Alex Carson
Matters can get extremely confusing when celebrities share the same name. Several celebrities try to distinguish identical names by adding a middle initial to the existing one while others try to get a unique stage name. A famous actor, dubbed “The King of Cool,” shares his name with another Oscar-winning director.
Waiting to know who? Have faith in us, we have got you covered in this video.
But before that, let’s take a look at this:
Per the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 150,000 last names and at least 5,100 first names that are very common in America. Quite naturally, it stands to reason that there would be several identical combinations of both first and last names.
The most common example is John Smith – not surprising, as almost 2.5 million Smiths had been recorded during the 2010 Census. Estimates also suggest that there are more than 48,000 John Smiths in the US. The figure is more than what is recorded for any other name. Interestingly, there are more than one thousand James Bonds. It is, thus, safe to say that these can be included in the list of names that are not going to be extinct anytime soon.
While speaking about Bond, particularly James Bond, many of these common first and last name combinations in the US are also common in the UK, some Anglophone nations, and other parts of the world. John Smith secures the third position across the pond – after No. 1 taken by David Smith and No. 2 secured by David Jones.
All over history, some eminent personalities have also had identical names. Those who have studied art and history will especially know that there were two famous Francis Bacons; movie buffs know very well there is a ground-breaking director in the name of Steve McQueen and that there was also a well-known actor with the ditto same moniker. The latter was the star of some of the best hit movies during the �60s and �70s.
We have gathered some salient examples exclusively for you, including notable figures with identical names, including Americans and British, sometimes from different eras and sometimes their contemporaries.
Hook
But by now most of you will agree with us on the fact that identical names are enough to cause severe confusion if we don’t specify who we have on our mind when we mention any of these famous folks.
That being said, would you like to know who are these celebrities and how identical their names are? Well, we will get to that. Meanwhile, if you are enjoying this video, do not forget to like and subscribe to our channel.
We would also want to know if you would change your name if it was the same as that of another celebrity? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
Now, let’s take a look at the list of famous actors:
James Bond III
Sharing a name with the famous fictional spy, James Bond III, this one began acting as a child in the 1970s. He made notable appearances in Wonder Woman, The Waltons, and The Love Boat. In 1988, he also took part in School Daze, the Spike Lee-classic. Two years later, he wrote, produced, directed, and also starred in a low-budget horror film titled Def by Temptation. Released in the year 1990, it featured American actor-producer, Samuel L. Jackson, in one of his initial starring roles.
Keith Richards
Unlike the English musician and guitarist Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, this actor, Keith Richards, was born in 1915 in Pennsylvania. He had started acting in small, uncredited parts during the later years of the 1930s. He played several �blink and you are going to miss them’ roles in The Ten Commandments, the biblical epic that was released in 1956. The majority of his later work came in TV westerns like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and the Wagon Train. He stopped acting in 1964 and coincidentally, in the same year the Rolling Stones launched their first-ever album.
Harry Carey Jr.
Harry Carey Jr. and Harry Carey were both actors, and as you can already see, they share a name spelled slightly differently from that of legendary sportscaster Harry Caray. The Harry Carey Sr. has appeared mostly in silent films unlike Harry Carey Jr. who had secured roles in Mannix, Perry Mason and also the Knight Rider. Like several other actors during his times, Harry Carey Jr. appeared in other television westerns and, at least, nine John Wayne movies.
Leif Ericson
Born in 1911 as William Wycliffe Anderson, Leif Erickson had chosen the name of Leif Erikson (with a slight twist) as a stage name. Leif Erikson was a 10th-century Norse explorer. The actor had begun his career in the 1930s with some small but rewarding roles in several films. In 1954, he starred as Glover in On the Waterfront, a Marlon-Brando classic. During the 1950s to ’60s, he appeared in several TV shows and won a huge one in Big John Cannon in the series of The High Chaparral during 1967-71.
Michael Fox
Unlike Keith Richards (we mentioned just sometime back), Michael J. Fox and Michael Fox held overlapping careers. The older Michael Fox is mainly the reason why the Back to the Future hero was compelled to add an initial in the middle.
Wondering why? Well, it is a rule that no two (or more) actors within the Screen Actors Guild can be registered with the same name. Michael Fox had started acting during the 1950s. He made a significant appearance in three episodes of Twilight Zone (the original one). He also played a few small roles in comedies like Young Frankenstein and The Longest Yard. He continued acting through the mid-1990s.
Steve McQueen
While one Steve McQueen is known to many as the classic action star of films like Bullitt and The Great Escape, another has become famous over the recent years for his fascinating work, mainly behind the camera.
British filmmaker, Steve McQueen, directed 12 Years a Slave, an Oscar-winning drama, and Widows, an action thriller that was released in 2018. What is not known to many is that the latter McQueen is should be referred to as Sir Steve McQueen as he has been knighted during the 2020 New Year Honours, for his contribution to the world of films. The same year witnessed McQueen being rewarded by the Royal Photographic Society with the Award for Cinematic Production.
Jon Locke
Barring just one letter �h’, actor, Jon Locke shares his name with the renowned John Locke, the 17th-century philosopher. Jon without an H had begun acting in the 1950s. He starred as Officer Garvey in about five episodes of Highway Patrol.
As we are discussing famous names it is worth mentioning then that, Locke played Sam Elliot, a character in an episode of Perry Mason in 1958. In the 1960s, the actor appeared in several episodes of The Virginian, Wagon Train, and later on also took part in Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Waltons, and Land of the Lost.
James Brown
Sharing his name with the exemplary funk and soul singer and actor, James Brown, first made his appearance in some 1940 films. He also starred in A Star is Born alongside James Mason and Judy Garland in 1954. When it comes to television, James Brown acted in several shows including The Virginian, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and Route 66. He completed his ultimate role in the 1980s as Harry McSween, a detective, in Dallas which was a classic drama.
Billy Curtis
Billy Curtis shared his name with Bill Kurtis, the famous broadcaster, started acting in the 1930s, most famously in The Wizard of Oz. In 1938, he had led a western/musical The Terror of Tiny Town with an all-dwarf cast. Later on, he made his appearance in TV shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, Gunsmoke and Batman to name a few. In 1973’s film High Plains Drifter, Billy Curtis starred along with Clint Eastwood.
Tom Holland
Tom Holland shares his name with the young actor who plays the role of Spider-Man in the most recent Avengers. The older Holland used the name Tom Fielding during years of his early acting. He made exceptional performances while starring alongside Holly Mascott and George Takei in the hippie drama titled Josie’s Castle (released in 1971). He also appeared in shows like The Incredible Hulk and 77 Sunset Strip, but Holland’s most notable work remains in direction. He helmed the Fright Night that had released in 1985 and Child’s Play that released in 1988. He also directed three memorable episodes of Tales from the Crypt and The Temp and Thinner, a ’90s film, among several others.
Yes, we have covered 10 already. But since you are hooked to our video, we will give you some more names.
Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard (1943 – ) is a well-known American actor, playwright, and director. He has published several short stories, essays, and memoirs. His plays have won him many awards, including Pulitzer Prize in Drama for Buried Child in 1979. A fun fact for you is that, although Sam Shepard played the role of Chuck Yeager, a legendary test pilot in the movie, The Right Stuff, the actor has reportedly spoken about his aversion to flying. The actor’s final film appearance was in Never Here. It was premiered in June 2017 but was filmed during the fall of 2014. Shepard also appeared in the television series Bloodline from 2014 to2017.
Life was not this kind to Sam Sheppard (1923 – 1970), a physician from Ohio, who was found guilty of murdering his wife, who was pregnant at that time. The year was 1954. After a sensational trial, the whole incident drew a great deal of media attention. The media circus attending the trial resembled the one surrounding the famous O.J. Simpson trial that took place 40 years later. After almost a decade in prison, he had been retried and acquitted. A few years later, he made his debut as a professional wrestler, “The Killer.”
Peter Sellers
Another classic TV actor who shares a famous name is Peter Sellers (1925-1980). He is a British comedic actor and star of the famous Pink Panther movies. Peter Sellers played several notable roles, including the title, in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The equally oddball director with the same name is Peter Sellars (1957 – ), the American director of opera and theater known for his outstanding casting and staging of Mozart’s Don Giovanni as a blaxploitation movie.
Graham Greene
Although both of them are listed on the Internet Movie Database, you are unlikely to confuse Henry Graham Greene who lived from 1904 to 1991, the author of The End of the Affair, The Quiet American and The Third Man with the Canadian actor Graham Greene (1952 – ) who made his appearances in Dances with Wolves, Die Hard: With a Vengeance and The Green Mile. You are perhaps wondering why the writer is even featured in IMDb, well, it is because about 66 movies were done based on his works.
Spike Jones
American bandleader, Lindley Armstrong “Spike” Jones, (1911 – 1965) had a specialization in delivering novelty arrangements in popular music with whistles, bells, gunshots as well as zany vocals. One of his most notable spoofs was “Cocktails for Two.”
Spike Jonze (born as Adam Spiegel in the year 1969) is an American actor, producer, director, screenwriter, and actor who directed the movie Her as well as the cult-classic Being John Malkovich, in 1999. The latter earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. He was also a co-creator of MTV’s Jackass. Spike Jonze’s eccentricity had begun early; when he was a child growing up in Maryland, a local store owner had dubbed him “Spike Jonze” after the name of the bandleader.
By chance or by choice, many directors, actors, and other celebrities share their names with yet another famous individual. And how many conversations progress blithely before the speakers even realize that they are talking about two different individuals altogether but ones that have sound-alike names. Ever been a part of such conversations? Do share with us in the comment section. We’d love to know.
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