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A unique identity is indispensable for celebrities working in the world of showbiz. In an ever-changing industry that has seen its fair share of talents come and go, the only thing that most easily links your work to your identity is your name.
For that reason, celebrities have been taking on stage names to represent themselves to the masses, while some even legally change their names to give them more pizzazz or to suit their style. The name acts not just as an identifier in the world of showbiz but also adds character and persona to the celebrities.
With that in mind, it is noteworthy that some of the most popular names to grace the entertainment industry halls of fame were not their original names at birth. The celebrities later adopted these names for personal reasons or slightly modified them to suit their career choices better.
John Legend, Vin Diesel, and some of the biggest celebrities who rebranded themselves with new names
1) John Legend
John Legend is undoubtedly one of the most famous American singer-songwriters in the genres of pop and R&B. Not only has he accrued huge celebrity status, but he has also been awarded multiple prestigious accolades since his debut in the musical industry.
Legend is the proud owner of 12 Grammy Awards, alongside an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Tony Award, and two Emmy Awards. This made him the first black man to win the prestigious cluster of EGOT awards.
Born to Phyllis Elaine and Ronald Lamar Stephens in 1978, his original name is John Roger Stephens. Initially, he was not very intent on adopting a stage name and took on work with his original name. However, when American performance poet James Ivy Richardson dubbed him with the surname of Legend and the name caught, John decided to accept it as his stage name.
2) Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn is one of the most prominent celebrities to grace the silver screen during the Golden Age of Hollywood. The actress was born on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium, to a British aristocratic family, Baroness Ella van Heemstra and Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston. While still debated to an extent, her name at birth was Audrey Kathleen Ruston, while her family used to call her Adriaantje.
Although she had such a dazzling career over the years, she carried her skeletons in the closet. Her parents were Nazi sympathizers, leaking of which would not have done any good for her acting and dancing career. Hence, as she began working in the film industry in 1948, she changed her surname to Hepburn to start taking on roles and not make her family associations obvious.
3) Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is undoubtedly a behemoth in the action genre of Hollywood films. Although he started his career in the early 1990s, his breakthrough came only at the very end of the decade, with him starring in Strays (1997) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). His career picked up pace in the 2000s, which had him starring in franchise starters Pitch Black and The Fast and the Furious.
The Fast & Furious franchise has become one of the biggest franchises ever, with over 11 films under its banner and more to come. Alongside his central role in the Fast & Furious franchise, Diesel has also been the voice of a favorite character in the MCU. Since 2014, Diesel has voiced the character of Groot, the tree-like humanoid member of the Guardians of the Galaxy squad.
His name may sound like one of the most explosive and weirdly apt names for the kind of roles he plays. And that is because Vin Diesel is his stage name, not his real name. Born as Mark Sinclair, he adopted the name while working in New York as a bouncer alongside trying out for roles in the 90s. His name was taken from his mother’s surname, Vincent, while Diesel was an idea from his friends who thought that he always had a lot of energy.
4) Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj ranks as one of the leading singer-songwriters in the American rap and pop scene. The artist was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1982 before moving to the U.S. in 1987 with her family. From a very early age, Minaj was set on becoming a celebrity in the entertainment industry and tried out acting initially.
However, Nicki Minaj soon moved to rapping for some time with Full Force, a Brooklyn-based musical group. After leaving the group, she uploaded her own music on the internet. Also, she forwarded it to people in the industry, which got her on the radar of Fendi, Dirty Money Entertainment’s CEO, who initially signed her up for three months. She then moved on to sign with Lil Wayne’s very own production company in 2009.
With all the love from fans and acclaim from an international crowd, she is now among the highest-grossing female artists. Also, while most of her audience only knows her as Nicki Minaj, only a handful are acquainted with the name Onika Tanya Miraj. It was only later on, during signing her first contract with Fendi, that she adopted a stage name. It was initially Nicky Miraj, but she soon changed it to Minaj, and a celebrity was born.
5) Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is a noteworthy actress who has stood the test of time and still appears on-screen with her inimitable charm. Although she started her journey in the film industry in the early 70s, Keaton had already garnered quite the popularity from her thespian days, working on Broadway with Woody Allen on his production, Play It Again, Sam. She even received a Tony nomination for her performance.
Keaton’s breakthrough role in cinema came in 1972 in Francis Ford Coppola’s classic, The Godfather. She quickly became an acclaimed celebrity and starred in some of the most notable films of her era, even winning multiple prestigious accolades for her acting prowess.
However, the name that echoed through the halls of fame was actually not the name she was born with. Although her original name was Diane Hall, she borrowed her mother’s maiden name, Keaton, since there was already an actor under the name of Diane Hall.
A little trivia about Keaton is that Woody Allen’s film Annie Hall was based on and named after her. Annie was the nickname that her family used to call her by, and Hall was her original surname.
Some of the biggest celebrities changed their names before stepping into the limelight. We will never know if the names make a difference in their success stories, but all of them have become celebrated names in their own fields.
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