Re: names names names...

[TC Cheever <tc@chaostheory.com>]

A. Joseph Ross wrote


> Not really.  There are some rules that have been used in some segments of 
> the entertainment industry, but I'm not sure whether they are law.  I 
> know that when Jack Benny was in vaudeville, he used the name "Ben Benny 
> (His real name was Benjamin Kubelski) until he got a complaint from Ben 
> Bernie.  I think that actor Harry Morgan's name was Henry, but he 
> couldn't use it because there was already a Henry Morgan.  But there seem 
> to be two Vanessa Williamses.


Screen Actors Guild prohibits members from having the same "working" 
name as another member. One Vanessa Williams is usually credited as 
"Vanessa L. Williams" (that's the one who's a former Miss America & has 
a singing career); the other Vanessa Williams is on the HBO show "Soul 
Food"... which was originally a movie starring Vanessa L. Williams.

For example, Michael J. Fox's middle name is actually Andrew; apparently 
there was already a SAG actor using the name Michael Fox & he didn't 
like the sound of Michael A. Fox.

I don't know if Equity (stage actors' union) has a similar rule-- 
anybody know if AFTRA has any kind of similar rule?

TC