6. Kirk Douglas – Issur Danielovitch Demsky
When Kirk Douglas came over to the United States during World War II to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor, he felt that he needed a name change to hide his Jewish background from the super racist movie studios. Born as Issur Danielovitch and later adopting the name Demsky, Douglas chose the most American name he could think of when he was changing it. Back then, hiding your Jewish heritage from the public was really a necessity for any professionals, especially those in the public eye. Even today, there is still a tradition of name changing for Jewish actors, if only to shelter the family name. Douglas would go on to help make his made-up-name one of the most famous surnames in the industry.
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