17 Celebrities Who Were Forced To Hide Their Ethnicity<\/title><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.permutive.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/abeagle-public.buzzfeed.com\" crossorigin=\"\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/abeagle-public.buzzfeed.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/c.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/c.amazon-adsystem.com\" crossorigin=\"\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/c.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/c.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\" crossorigin=\"\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/aax.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/aax.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/config.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/config.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/client.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/client.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/c.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/tagan.adlightning.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cd.connatix.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cds.connatix.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.permutive.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/use.typekit.net\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/p.typekit.net\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/recsys-api.buzzfeed.com\/web\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/sentry.io\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gstatic.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/s.pinimg.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn-gl.imrworldwide.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/sb.scorecardresearch.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/amplify.outbrain.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/tr.outbrain.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn-magiclinks.trackonomics.net\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/js.stripe.com\"\/><link rel=\"preload\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.cookielaw.org\/scripttemplates\/otSDKStub.js\" as=\"script\"\/><link rel=\"preload\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/static-assets\/js\/vendor.7108a39869c999f3999a.js?brotli=allow\" as=\"script\"\/><link rel=\"preload\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/static-assets\/js\/subbuzzes.b8876abe9fec5c4de554.js?brotli=allow\" as=\"script\"\/><link rel=\"preload\" href=\"https:\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\/tag\/js\/gpt.js\" as=\"script\"\/><meta name=\"copyright\" content=\"Copyright BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.\"\/><meta name=\"apple-mobile-web-app-capable\" content=\"yes\"\/><meta name=\"apple-mobile-web-app-title\" content=\"BuzzFeed\"\/><meta name=\"theme-color\" content=\"#ee3322\"\/><link rel=\"shortcut icon\" crossorigin=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/static-assets\/_next\/static\/images\/favicon-496b7cee633e6a7dca162654e1bb39c9.ico\" type=\"image\/x-icon\"\/><link rel=\"manifest\" crossorigin=\"use-credentials\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/manifest.json\"\/><meta name=\"title\" content=\"17 Celebrities Who Were Forced To Hide Their Ethnicity\"\/><meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kirk Douglas said that he believed his birth name, Issur Danielovitch, was "too unwieldy and too Semitic" for Hollywood.\"\/><meta property=\"bf:buzzid\" content=\"7864025\"\/><meta property=\"bf:userid\" content=\"2499076\"\/><link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/crystalro\/celebrities-forced-to-hide-their-ethnicity\"\/><link rel=\"image_src\" href=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\/static\/2025-05\/02\/00\/thumb\/k4GV85wRA.jpg?crop=2988:1992;6,0&resize=1250:830\"\/><meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-snippet:-1,max-image-preview:large,max-video-preview:-1\"\/><meta property=\"author\" content=\"Crystal Ro\"\/><meta property=\"pin:media\" content=\"https:\/\/img-mkr.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\/static\/2025-05\/02\/00\/thumb\/k4GV85wRA.jpg?crop=2988:1992;6,0&resize=1250:830?template=pinterest-vertical-halftone-v1&title=MTcgQ2VsZWJyaXRpZXMgV2hvIFdlcmUgRm9yY2VkIFRvICJIaWRlIiBUaGVpciBFdGhuaWNpdHkgVG8gTWFrZSBJdCBJbiBIb2xseXdvb2Q=&color1=orange\"\/><meta property=\"pin:description\" content=\"17 Celebrities Who Were Forced To "Hide" Their Ethnicity To Make It In Hollywood\"\/><meta property=\"fb:smart_publish:robots\" content=\"noauto\"\/><meta property=\"fb:app_id\" content=\"45075597673\"\/><meta property=\"al:ios:app_store_id\"\/><meta property=\"al:ios:app_name\"\/><meta property=\"al:ios:url\"\/><meta property=\"article:section\" content=\"Rewind\"\/><meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BuzzFeed\"\/><meta property=\"article:content_tier\" content=\"free\"\/><meta property=\"article:opinion\" content=\"false\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"aapi\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"bestofinternet-reddit\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"dib-celebs\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"evergreen\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"geekyfb\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"womens content\"\/><meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/crystalro\/celebrities-forced-to-hide-their-ethnicity\"\/><meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BuzzFeed\"\/><meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\/static\/2025-05\/02\/01\/thumb\/NewmTgNkN.jpg?crop=2999:1574;0,0%26downsize=1250:*\"\/><meta property=\"og:image:alt\" content=\"Two side-by-side black-and-white photos of a smiling woman, with text stating "Rita Hayworth \u2014 Born Margarita Carmen Cansino."\"\/><meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"17 Celebrities Who Were Forced To "Hide" Their Ethnicity By Hollywood\"\/><meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kirk Douglas said that he believed his birth name, Issur Danielovitch, was "too unwieldy and too Semitic" for Hollywood.\"\/><meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:id:iphone\" content=\"352969997\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:url:iphone\" content=\"buzzfeed:\/\/buzz\/crystalro\/celebrities-forced-to-hide-their-ethnicity\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:id:ipad\" content=\"352969997\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:url:ipad\" content=\"buzzfeed:\/\/buzz\/crystalro\/celebrities-forced-to-hide-their-ethnicity\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:id:googleplay\" content=\"com.buzzfeed.android\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:url:googleplay\" content=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/crystalro\/celebrities-forced-to-hide-their-ethnicity\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@buzzfeedrewind\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@crystalro\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/crystalro\/celebrities-forced-to-hide-their-ethnicity\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"17 Celebrities Who Were Forced To "Hide" Their Ethnicity By Hollywood\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Kirk Douglas said that he believed his birth name, Issur Danielovitch, was "too unwieldy and too Semitic" for Hollywood.\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\/static\/2025-05\/02\/01\/thumb\/YQTcr6JZR.jpg?crop=3000:1500;0,0%26downsize=1250:*\"\/><meta itemprop=\"articleSection\" content=\"US\"\/><meta name=\"next-head-count\" content=\"102\"\/><noscript data-n-css=\"\"\/><\/head><body id=\"wp_automatic_ReadabilityBody\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"__next\" data-reactroot=\"\">\n<div class=\"DestinationWrapper_buzzfeed__LdORv\"><main aria-hidden=\"false\" id=\"buzz-content\" class=\"post_main__leFIt post_buzzfeed__G3TlM embed-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post_article__U0mpv post_default__QLsRf post_buzzfeed__G3TlM embed-post\">\n<div class=\"post_content__w3pdf\">\n<article>\n<div>\n<div class=\" buzz--list buzz--Rewind subbuzzes-wrapper subbuzzes--buzzfeed \">\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-text subbuzz-index-0 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-text\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Recently, Reddit user <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/user\/Chewie83\/\" target=\"_blank\">Chewie83<\/a> posed the very interesting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/moviecritic\/comments\/1k1ufhv\/who_wasis_forced_to_hide_their_ethnicity_to_make\" target=\"_blank\">question<\/a>, “Who was\/is forced to hide their ethnicity to make it in Hollywood?” And the folks over at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/moviecritic\/\" target=\"_blank\">r\/moviecritic<\/a> had some very eye-opening responses. Here’s what they said:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-1 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">1.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Rita Hayworth \u2014 Born: Margarita Carmen Cansino. Hayworth was convinced by executives in Hollywood to change her birth name and undergo a year’s worth of painful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marieclaire.com\/beauty\/news\/a21542\/old-hollywood-plastic-surgery-secrets\/\" target=\"_blank\">electrolysis<\/a> to “reshape” her low, dark hairline.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-2 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">2.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/laurengarafano\/celebrities-with-famous-parents\">Martin Sheen<\/a> \u2014 Born: Ram\u00f3n Gerard Antonio Est\u00e9vez. When he was starting out as an actor in the 1950s, there was significant discrimination in Hollywood (and in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/bigbuffguy246\/are-you-a-buffalonian\">New York<\/a>, where he was living) against actors with Hispanic names. He found it difficult to get auditions and roles because of his birth name. So, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/martin-sheen-ramon-estevez-regrets-stage-name-235627388.html\" target=\"_blank\">adopted<\/a> the stage name “Martin Sheen,” combining: “Martin” from a CBS producer, Robert Dale Martin, who had encouraged him early in his career, and “Sheen” from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, the auxiliary bishop of New York at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-3 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Today, Sheen says he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/martin-sheen-ramon-estevez-regrets-stage-name-235627388.html\" target=\"_blank\">regrets<\/a> changing his name. However, he explained that he never legally changed his name. “Ramon Est\u00e9vez” is still on his birth certificate, marriage license, passport, and driver’s license.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-4 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">3.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/abbyzinman\/70s-female-celebs-then-and-now\">Raquel Welch<\/a> \u2014 Born: Jo Raquel Tejada. Allegedly, Welch was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mamamia.com.au\/raquel-welch-racism\/\" target=\"_blank\">instructed<\/a> to change her “hair, look, name,” by Hollywood studio executives early on in her career with some even suggesting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/articles\/Programming%20Article\/021785\/raquel-welch-memorial-tribute\/\" target=\"_blank\">“Debbie”<\/a> as an alternative to Raquel. Welch was the surname of her first husband, James Welch.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-5 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">In the CW documentary <i>I Am Raquel Welch<\/i>, when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mamamia.com.au\/raquel-welch-racism\/\" target=\"_blank\">asked<\/a> if she thought she could have reached the same level of success at the time with her birth name, Welch said, “If I was Raquel Tejado, not a chance in hell, no. No way.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-6 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">4.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/amatullahshaw\/true-or-false-marvel-quiz\">Ben Kingsley<\/a> \u2014 Born: Krishna Pandit Bhanji. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/from-gandhi-to-gangsters-ben-kingsley-at-80\/a-67608055\" target=\"_blank\">2016 interview<\/a>, Kingsley said that when he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967, “a very senior director” there told him that with his birth name, he “would always play servants, and never play kings and leading men, politicians, leaders of their country.” As a result, Kingsley combined the nicknames of his father (Ben) and his spice trader grandfather (King Clove).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-7 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">5.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Kirk Douglas \u2014 Born: Issur Danielovitch. Kirk told <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/movies\/kirk-douglas-wished-he-had-kept-hisoriginal-name-issur-danielovitch-its-more-interesting\" target=\"_blank\">People<\/a> in 2015 that he believed his birth name was “too unwieldy and too Semitic” for Hollywood. He made the decision to change it when he was starting his acting career in the 1940s. He later regretted the decision, saying he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-independent.com\/arts-entertainment\/films\/news\/kirk-douglas-death-real-name-issur-danielovitch-actor-hollywood-a9322506.html\" target=\"_blank\">wished<\/a> he had kept his original name.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-8 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">6.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Anthony Quinn \u2014 Born: Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca. While Anthony was never “forced” to hide his ethnicity, he believed his career (and personal life) suffered because of Hollywood’s attitude towards it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-9 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Speaking with the LA Times in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1995-08-06-ca-31861-story.html\" target=\"_blank\">1995<\/a>, he said, “At that time Hollywood \u2014 hell, America \u2014 looked down on anybody not blonde or blue-eyed as potential enemies. We all had to put up with it. I always said I was Mexican, Indian, and Irish.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-10 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">7.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/alanavalko\/unsolved-celebrity-deaths\">Natalie Wood<\/a> \u2014 Born Natalie Zacharenko. After moving to Los Angeles with her family in 1945, actor and director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harpersbazaar.com\/celebrity\/latest\/g32433801\/natalie-wood-life-photos\/\" target=\"_blank\">Irving Pichel<\/a> suggested that Natalie change her surname to something more “Americanized.” RKO executives David Lewis and William Goetz then changed her name to Wood, after director Sam Wood.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-11 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">8.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Tony Curtis \u2014 Born: Bernard Schwartz. In 2009, Tony <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/20120707005014\/http:\/\/blogs.courant.com\/curtain\/2009\/10\/my-interview-with-tony-curtis.html#selection-513.321-517.55\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> in an interview that when he was younger he ‘despised’ the name Schwartz and its German origins and that he would change his name when he would go out. He explained, “I had a relative on my mother’s side whose name was Kurtz, so I took that name and Anglicized it. And ‘Tony’ came from ‘<i>Anthony Adverse<\/i>,’ the first novel I read.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-12 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">9.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Chloe Bennet \u2014 Born: Chlo\u00e9 Wang. In 2017, when questioned on social media about changing her last name, Chloe responded by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/08\/31\/entertainment\/chloe-bennet-hollywood-racist\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">saying<\/a>, “Changing my last name doesn\u2019t change the fact that my BLOOD is half Chinese, that I lived in China, speak Mandarin or that I was culturally raised both American and Chinese. It means I had to pay my rent, and Hollywood is racist and wouldn\u2019t cast me with a last name that made them uncomfortable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-13 \" data-keywords=\"cleaning\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">And Chloe had spoken out about changing her name before. In 2016, she told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/agents-of-shields-chloe-bennet-why-i-stopped-using-my-chinese-last-name\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Daily Beast<\/a>. \u201cThe first audition I went on after I changed my name, I got booked. So that\u2019s a pretty clear little snippet of how Hollywood works.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-14 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">10.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Boris Karloff \u2014 Born: William Henry Pratt. Boris attempted to obscure his Anglo-Indian heritage, particularly early on in his career. He would often claim to be of Slavic ancestry despite having no such roots and would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonherald.com\/2021\/10\/01\/boris-karloff-doc-illuminates-legend-of-classic-horror\/\" target=\"_blank\">avoid<\/a> discussing his family’s background.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-15 \" data-keywords=\"skincare\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">After making the film <i>Targets<\/i>, director Peter Bogdanovich made a controversial comment in regards to Boris’s skin color, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1971\/02\/28\/archives\/boris-karloff-too-dark.html\" target=\"_blank\">saying<\/a> he “had a hard time photographing its star, Boris Karloff, because he was dark \u2014 too dark.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-16 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">11.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Winona Ryder \u2014 Born: Winona Laura Horowitz. Although Winona reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/entertainment\/entertainment-celebrity\/winona-ryder-changed-her-real-name-on-a-whim-and-fans-are-only-just-realizing\/ar-AA1rH2uZ\" target=\"_blank\">changed<\/a> her last name on a whim while being asked how she wanted to be credited for her early films, she has spoken before about her experiences with anti-Semitism in Hollywood.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-17 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">In an interview with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/culture\/tv-radio\/article\/winona-ryder-on-turning-50-missing-keanu-reeves-and-being-saved-by-normal-people-07rppmj3t?region=global\" target=\"_blank\">Times of London<\/a>, Winona said that Mel Gibson once said to her at a party, “You\u2019re not an oven dodger, are you?” Later in the interview, she recounted being told by a studio head (who was also Jewish) that she “looked too Jewish,” for the part.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-18 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">12.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Doris Day \u2014 Born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff. Early in her career, Doris had singing sessions on a local radio station where the bandleader Barney Rapp heard her. Rapp suggested she take inspiration from the song she sang, “Day by Day,” and change her name. Apparently, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/entertainment-arts-13202284\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> “Kappelhoff” was “too long to display” on marquees.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-19 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">13.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Helen Mirren \u2014 Born: Ilyena Lydia Mironov. It was Helen’s father, Vasiliy, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nzherald.co.nz\/entertainment\/tom-cruise-jennifer-aniston-and-tina-fay-7-celebrities-you-didnt-know-changed-their-names\/Y772B7A7ZRGWTGVECUXBJW7JSE\/\" target=\"_blank\">changed<\/a> their family name from Mironov to Mirren when she was young. However, once Helen started a career in acting, she was the one who opted to change from Ilyena to Helen.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-20 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">14.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Gene Simmons \u2014 Born: Chaim Witz. In an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/content\/2022-10-17-gene-simmons-says-he-became-a-chameleon-to-hide-his-judaism\/\" target=\"_blank\">interview<\/a> on <i>Howie Mandel Does Stuff<\/i>, Gene explained that he purposefully “downplayed” his Jewish heritage at the beginning of his career. He said, “I was born Chaim Witz, and I understood that that didn’t work \u2014 <i>I<\/i> did. I realized for myself that in order to succeed, I’ve gotta be a chameleon of sorts. Basically, dress British, think Yiddish. Yeah, you’re Jewish. That’s fine. Shut the f–k up. Nobody’s interested.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-21 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">15.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Danny Thomas \u2014 Born: Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz. Danny had been struggling to “make it” early on in his show business career. However, after a talent agent, Leo Salkin, booked him at a nightclub in Chicago, the rising star <a href=\"https:\/\/shrineofstjude.org\/the-shrine\/st-jude\/st-jude-and-danny-thomas\" target=\"_blank\">changed his name<\/a> to be more “stage-friendly.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-22 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">16.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Casey Kasem \u2014 Born: Kemal Amin “Casey” Kasem. Although he initially went be Kemal Kasem early in his broadcasting career in Detroit, the radio start later changed his name to Casey at the suggestion of friends and some professional associates in the radio industry. Speaking at a high school in 1997, when asked why he changed his name, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toledoblade.com\/a-e\/tv-radio\/2014\/06\/15\/U-S-radio-DJ-Casey-Kasem-dead-at-82-family-says-in-statement\/stories\/20140615137\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a>, “It didn\u2019t sound like a deejay; it wasn\u2019t hip. So we decided I\u2019d be \u2018Casey at the Mike\u2019 \u2014 and I have been since.'”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-23 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">17.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Finally, Alexander Siddig \u2014 Born: Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi. The <i>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine<\/i> star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sidcity.net\/about\/sid-faq\/\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> at a fan event that he changed his professional name from Siddig El Fadil to Alexander Siddig primarily because he felt that, “El Fadil” was difficult for people to pronounce.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/body><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/crystalro\/celebrities-forced-to-hide-their-ethnicity\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>17 Celebrities Who Were Forced To Hide Their Ethnicity Recently, Reddit user Chewie83 posed the very interesting question, “Who was\/is forced to hide their ethnicity to make it in Hollywood?” And the folks over at r\/moviecritic had some very eye-opening responses. Here’s what they said: 1. Rita Hayworth \u2014 Born: Margarita Carmen Cansino. Hayworth was […] <a class=\"g1-link g1-link-more\" href=\"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/2025\/05\/05\/17-celebrities-who-were-forced-to-hide-their-ethnicity\/\">More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[],"reaction":[],"adace-sponsor":[],"class_list":["post-6204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment"],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6204"},{"taxonomy":"reaction","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reaction?post=6204"},{"taxonomy":"adace-sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/adace-sponsor?post=6204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}