One of the first instances I can recall of an actor having an unusual real name and keeping it professionally was Joanne Pflug. (Pronounced “floogue.”) How’s that for a name? She must have resisted a lot of pressure early in her career to assume a stage name. She played a prominent role in the movie “MASH” and was a steadily working TV “guest star” for decades. She was quite witty, as I recall. Johnny Carson had her as a guest often, but she became an outspoken Christian and Carson banned her because she began proselytizing on the show. At least that was her contention.
I presume Imogen Poots got similar advice, which she disregarded.
Not to mention Alison Doody.
Those who are known popularly and professionally by a stage name but never changed it legally and go by it in their private life. Like Michael Keaton who goes by his real name Michael Douglas when not working.
Among authors there are many who write under a slightly different name then their legal name. Presumably they could have changed their legal name, but chose not to. Examples: David Brin’s first name is Glen.
There is also a somewhat popular author who writes as Joe Hill (his middle name being Hillström) because he did not want people to think he was only Joe King.
The original Ward Cleaver Max Showalter went by Casey Adams most of his career, hundreds of movies and TV shows. But everything I’ve read says he never legally changed his name and went by Max to his friends and family. Towards the end of his career he said to hell with it and was billed by his real name.
Mind blown.
I don’t believe Oscar Isaac changed his legal name.
Whoa, Harry Shearer played one of the bullies.
…Deutschendorf, Jr. He was told to change it because the whole name wouldn’t fit on a record label. Can you imagine?
David Bowie’s kids use Jones as their last name.
Well, that’s just parts of her real name.
Like Topher Grace, just using the last half of his real ‘Christopher’ rather than the more common abbreviation ‘Chris’.
Funny thing is when his son was born the story was the weirdo David Bowie named his son Zowie Bowie. As far as I know Bowie did nothing to dissuade anyone of the notion. When Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones grew up and became a film director he goes by Duncan Jones.
Minnie Pearl was Minnie Pearl for more than a half-century, but that was strictly a stage persona. In real life she was Sarah Cannon, raised a lot of money for cancer research under her real name and has a cancer center in Nashville named after her.
There used to be a convention for female authors to use their initials because publishers didn’t think readers would buy books written by women. Examples are J.K. Rowling, C.L. Moore, S.E. Hinton, P.D. James, E. Nesbit, A.L. Kennedy, P.L. Travers, A.M. Homes, S.E. Lister, K.A. Applegate, E.H. Young, H.G. Wells
Not saying that she doesn’t totally fit the question but I think it was never in question that Minnie Pearl was a character and not her really life persona. Kind of like Larry the Cable Guy. Everyone knows Larry is Dan Whitney. He used to perform under his real name and accent. After the Larry character took off he always performs in character but is still Dan in real life. I remember some radio guys saying when they interviewed him he stayed in character but when the mics went off the accent was gone and all he wanted to talk about was stocks.
It’s been years but I seem to recall hearing that offstage Minnie Pearl was an elegant and sophisticated lady.
ETA: back when Minnie Pearl was starting it was common for comics to play characters and not be themselves on stage. The father of Albert Brooks, Harry Einstein, went by Harry Parke but was more commonly known as his character Parkyakarkus. I’m not 100% sure but I think Albert Brooks legally changed his name from Albert Einstein.
Well, you made me look…
In the TV show Warehouse 13 Helena G. Wells had to pretend to be a man to get past the misogyny.