Apparently Blake Shelton and Blake Lively are two different people.
Yep.
There’s also another Frederick J. Pohl who wrote about pre-Columbian explorers of America
As long as you’re bringing up SF authors, “William Tenn” was really Philip Klass
Not to be confused with Aviation week editor and UFO debunker Philip J. Klass (although one Doper did so):
(I’ve spoken to both of them, but they died five and ten years ago)
Turns out there’s also an actor of that name, but he hasn’t been in much.
I thought Curt Siomak was a pseudonym for Cliff Simak. Turns out that’s not true.
When I was a kid, I thought that Ann Jillian’s name was so famous she only went by one name: “Angillian’” I guessed.
I get tripped up over Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Mary-Louise Parker.
Not really a confusion between multiple people but I might as well admit that it was within the last five years that I realized that it’s “Pia Zadora” and not “P. Isadora”. In my weak defense, she was sort of a generation prior to me so I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a film with her in it.
James Marsden and James Marsters
Taylor Schilling and Taryn Manning probably wouldn’t confuse me as much if they weren’t on the same show.
And neither are John Heard.
I just discovered recently that Helen Reddy and Anne Murray are two different people. The names aren’t so similar, but they occupied the same neurons in my brain.
Seth MacFarland is the guy who does Family Guy and Ted.
Todd McFarlane is the guy who created *Spawn *comics and makes cool videos and action figures.
Yes! Of different genders, too. Always makes me do a double take when they talk about one Blake’s spouse, Ryan Reynolds.
Seth MacFarlane, actually.
And, I always thought Melissa Manchester was that ballsy, scratchy-voiced rock singer who peaked in the late 80s, kind of a lesbian proto-Sheryl Crowe.
Nope, turns out that’s Melissa Etheridge. Ms. Manchester is a sort of Barbra Streisand/Celine Dion-type songstress who peaked in the mid 70s.
Thanks! I looked them up and I still couldn’t get it right 
Ok, it’s less problematic once they’re dead, but…Jean Stapleton is not Maureen Stapleton, who in turn is neither Maureen O’Hara nor Maureen O’Sullivan.
When I hear Jamie Lee Curtis I know who it is, but when I hear Jennifer Jason Leigh I have to take a moment to remember she isn’t Jamie Lee Curtis.
I also struggle with Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet.
Not quite in the same vein as the other entries in this thread, but on topic…
It wasn’t until watching Guardians of the Galaxy that I realized the band that performed Hooked on a Feeling was named Blue Swede, not Blue Suede.
Yeah, it’s this Carol Stockard Channing Tatum O’Neal person.
I understand that this is a real name given by his parents but it sounds like a focus group was tasked with finding a true “Hollywood” name for an actor and they put a bunch of famous names in a hat and drew them blind.
“What sex should it be? I don’t know, put 5 or six kinds back in the hat and we’ll draw again.”
As a result, at least for me, is the most forgettable Hollywood name I can think of, and I have to Google to find a picture to know who we are talking about. And I will not remember him the next time his name comes up.
He’s no Brad Smith, Alex Pitt or Cooper Johnson.
Throw Anna Kendrick on the Adams / Fisher pile. (Yum!)
In terms of look-alikes, some more recent ones that jump out at me:
Kerry Bishe and Marin Ireland, who get look-alike bonus points for having played sisters in The Understudy.
