# Movie stars with funny names. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2003, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940 "2003-12-19T09:01:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/21 "2003-12-19T16:50:30Z")
Swoosie Kurtz ---
**Author:** ![raizok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@raizok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raizok)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/22 "2003-12-19T16:54:49Z")
Oliver Platt ---
**Author:** ![Patr100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Patr100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patr100)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/23 "2003-12-19T17:43:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kasuo \* > \*\*Sigourney Weaver > > Wuh? “Sigourney”? \*\* Apparently she was named after a character in “The Great Gatsby”. Her mother was an actress who appeared in Hiitchcock’s “The 39 Steps”. ---
**Author:** ![Azure\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@Azure\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azure_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/24 "2003-12-19T18:08:08Z")
Picabo Street. It makes me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Azure\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@Azure\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azure_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/25 "2003-12-19T18:10:57Z")
Forgot to add - she’s not actually a movie start, just famous. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/26 "2003-12-19T18:36:59Z")
**Uma Thurman** Very attractive woman with a very strange name. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/27 "2003-12-19T18:41:59Z")
Parker Posey. Powers Booth. Piper Laurie. Tippi Hendron. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/28 "2003-12-19T18:43:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don’t ask \* > \*\*Marlon Brando. > I’ve never heard of another Marlon or another family Brando. > Although knowing the form on the Straight Dope I soon will. \*\* Tim Brando announces football games for CBS sports. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/29 "2003-12-19T18:43:37Z")
Oh, and I forgot - Heddi [Harvey Korman] “That’s Hedley!” [/Harvey Korman] Lamar. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/30 "2003-12-19T19:05:59Z")
Hedy Lamarr’s real name was Hedwig Kiesler—not that unusal a name in Austria. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/31 "2003-12-19T19:14:40Z")
Lou Gehrig. The guy’s named after a disease, for pity’s sake! [sub]Yeah, I know, I know…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Dizzy\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/32 "2003-12-19T19:31:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\*Tim Brando announces football games for CBS sports. \*\* And if Marlon Wayans married him. . . ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/33 "2003-12-19T19:55:02Z")
Oh, oh, oh, oh :waves hand: **Stockard Channing**. Stockard? Stockyard? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/34 "2003-12-19T19:58:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wolf\_meister \* > \*\ ***Uma Thurman** > Very attractive woman with a very strange name. \*\* [David Letterman] Uma…Oprah… Oprah…Uma… Uma…Oprah… [/David Letterman] ---
**Author:** ![aleong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4af34b/32.png) [@aleong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aleong)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/35 "2003-12-19T20:23:56Z")
Anyone seen Brad’s Pitt or Kevin’s Bacon? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/36 "2003-12-19T21:11:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Tippi Hendron Hedren. > [@](#): > > Anyone seen Brad’s Pitt or Kevin’s Bacon? Yes, and yes (in _Playgirl_ and the movie _Wild Things_, respectively). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/37 "2003-12-19T21:14:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Patr100 \* > \*\*Apparently she was named after a character in “The Great Gatsby”. Her mother was an actress who appeared in Hiitchcock’s “The 39 Steps”. \*\* She took the name from _Gatsby_–her real name is Susan. Rip Torn is his real name, or part of it, IIRC. Cyd Charisse has got to be one of the worst stage names ever, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/38 "2003-12-19T22:03:03Z")
**Eliza Dushku** I suspect she had to develop the fighting skills she displayed on _Buffy_ once the other kids learned to pronounce her last name. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/39 "2003-12-20T00:53:51Z")
**Doris Day** But **Step’n Fetchit** is the saddest, I think. [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0275297/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0275297/) ---
**Author:** ![E.T.Bass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@E.T.Bass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.T.Bass)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940/40 "2003-12-20T03:23:24Z")
JM J. Bullock has the “JM” because he is a member of the screen actor’s guild, and in the union, only one person is allowed a name. For example, one cannot be a Tom Cruise, because there is one, but one can be a T.J. Cruise. Speaking of Tom Cruise, that is a family name, but “cruise”? Put the car in cruise, cruise! Sandra Bullock, why does the most beautiful woman in Hollywood have the last name which resembles “cattle”? Minnie Driver-Minnie and Driver crack me up. I’ve only known three Minnie’s, Minnie Mouse, Minnie Pearl and her. Minnie-“Put the car in cruise, Cruise.” Cruise-“Well, Miss driver, why don’t you…take over?” ET [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-stars-with-funny-names/219940.md?page=3)