Gene Simmons was born Chaim Witz, but he admitted he had to “downplay” his Jewish heritage when starting out. He explained that he knew his birth name “didn’t work” in the entertainment world and believed he had to blend in to succeed. So he reinvented himself, taking on a more neutral stage name and persona. | © AXS TV
Natalie Wood was born Natalie Zacharenko, but when her family moved to Los Angeles in 1945, she was quickly told her name was a problem. Actor and director Irving Pichel suggested something more “Americanized,” and RKO executives took it from there. They chose “Wood,” borrowing the surname of director Sam Wood. | © American International Pictures
Tony Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz, but as a young man, he felt his surname marked him as an outsider. He admitted he “despised” the name and its German roots, and decided he needed something more marketable for Hollywood. Drawing from a relative named Kurtz, he Anglicized it into Curtis, while “Tony” came from the first novel he ever read, Anthony Adverse. | © 20th Century Studios
Anthony Quinn was born Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca, and though he didn’t completely hide his heritage, Hollywood made it hard for him to embrace it. He once said the industry, and America at large, looked down on anyone who wasn’t blonde and blue-eyed. That prejudice shaped both his career and personal life, even as he proudly identified as Mexican, Indian, and Irish. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Alexander Siddig was born with the full name Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi. Early in his career, he shortened it to Siddig El Fadil, but even that proved a challenge for casting directors and audiences to pronounce. To avoid losing roles, he eventually chose the more “accessible” stage name Alexander Siddig. | © BBC
Doris Day was born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff, but early on, she was told her name was too long for show business. While singing on a local radio station, bandleader Barney Rapp suggested she shorten it, taking inspiration from the song “Day by Day.” She became Doris Day, a name that fit neatly on marquees and was easier for audiences to remember. | © Universal Studios
Helen Mirren was born Ilyena Lydia Mironov, the daughter of a Russian émigré. Her father changed the family name to Mirren when she was a child to avoid discrimination. Later, when she began her acting career, she decided to shorten Ilyena to Helen. The changes helped her fit into the industry at a time when ethnic names often meant fewer opportunities. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Winona Ryder was born Winona Laura Horowitz, but she dropped her surname early in her career, reportedly on a whim when asked how she wanted to be credited. Still, she later spoke about how anti-Semitism shaped her experience in Hollywood. She recalled a studio head telling her she “looked too Jewish” for a role, and even recounted Mel Gibson making an anti-Semitic remark to her at a party. Changing her name may have softened some of that prejudice, but it didn’t erase it. | © Universal Studios
Martin Sheen was born Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez, but in the 1950s, he struggled to get auditions because of his Hispanic name. Facing discrimination, he created the stage name “Martin Sheen,” borrowing from a producer who encouraged him and from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. The change helped him find work, but he’s since admitted he regrets it. Sheen never made it legal, though — his real name still appears on all official documents. | © Filmax
Boris Karloff was born William Henry Pratt, but he hid his Anglo-Indian heritage to avoid Hollywood bias. Early in his career, he claimed Slavic roots instead, distancing himself from his real background. Even after finding fame, he rarely spoke about his family history. Decades later, director Peter Bogdanovich even remarked on Karloff’s darker skin while filming Targets, a reminder of the prejudice he faced throughout his life. | © Universal Pictures
Raquel Welch was born Jo Raquel Tejada, but Hollywood executives told her she needed to change everything — her hair, her look, even her name. Some even pushed her toward “Debbie” to make her sound less Latina. Instead, she took the last name of her first husband, James Welch, and built her career under that identity. | © Warner-Pathé Distributors
Chloe Bennet was born Chloé Wang, but she quickly found Hollywood doors closed to her with her Chinese surname. Casting directors wouldn’t give her a chance until she changed it, something she later called out as proof of the industry’s racism. She explained that the very first audition after becoming “Bennet” landed her a role. | © MGM
Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Carmen Cansino, but Hollywood executives told her she’d never succeed with such an obviously Latina name and look. They pushed her to change it and even forced her through a year of painful electrolysis to raise and lighten her hairline. The makeover was designed to make her appear less ethnic and more “marketable” to white audiences. | © 20th Century Studios
Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch, but he felt his real name was “too unwieldy and too Semitic” for Hollywood in the 1940s. To avoid being typecast or shut out, he adopted the stage name that would later become iconic. Decades later, he admitted he regretted the change and wished he had held on to his birth name. | © Vision Distribution
Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Pandit Bhanji, but early in his career, he was told his real name would hold him back. A senior director at the Royal Shakespeare Company bluntly said he’d only ever be cast as servants, never as leaders or kings. Facing that prejudice, he changed his name by combining his father’s nickname, Ben, with part of his grandfather’s, King Clove. The decision opened doors, but it also shows how much pressure actors faced to hide their ethnicity to succeed. | © Myriad Pictures
For decades, Hollywood pushed actors to hide or change their ethnicity to land roles. Some were told their real names sounded “too ethnic,” while others were pressured to alter their appearance entirely. Here are 15 celebrities who were forced to cover up their heritage to succeed in the industry.
