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Many movie stars and other celebrities changed their names to enhance their careers. Here are some reasons why:

1. Marion Michael Morrison: Could a cowboy with this name ever win a shoot-out with the bad guys? Probably not, but John Wayne would.

2. William Henry Pratt: A British gentleman with this mild moniker couldn't scare anyone, unless he changed his name to Boris Karloff.

3. Caryn Johnson: She would just be a face in the crowd if she hadn't renamed herself Whoopie Goldberg.

4. Frances Gumm: This singer would have trouble finding the Yellow Brick Road until she became Judy Garland.

5. Thomas Mapother IV: With a patrician name like this, would he ever jump up and down on a couch? Tom Cruise did.

6. Leonard Franklin Slye and Lucille Wood Smith: This couple's names make them seem to be typical members of the local church social committee. However, they were a bit more famous as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

7. Issur Danielovitch Demsky: This name must be the waiter who serves your borscht at the local Russian restaurant, but certainly not movie star Kirk Douglas and father of Michael Demsky ... I mean Douglas.

8. Daniel Lawrence Whiting: His name sounds like a college prof, and he'd never tell an off-color joke until he changed his name to Larry the Cable Guy.

9. Norma Jean Baker: The sweet little girl next door ... if you were ever lucky enough to live next door to Marilyn Monroe.

10. Eric Marlon Bishop: Would a guy with this bland name ever be a movie star? Not until he changed it to Jamie Foxx.

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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