Cliff Notes – 9 British celebrities you didn’t know were using inconspicuous stage names
- Jude Law, born David Jude Heyworth Law, has used his middle name as his stage name since childhood, never being called David by anyone.
- David Tennant, originally named David John McDonald, adopted his stage name after Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys due to a name conflict within the acting union.
- Olivia Colman was born Sarah Caroline Colman but chose the name Olivia for her acting career as her original name was already registered with Actors Equity.
9 British celebrities you didn’t know were using inconspicuous stage names
- Dame Helen Mirren was born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov and opted for an Anglicised version of her name for her career.
- Sir David Jason’s real name is David John White; he chose “Jason” as a tribute to a teacher’s influence during his schooling.
- Tess Daly, originally Helen Elizabeth Daly, adopted the name Tess due to a similarity with another model’s name and her agent’s admiration for Nastassja Kinski.
- Lily James was born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson and chose the surname James to honour her late father, James ‘Jamie’ Thomson.
- Dermot O’Leary’s birth name is Seán Dermot Fintan O’Leary Jr., but he has always been known as Dermot.
- Alex Jones, born Charlotte Alexandra Jones, confirmed her real name as Charlotte Alexandra Thompson, revealing the confusion surrounding her name on social media.
A breakdown of all the famous British faces you didn’t realise were using a stage name.
Everyone knows Elton John is actually called Reginald Dwight and chose a stage name to add a sense of glamour and mystique to his brand.
The same goes for a whole load of artists, including Lady Gaga, Shania Twain, Billie Eilish, John Legend, and Nicki Minaj.
But, there are a whole host of famous faces who have incredibly normal-sounding names that you never realised were stage names.
More often than not, actors had to change their names for rather mundane reasons, but many have sweet reasons as to the names they selected their chosen names.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the celebrities you definitely didn’t realise were using a fake name…
Jude Law
Jude Law was known as a heartthrob in the 90s and early noughties with The Talented Mr Ripley, The Holiday, and Alfie.
The star actually uses his middle name and was born David Jude Heyworth Law.
The star revealed that he has been called Jude all his life and has never been called David – even by his family.
‘The name in my passport is David Jude as opposed to Jude David. No one’s ever called me David. My mum and dad called me Jude. It was just one of those odd things they did,’ he told The Guardian in September 2024.
David Tennant
David Tennant was actually born David John McDonald, but had to change his name when another actor shared the same name.
‘I had to change my name, as you do when you join the actor’s union, if there is somebody with your name,’ he said on The One Show in February 2025. ‘My name is David McDonald. So at 16 I had to find a new name. How do you do that at 16?’
‘I went through a copy of Smash Hits and I found Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys and I thought, that’s a good, strong, solid name.
‘So I am named after Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys!’
The actor has since legally changed his name to Tennant, which is the surname adopted by his wife and children.
Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman was actually born Sarah Caroline Colman, and now she’s married is called Sarah Caroline Sinclair.
When the actress registered her name with Actors Equity Association, Sarah Colman was already registered, so she went for Olivia.
‘One of my best friends at university was called Olivia and I always loved her name,’ she told The Independent in 2013.
‘I was never Sarah; I was always called by my nickname, Colly, so it didn’t seem so awful not to be called Sarah.’
Dame Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren was born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov but changed opted for an Anglicised version of the name as a stage name.
Her father, a Russian immigrant named Vasily Petrov Mironoff, decided to change the entire family’s name in the 1950s.
Thus, the actor opted for an English version of her name and became Helen Mirren.
Sir David Jason
Sir David Jason is actually called David John White.
Speaking about how he found his stage name, the actor revealed the sweet story on The One Show as he visited his old school.
‘I remember that classroom, because that’s how I got my name! My professional name was Jason.
‘The teacher who taught in that room, she used to take us for English and read the book Jason and the Argonauts.
‘And then when I was searching for a professional name because there was a David White already in Equity, I remembered the magic that she created, and it came into my mind and I said “what about Jason? David Jason?”.’
Tess Daly
Tess Daly is actually called Helen Elizabeth Daly, and is still called Helen by her family.
‘My mum’s really the only person who still calls me Helen, and that’s not often. She tends to call me “love”, so when she does say “Helen” it can take me a while to respond,’ she told MailOnline in 2020.
The star revealed that she changed her name because of another model called Helen Davies when she was coming to fame.
‘Helen Daly was too similar and I was told it wouldn’t work,’ she said, but added that she didn’t pick ‘Tess’.
‘My agent was obsessed with Nastassja Kinski at the time, who was in the film Tess, and thought I looked like her. So Tess it was. I was gullible and impressionable.’
Lily James
Lily James was born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson.
It has been reported that the star opted for the surname James to honour her late father James ‘Jamie’ Thomson, who passed from cancer in 2008.
She told The Independent in 2013 that she changed her name because of Equity and was upset at first that she had to lose her surname.
‘I was really upset,’ she revealed. ‘But I changed it to “James” which was my dad’s name. It’s really important to me now.’
Although she added it has its difficulties: ‘It’s confusing – when you book a ticket to a play or when I check into a hotel, I never know which name to give and you seem like an imposter.’
Demot O’Leary
Dermot O’Leary was born Seán Dermot Fintan O’Leary Jr.
Many fans learnt about this in 2024 when the broadcaster spoke about his real name during a segment on This Morning.
‘My first name is Sean, Sean Dermot O’Leary,’ he revealed.
‘Well, normally, if you’re born in Ireland or if you have Irish parents, they christen you something, and then they call you something totally different.
‘So, I am Sean Dermot, but I’ve only ever been called Dermot. But I’m officially Sean Dermot.’
Alex Jones
The One Show’s Alex Jones was born Charlotte Alexandra Jones and is now Charlotte Alexandra Thompson.
The star confirmed her real name earlier this year on Instagram when she shared a video of one of her children’s hospital wristbands, which read ‘female infant of Charlotte Alex Jones’.
She said in the video ‘That’s not actually my name. The hospital got it wrong.’ She added, ‘Charlotte Alexandra Thompson is my actual name.’
When fans expressed their confusion that she goes by her middle name, she replied: ‘Ah yes! Mum and dad made things complicated,’ with a laughing emoji.