12 Actors Who Ditched Their Real Names

6) Jamie Foxx / Eric Bishop

Eric Bishop chose Jamie Foxx as he believed an androgynous name meant he would get preferential billing at comedy clubs which usually offer better spots to women. Well, whether or not that is true or a massive load of nonsense, it’s safe to say the name Jamie Foxx has a far more showbiz-y ring than Eric Bishop. A true sign of Hollywood’s finest is always the classy inclusion of superfluous letters in a name that belongs to a female porn star.

5) Portia de Rossi / Amanda Lee Rogers

Ellen’s wife, Portia de Rossi shrugged off her birth name Amanda Lee Rogers as she realised that life isn’t worth living unless your name sounds partially ethnic. While certain actors have adopted stage names to appear more universal and less ethnic (Carlos Estevez became Charlie Sheen), de Rossi chose the opposite. At age 15, wanting to reinvent herself she chose the name Portia from Shakespeare’s The Merchant Of Venice. Her selected name certainly makes a lofty impression, which is the opposite of her birth name which simply suggests that she enjoys a good seeing to.