How to Choose Your Professional Actor Name
When beginning your entertainment career it is very important to make sure that you have a unique professional name. This is your personal brand name and you never want it to be confused with other artists. You may miss out on work or royalties!
Most artists keep their own name, but many choose or are required to change their name for professional purposes. Read our tips below on how to choose your professional actor name.
1. Keep your professional name consistent across the board
You should use the same name for your Mandy profile, your Equity card, any other organisations/unions, and all professional documentation pertaining to your career.
2. Check if Equity does not have members with your name
Joining Equity is seen as the first step to becoming a professional performer—and for good reason. As well as the legal and representative benefits, Equity also helps you reserve your name. Names are reserved on receipt of a full or student membership form. Equity receives applications on a daily basis and cannot guarantee the availability of names over the phone or web. Equity has a broad membership base that includes singers, designers, stage managers, stunt performers, and variety artists (amongst a wide range of performers), so it may be that another member will already have your chosen name.
Equity is not able to hold or reserve names for future use, or for artists whose subscriptions expire. If your subscription does expire a current or new subscriber may successfully apply to use the same name in the meantime.
3. Check spellings and abbreviations
You should always double-check different spellings and abbreviations of a name since Equity will not accept similar names, even if they are not identical.
For example, they would not allow Sophie Smith if there is already a Sophia Smith, or Peter Jones if there is already a Pete Jones.
The following are also discouraged since they are not sufficient to distinguish you from other artists:
Adding initials:
- e.g. Ewan McGregor & Ewan K McGregor
Adding middle names:
- e.g. Rachel Weisz & Rachel Jane Weisz
Adding extra surnames
- e.g. Ralf Little & Ralf Little-Roberts
Same names with different spellings
- e.g. Judi Dench & Judy Dench
4. Check the industry as a whole
If your name can be easily confused with someone else who is working or has worked in the industry, we also recommend that you change it, even if they are not working in the same professional field.
For example, there is no point in starting to work as an actor with the name Sam Mendes, because you will always be confused with the other Sam Mendes.
Applicants should also think in terms of a global market and avoid duplicating names with overseas performers who may not necessarily be members of Equity or Spotlight, such as Rachel McAdams or Terrence Howard.
You should also ensure that you do not use the name of artists who are deceased. Choosing Laurence Olivier for example would not only cause confusion but would also undermine your credibility.
We recommend that you search the Internet Movie Database to make sure there is no one else with your name.
Remember: your professional name is your identity in a complex and ever-changing industry, and you may use it for 70 years choose wisely!
* Artists include all performers and creative personnel
This information is provided by Equity
For full details please visit the Equity website