10 Hollywood Actors Names You Don't Really Know

It was William Shakespeare who said “What’s in a name?", and the Bard kind of had a point: names are just words we randomly assign to things and people. A dog or a tree or a chair would still be what they are in essence even if we called them different things.

But sometimes names are important, and that’s especially the case if you want a career in Hollywood - hence why so many actors are actually going by pseudonyms unbeknownst to the majority of us.

Often an actor is forced to change their name due to union rules that don’t allow two with the same name on their roster, or – more depressingly – because they fear their non-Western birth names could hamper their opportunities.

Other times, an actor’s name-change is motivated by a desire to protect their privacy, avoid accusations of nepotism from family members in the industry with recognisable names, or just simply to have a name that stands out in a sea of talent.

Finding out some of the biggest names in Hollywood aren’t really called what you think can be jarring but, well, there are some hum-dingers...

Real Name: Susan Weaver

If her TV executive dad Pat Weaver had his way, Sigourney would’ve been christened Flavia – a nod to his love of Roman history in-keeping with her older brother Trajan whose namesake is a Roman emperor – but her mother objected and insisted on naming her after her best friend Susan instead.

During her early teens, the already very statuesque Weaver – who often got called Susie or Sue – towered over her peers, feeling she was too tall for such 'short names' - thus opting for Sigourney after coming across a minor character with the same name in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, The Great Gatsby.

Unfortunately, her plan kind of backfired, since after her name change people began abbreviating Sigourney and started calling her ‘Siggy’ or ‘Sig’.

Best laid plans, eh Siggy?