Many actors change their name when they get into the profession. In order to change their name do they have to go to court or is there some sort of fomality with the Screen Guild Association?
If its only a process of paperwork with the Screen Guild, does this mean its “legal?”
Can they use their new name on credit cards, mortgages, etc. since the new name is how the world will know them?
How does this work?
Thanks
Not a clue, Isabelle, but I love your sig.
Thank you!
General answer.
You cannot use a name for a formal screen credit that is already registered with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). So the guy born Michael Douglas had to change his name, which he did, to Michael Keaton in this case. (Davy Jones also changed his name to avoid confusion, ending up as David Bowie, but there was no legal necessity there.)
Adding middle names and initials are acceptable ways to distinguish yourself from an ever-longer list of taken names. That’s one reason you see so many three-named actors.
You can change you name legally in most states simply by filing a petition with the proper court. But you must do it legally with a court: the Guild has no legal status and no enforcement powers outside of its members.
However, it is legal in all states (I believe) to use another name if there is no intention to defraud. You can set up bank accounts, etc. in this other name. So some actors keep their given names legally, but do business in their stage name. If you do change your legal name you can just use it everywhere in the future, but you have to notify everybody of the change. No different from a woman changing her name after she gets married.
The SAG site doesn’t have a lot to say on this issue. All I found was this:
Do actors REALLY change their names though? I recall reading in George Burn’s Biography that his name was Nathan Burnbuam and that was his name. He used George Burns but NEVER changed his name to that. Gracie would refere to him as Nattie and use Mrs Burnbaum.
Charlie Sheen was booked as Carlos Estevez, so the police use legal names. If one wants police reports to use a different name it has to be legally changed. This is getting to be more important. I guess Blake legally changed his name from Mickey Gubitosi.
Refer back to Exapno Mapcase’s post, which outlines the facts quite thoroughly.
That the man named Nathan Birnbaum was publicly, and better, known by his stage name of George Burns through a longer period than most of us have been alive – his legal name was Nathan Birnbaum. Had he wished to have become George Burns legally, he could have merely adopted the name and begun using it, presumably notifying his bank and any creditors or debtors of the fact; he could have gone to the appropriate court in his state of residence and done it formally; or he could have published a legal notice to the affect that he was assuming the name, which is sufficient notice to all concerned in most jurisdictions.
A fourth alternative is a D/B/A certificate – registering with the proper local authorities that you are Marguerite Hirschhoff, conducting the business of writing and syndicating an advice column under the name of Abigail Van Flanders, and will be using that professional name in your business.
The SAG refers only to what one may do in a motion picture (presumably one that wishes to keep on the good side of the SAG; I doubt they police the screen credit policies of the outfit that shoots on-the-job-safety videos for corporations, much less indy. filmmakers in Wausau WI or Dathan AL.
This is the document used by Jon Stewart to change his name in 1999.
I read somewhere (maybe in a William Poundstone book?) that Whoopie Goldberg’s real name is Caryn Johnson. Apparently, she uses her real name when out in public to avoid unwanted attention.
And to return the favor to Polycarp’s post, SAG is a union. It functions similarly to any other union. In addition to policing its own members, it also has agreements with producers and with the other unions. If you want to use union personnel you have to live up to your contractual obligations. The other unions in Hollywood - the Directions Guild, the Writers Guild of America West and the craft unions - will not work on a picture that wants to hire non-union personnel for some of the positions.
You can use all non-union help if you wish, and most smaller or independent productions will do so.
There is not a catch-22 here, BTW. You do not have to be - if fact, can not be - a SAG member for your first role. However, if you wish to be hired after that you have to pay your dues and join the union.
That explains how duplicate names often get into the IMDB database. There are several George Scott’s who are listed as actors - all with one role.
There are also caveats and exceptions - if your uncle was George C. Scott and he wanted to appear in your digital video independent shoot there are ways he could do so. I believe that he would have to apply for a formal exemption, though.