HOLLYWOOD—Some stars are born with a great name, others change their name in hopes that it would make them stand out. Others simple didn’t like their given name, so they changed it, since only one person can be registered under a specific name.
Let’s look at some of the rich and famous that decided to change their names. Lady Gaga was not born with that name, she came into the world as Stefani Joanne Angelia Germanotta. Carmen Electra is the stage name of Tara Leigh Patrick.
Lorde, the New Zealand singer-songwriter was born on November 7, 1996 as Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Conner. Hanging out with friends or at school, she’s just Ella, but on stage, she is Lorde.
Actress Meg Ryan, who started her career on the soap opera, “As The World Turns,” in 1982 and went on to star in romantic comedies like “Sleepless in Seattle,” and “When Harry Met Sally,” was born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra on November 19, 1961 in Connecticut. When she began acting she adopted the name Meg and took her mother’s maiden name of Ryan. Growing up, she was known as Peggy Hyra.
Singer Katy Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson on October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California. When she was just 16 years old, she released a Christian gospel album under the name of Katy Hudson, but because there was already an actress with the name Kate Hudson, she made the decision to take her mother’s maiden name, Perry, and go with Katy Perry.
Actress Portia De Rossi, Ellen DeGeneres’ stunning other half, was born Amanda Lee Rogers on January 31, 1973 in Australia. She was known as “Mandy,” until changing her name to Portia De Rossi at the age of 15. The former “Arrested Development” star reinvented herself by using her given name of Portia, a character from Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” and an Italian last name.
Who could forget about Gene Simmons, the energetic member of the rock group KISS, was born Chaim Witz in Haifa, Israel on August 25, 1949. It was after moving to Queens, New York, that the singer changed his name to Eugene Klein, taking his mother’s maiden name. In the late 60s, he took the name Gene Simmons to honor legendary rockabilly performer, Jumpin’ Gene Simmons. It was just two weeks ago that he released his new book titled “Me, Inc.: Build an Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business.”
While others change their names in hopes of standing out, others like Paris Hilton don’t have to, she was born as a hotel heiress. Besides being a socialite, she’s also a successful entrepreneur. She recently introduced her newest perfume, her 17th fragrance to date, called “With Love. Paris Hilton.”
The fragrance, released through the New York-based Prlux Ltd., sounds like a love letter to her fans. Paris has generated $2 billion in revenues via her business Paris Hilton Entertainment. Miss Hilton has done some DJing, singing, handbag line, along with her fragrance line. Hilton cites the late Elizabeth Taylor her great aunt, once married to her grandfather’s brother as an inspiration in the perfume business.
Rose’s Scoop: Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry is moving into entrepreneurship with an 80-year-old Paris-based luxury lingerie label called ‘Scandale’ that will debut in Target stores at a reasonable price.
By Rose Quintiliano
