These Celebrities Don't Actually Use Their Real Names

Some celebrities change their name in order to make it in the industry, some change it due to familial reasons, and some just don't like their name to begin with. Find out which of your favorite stars have actually been using a moniker this whole time. 

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was actually born Norma Jeane Mortenson. She's had several different names throughout her life, but the story of how she chose "Marilyn" as her stage name didn't come until later. She was born with the last name Mortenson, baptized as Baker, and married into Dougherty.

Infamous Stage Name

Time magazine reported that Norma Jeane scrapped "Dougherty" because studio executives believed people would pronounce it too many different ways and needed something simpler. She suggested the last name "Monroe" from her mother's side of the family. An exec then deemed her "Marilyn" because he reminded her of 1920s Broadway star Marilyn Miller.

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The More You Know

  • Shakira was banned from her school’s choir, and her classmates said she sounded like a goat. The Hips Don’t Lie superstar sure showed them!
  • Bill Murray was arrested when he was 20 for trying to bring 10 pounds of marijuana on a plane.
  • When Lady Gaga went to NYU, a group of students started a "Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous" Facebook group.
  • In 1978, Tim Allen was arrested for possession of 1.4 pounds of cocaine and was sentenced to three to seven years in jail. He was let out on parole after two years and four months.
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Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.