith.
Updated On: 7/23/06 at 07:10 AM

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 7:11am

Nathan Lane changed his name while he was in Guys and Dolls playing Nathan Detroit.

[Jon]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 8:31am

To clarify - he changed it when he was much younger and doing GUYS AND DOLLS at a small summer stock theatre. He had to change his name because there was already another actor named Joseph Lane in Equity.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 12:27pm

I would never have guessed so many people changed their name. I guess it isn't that "weird" of a thing.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 12:42pm

This wasn't mentioned on either threads...
Sigourney Weaver's real name is Susan Weaver. I like Sigourney alot better though! Its so unique!

Posted: 7/23/06 at 3:41pm

Kristin Chenoweth's real name is Kristi Dawn Chenoweth, no?

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 4:10pm

Yes, the story is she added the "N" because originally she was planning on going into opera, and "Kristi" is not really a good name for an opera singer.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 11:50pm

Ha, wow. Seems most of the people change their names. This may be a dumb question, but if you have a stage name, do you then change everything into that name? Like, would your check come to you as "Kristi" or "Kristen"?

[Yero]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 11:53pm

*Kristin
Correct me if I'm wrong, but unless you legally change it, all your personal bills, etc will be written with your real name. I don't think actors legally change them, they just use them as their stage names. Correct me if I'm wrong, though.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 11:55pm

That just seems like it would get confusing. Though, I can't imagine LaChanze's bills come to her with that single name.

[maybethistime]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 12:09am

Ethel Merman's real name was Ethel Zimmerman but, to allow it to fit on the marque, she dropped the "Zim" and her new last name became "Merman".

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 1:06am

Yero--

I'm sure it varies. Some will use their stage name only for show business purposes, but others will have it changed legally as well. I imagine most would probably find it easier to just change EVERYTHING once they've made a name for themselves (no pun intended), unless they had a particularly sentimental attachment to their old name. However, because it is such an enormous pain in the a** to have your name changed legally (I know from experience), I think many actors would probably wait until enough people actually KNEW them by their stage name before legally changing it. In other words, I'm sure there's a lot of actors who use stage names but end up dropping out of show business by the time they're 30 (you know, like most actors) and frankly weren't ever successful enough for it to be worth the trouble.

"I'm not cynical, I'm honest." --Rebecca Gilman

[Isabella2]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 1:07am

I think zimmer would be a much cooler name, lol. or ZIM! yeah...

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 3:08am

Tyne Daly's real name is Ellen Tyne Daly.