87-463: Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy , better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan , (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and film producer. He was mainly active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ganesan is acknowledged as one of the greatest Indian actors of all time and among the most imitated one by other actors. He was known for his versatility and
174-598: A Google Doodle on their Indian homepage. Sivaji Ganesan's most critically and commercially successful films include: Padma Shri Government of India 1984 Padma Bhushan Government of India 1995 Chevalier National Order of the Legion of Honour Government of France 1960 Veerapandiya Kattabomman 1992 National Film Award – Special Jury Award Thevar Magan 1996 Dadasaheb Phalke Award 1972 Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award Stage name A stage name or professional name
261-440: A hyphenated surname . In some cases, the individual may adopt a stage name to avoid confusion with other family members who have similar names. Actor Mark Harmon (Thomas Mark Harmon) uses his middle name professionally to avoid confusion with his father Heisman Trophy winner and former broadcaster Tom Harmon (Thomas Dudley Harmon). Stephen Nice , the birth name of the lead singer of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel , took on
348-828: A "Best Actor" award in an International film festival, the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in Cairo , Egypt in 1960. Many leading South Indian actors have stated that their acting was influenced by Ganesan. In 1997, Ganesan was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award , the highest honour for films in India. He was also the first Indian actor to be made a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres . In addition, he received National Film Award (Special Jury) , four Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards . Ganesan
435-679: A Cornishman, he was probably the first European magician to dress in Chinese costume on stage. Commonly in the music world, especially those of heavy metal , punk rock , industrial , and hip hop , musicians will rename themselves with names more menacing or striking than their birth names. Every member of the punk band Ramones took the pseudonymous "Ramone" surname as part of their collective stage persona. Members of New Zealand art-rock band Split Enz all took their middle names as stage names, so as to keep their private image separate from their public personae. Other performers may assume stage names as
522-553: A Telugu actor, for a Tamil film Niraparathi . The film was well received by the Tamil audience.) Secondly, the 1950s saw the growth of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu, under the leadership of C. N. Annadurai , and M. Karunanidhi . Their transformation of language skills to films through script writing ensured their instant acceptance. Ganesan's entry into films at this stage of popularity
609-934: A child, children would often tease him by calling him " Master Bates "); he adopted the surname "Rhodes" after the keyboard manufacturer of the same name . Diana Dors was born Diana Fluck (one letter away from a profanity ); this prompted her to change her name to a more benign one in order to avoid an accidental obscenity (which could have been exacerbated by her status as a sex symbol ). Some types of music are more associated with stage names than others. For example, hip hop and EDM artists almost always use stage names, whereas "classical" composers and performers rarely do. Classical violinist Amadéus Leopold (born in South Korea as Yoo Hanbin) and opera singers Beverly Sills (born Belle Miriam Silverman), Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell) and Jennifer Toye (born Jennifer Gay Bishop) are exceptions. Some Algerian raï musicians use
696-457: A city with a large Polish-American population, Polish-American media personalities typically work freely using their birth names. Sicilian-American actor Espera Oscar de Corti, who built his film career portraying Native Americans , reinvented himself as Iron Eyes Cody . He not only took his stage name as his legal name but eventually began insisting that he actually was Native American . Actress Bernadette Peters (born Bernadette Lazzara)
783-609: A common stage surname , the most notable arguably being the Ramones . Recent examples include The Donnas , Those Darlins , Los Campesinos! and Ween . Anjali Devi Anjali Devi ( pronunciation ; 24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in Lava Kusa as well as for
870-414: A damsel, an angel, a dancer, a demon, a goddess, a traditional woman and later in mother roles. In 1955 she produced the film Anarkali , in which she herself played the title role , with Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Prince Salim . Then she produced V. Madhusudan Rao's Bhakta Tukaram and Chandipriya . Actress Jayapradha played the lead role in the latter alongside Sobhan Babu and Chiranjeevi . As
957-521: A heroine was Kashtajeevi by L. V. Prasad in 1940, but that film was abandoned after three reels shooting. Later, C.Pullayya discovered her and gave her the opportunity to star as Mohini in Gollabhama (1947). Based on her acting ability and looks, she became a star overnight in 1947. She eventually acted in more than 350 films, majority of them in Telugu films and a few in Hindi , Tamil and Kannada films as
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#17328864018001044-649: A means of distancing themselves from publicly known childhood names that could be considered professionally embarrassing, outlandish, or otherwise inappropriate. Film director Duncan Jones (son of singer David Bowie ) was known publicly as a child as Zowie Bowie. Rappers are known to use stage names, such as Jay-Z (Shawn Carter), 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), Diddy (Sean Combs), Ludacris (Chris Bridges), Lil Wayne (Dwayne Carter Jr.), and Soulja Boy (DeAndre Way). At times, these artists will use their real names to make some of their material seem more authentic or personal. Eminem (Marshall Mathers) took his stage name from
1131-610: A monument. He has donated elephants to many temples like Venkateswara Temple , Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur . Ganesan started his political career as an activist of the Dravidar Kazhagam . Ganesan joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam after it was founded by C. N. Annadurai in 1949. Until 1956, Ganesan was a staunch supporter of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). In the 1950s, however, Sivaji Ganesan
1218-480: A name identical to a name already familiar to the public (in any field of endeavor) may change their name in order to avoid having their name evoke the other person with the same name. Singer Katy Perry , born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, released her self-titled album under the name Katy Hudson, but later used her mother's maiden name to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson . A performer may also have had their stage name chosen for them by their agent – such
1305-436: A new name. SAG-AFTRA allows any new member to keep their legal name as their stage name, even if another member has the same stage name already, as long as they sign a waiver. Notable examples include: Nathan Lane , whose birth name (Joseph Lane) was already in use; Stewart Granger , born James Stewart; and Michael Keaton , born Michael Douglas. Diane Keaton , whose birth name is Diane Hall, took her mother's maiden name as
1392-401: A new surname, he looked across the street and saw a cinema advertising the film The Caine Mutiny . He later joked that he would be called "Michael The One Hundred and One Dalmatians " if he had looked in the other direction. Actor Pete Postlethwaite was advised to change his surname by peers who quipped that it "would never be put up in lights outside theaters because they couldn't afford
1479-460: A number of years appearing in minor roles before renaming himself Lon Chaney Jr . Likewise, Emilio Estevez and his sister Renee chose not to take their father Martin Sheen 's professional name and use their birth names. Their brother Carlos chose to use their father's professional name, and took the name Charlie Sheen . Some children born outside marriage to a (usually male) celebrity parent have done
1566-550: A producer she has produced 27 films. An ardent devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba she produced and acted in Shirdi Sai Parthi Sai Divyakatha, a tele-serial on the life and avatar of Sri Sathya Sai Baba . She married P. Adinarayana Rao , a music director, in 1948. They settled in Chennai . They have two sons. Together, they produced many Telugu films under the banner, Anjali Pictures . Their granddaughter, Saila Rao,
1653-566: A single film and in extension, inspiring subsequent films (at least) in Tamil like "Navarathinam" (the great MGR – starred), "Dasavatharam" (featuring Kamal Haasan), a man with a scared face as in Deiva Magan , a murderer in Pudhiya Paravai , or a traitor as in Andha Naal , the first movie that had no songs at all. On 1 October 2021, Google commemorated Ganesan's 93rd birth anniversary with
1740-830: A spelling error by the British Actors' Equity Association ; he preferred the mistake over his original name. In the past, a stage name was often used when a performer's real name was considered to denote a specific ethnicity that faced potential discrimination. In other cases, actors have reinvented themselves with a more ethnic identity, when that gave them an advantage in playing "ethnic" roles. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith changed his name from Steven Victor Tallarico "for more promotional appeal". Historically, Jews in Hollywood were encouraged to anglicize their names to avoid possible discrimination. Examples of such name changes are Danny Kaye and Mel Brooks , both of whom were born with
1827-611: A stage name after learning that there was already a registered actress named Diane Hall in the Actors' Equity Association . Ugly Betty actress Vanessa Williams officially uses "Vanessa L. Williams" because of SAG guidelines, although the other actress with same first and last name ( Vanessa E. Williams ) is arguably less notable. Similarly, David Walliams changed one letter in his surname owing to there being another "David Williams". Terry O'Quinn of Lost fame changed his surname from Quinn to O'Quinn as another registered actor already had
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#17328864018001914-455: A stage name because their birth name is difficult to pronounce or spell; fell into health and safety issues considerations; is considered unattractive, dull, or unintentionally amusing; or projects an undesired image. Sometimes a performer adopts a name that is unusual or outlandish to attract attention. Some individuals use a stage name because their birth name is already being used by another notable individual, including names that are not exactly
2001-967: A trendsetter of sorts and was a money spinner at the box-office. Post its release, several films based on a similar theme were made, for example, Mullum Malarum . It also won the National Award that year and was remade in several languages. Uthama Puthiran is the first film to feature Ganesan in dual roles and the first Indian film to have the shots with zoom technique. Sivaji Ganesan has acted in many Tamil movies co-starring with many popular and talented Tamil actresses of his time. He gave many commercial success films such as Palum Pazhamum , Irumbu Thirai , Padikkadha Medhai , Paava Mannippu , Padithal Mattum Podhuma , Aalayamani , Iruvar Ullam , Annai Illam , Aandavan Kattalai , Kappalottiya Thamizhan , Mahabharata (1965), Kai Koduttha Dheivam , Puthiya Paravai and his 100th film, Navarathri whereby ganesan acted nine distinct roles in
2088-408: A variety of roles such as freedom fighters, like Tiruppur Kumaran , Bhagat Singh and epic characters like Karna , Bharatha , Narada , Appar , Nayanmars and Alwars . Spanning genres like epics to Crime thrillers; from romantic escapades to comic flicks and action flicks, Ganesan has covered it all. Ganesan played supporting role to Rajendra Kumar in the Hindi film Dharti in 1970, which
2175-575: A village from which their family originates. Without his father's consent, Ganesan decided to join a touring stage drama company at the age of seven. At the age of 10, he moved to Tiruchirappalli and joined a drama troupe in Sangiliyandapuram and began to perform in stage plays. From the drama troupe trainers, he was fortunate enough to learn acting and dancing. He was trained in Bharatanatyam , Kathak and Manipuri dance forms. Ganesan exhibited
2262-402: Is Anna Marie Duke) had her stage name chosen for her by her first managers. Their choice of the name "Patty" was inspired by another child actress named Patty McCormack . Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach) had his name selected for him by Paramount Pictures . He had been using the name "Cary Lockwood", but the studio decided against it, deeming it too similar to another actor working at
2349-531: Is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a nom de plume ( pen name ). In radio, the term "radio name" or "air name" is used. Some performers eventually choose to adopt their stage name as a legal name . Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and may be similar or nearly identical to an individual's birth name or be inspired by nicknames or maiden names . Some people take
2436-452: Is a notable Tamil actor. Ganesan established a film production company in the late 1950s, now called Sivaji Productions , which is now being looked after by his elder son Ramkumar . He has two daughters Shanthi and Thenmozhi. Two of his grandsons namely Vikram Prabhu and Dushyant Ramkumar have also appeared in films, with Ramkumar's son Dushyanth Ramkumar having the stage name of Junior Sivaji. Moreover, Prabhu's son Vikram Prabhu debuted in
2523-573: Is known for his versatility and has acted as a blind man in Palum Pazhamum , a physically handicapped person in Bhaaga Pirivinai , enacting Nine numbers of totally different personas from various social strata and the corresponding body language (gait, voice, facial expression, etc.) in " Navarathiri", thereby becoming probably the first-time in Indian cinema history as an actor reprising Nine roles in
2610-608: Is remembered as an iconic figure of Tamil cinema. Upon his death, The Los Angeles Times described him as "the Marlon Brando of south India's film industry". Ganesan was born on 1 October 1928, as the fourth son of Chinnaiya Manrayar and Rajamani Ammal in Villupuram , India in a Kallar family. Early in his career, Ganesan acted under the name V. C. Ganesan. Media outlets said that the initial 'V' stood for Villupuram, though one of Ganesan's sons stated that it stands for Vettaithidal,
2697-438: The "h" from his original name, Stumph. It was still pronounced "stump", but the change ensured his audience would not think to pronounce it "stumf". Singer Jason Derulo (known for announcing his name in many of the introductions of his songs) uses the phonetic spelling of his given name, Jason Desrouleaux. Australian actress Yvonne Strahovski adopted a phonetic spelling of her surname Strzechowski as her stage name upon moving to
Sivaji Ganesan - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-549: The 1952 Tamil film Parasakthi , which was directed by the Krishnan–Panju duo and co-starred actress Pandari Bai . The film became an instant commercial success, running for over 175 days in several theatres, and ran for over 50 days in all the 62 centres it was released, and at the Sri Lanka–based Mailan Theatre, it ran for nearly 40 weeks. Film distributor P. A. Perumal Mudaliar of National Pictures , with
2871-534: The 1960s and 1970s his films have been well received and he was able to deliver constant hits. Some of his famous hits during this period are Vasantha Maligai , Gauravam , Thanga Pathakkam and Sathyam . Many of his films inspired remakes in Sinhalese . Films such as Pilot Premnath and Mohana Punnagai were shot in Sri Lanka , with Sri Lankan actors such as Malini Fonseka and Geetha Kumarasinghe playing
2958-557: The 1980s, his supporting roles were received positively, as in Thevar Magan , which won him the National Awards Jury's Special Jury award in 1993. Sivaji, incidentally, declined the award. Sivaji Ganesan is considered one of the best Indian actors of all time. He was also acknowledged as a consummate actor and one of the most imitated ones. He was praised for his body language and his resounding voice and dialogue delivery. Ganesan
3045-545: The Best Actor Award at the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in March 1960 at Cairo . Incidentally, Ganesan was also the first Indian actor to get an award for Best Actor abroad. Often considered to be a landmark film in Tamil cinema, Pasamalar is arguably one of the best films of Sivaji Ganesan and Savitri together. Once again directed by A Bhimsingh, the film has a cult following and rightly so. When it released in 1961, it became
3132-717: The English use of the French-language phrase for pen name. Some individuals who are related to a celebrity take a different last name so they are not perceived to have received undue advantage from their family connection . Actor Nicolas Cage , born Nicolas Coppola, chose a new last name to avoid comparisons with his uncle, director Francis Ford Coppola , who gave him his big break in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High . Conversely, individuals who wish to receive benefits from their family connections may take that person's first or last name. Lon Chaney Sr. 's son Creighton spent
3219-466: The SAG, to avoid confusion with James Garner , and retained the name for his writing career. In some cases, attaching a generational suffix is sufficient for guild rules; broadcaster David Lawrence is credited as David H. Lawrence XVII as a result of there being sixteen other David Lawrences in show business at the time he received his SAG card. A person hoping to become successful as an entertainer who has
3306-596: The United States in June 1995, he visited Columbus, Ohio . Participating in the dinner hosted to honour Ganesan, the mayor of the city, Greg Lashutka honoured him by announcing him as an honorary citizen of Columbus. On the same occasion, the mayor of Mount Vernon read out and gave him a special welcome citation. The Columbus Tamil Sangam was formulated on that day and Ganesan was made the honorary president of that association. Although Sivaji appeared less in leading roles after
3393-492: The United States. Andy Warhol dropped an "a" from his original name, Warhola, while couturier Yves Mathieu-Saint-Laurent dropped the first of his two surnames. Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi adopted the stage name Rudolph Valentino in part because American casting directors found his original surname difficult to pronounce. Singer George Michael (the son of a Greek Cypriot restaurateur in North London)
3480-442: The ability to remember lengthy lines easily. The group favoured Ganesan to play the lead and he would continue to do so. His portrayal of Shivaji in the stage play Shivaji Kanda Hindu Rajyam written by C. N. Annadurai earned him the monicker "Sivaji", which was conferred on him at a public function presided over by social reformer Periyar . Since then, he was referred to by the name of "Sivaji". Ganesan made his acting debut in
3567-505: The critically acclaimed Thevar Magan , which won him a Special Mention Award at the 40th National Film Awards . His other films released during this period are Pasumpon , Once More , En Aasai Rasave and Mannavaru Chinnavaru , where he was cast in prominent roles. He acted with Mohanlal in the movie Oru Yathramozhi (1997). He worked in Pooparika Varugirom , which released as his last film before his death, however
Sivaji Ganesan - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-486: The critically acclaimed film Kumki in 2012. Suffering from respiratory problems, Ganesan was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on 1 July 2001. He also had been suffering from a prolonged heart ailment for about 10 years. He died at 7:45 pm (IST) on 21 July 2001 at the age of 72 just three months prior to his 73rd birthday for which he had special plans. A documentary Parasakthi Muthal Padayappa Varai
3741-423: The difference that a well-thought-out name can make to their career. Often a person or group decides on a different name only after they realize that a poorly chosen name gives a bad impression. Actor Michael Caine was born Maurice Micklewhite and chose his new first name because he preferred the sound of it to the less glamorous-sounding "Maurice". He reputedly chose the surname "Caine" because, while deciding on
3828-426: The electricity", but he decided to keep it. In a similar situation, Doris Day (born Doris Kappelhoff) was told by a bandleader that her name would never fit on the marquee, and she thus took the surname "Day" because the song "Day By Day" had become one of her signature tracks. Ching Lau Lauro (1806?–1840) used a Chinese stage name to represent his stage image as a contortionist in Chinese costume. Believed to be
3915-465: The female lead. In 1979, he appeared in the biggest blockbuster of his career, Thirisoolam his 200th film, an adaptation of the Kannada film Shankar Guru in which Rajkumar had played the lead role. Muthal Mariyathai (1985) won him a Filmfare Award under Best Actor – Tamil category. The 1990s was a period in which Ganesan started enacting matured roles. In 1992, he acted with Kamal Haasan in
4002-657: The film. It is arguably one of Sivaji Ganesan's best films in its tribute to the actor. He had comedic roles in several movies, such as Kalyanam Panniyum Brahmachari (1954), Sabaash Meena (1958), Ooty Varai Uravu (1967), and Galatta Kalyanam (1968). His portrayal of Lord Shiva in the movie Thiruvilayadal (1965) won him many accolades. Ganesan could strike a balance between commercial cinema, Mythological cinema and experimental cinema. His epical portrayals in films such as Thiruvilayaadal , Thiruvarutselvar , Saraswati Sabatham , Thirumal Perumai and Thillana Mohanambal won him critical acclaim. He played
4089-524: The former Robert Allen Zimmerman's legal name has been Robert Dylan ( Bob Dylan ) since he changed it in New York City Supreme Court in August 1962. Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight but changed his name by deed poll , making Elton Hercules John his real name. When he was knighted , he became Sir Elton Hercules John rather than Sir Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Similarly, Freddie Mercury
4176-616: The heroine or in character roles. She acted in Lava Kusa , a milestone film and the first color film in the Telugu film industry in 1963. She is well known for playing Sita in Lava Kusa and her performances in films like Suvarna Sundari and Anarkali were also appreciated. Brundavanam (1992), Anna Vadina (1993) and Police Alludu (1994) were the last few films of her career. In Balaiah's Police Alludu and Anna Vadina she appeared alongside Brahmanandam. She acted in various roles, such as
4263-540: The name Jim Gardner because of the thought that there were too many people with Jewish last names on staff. Ramón Estévez changed his name to Martin Sheen as he felt it affected his job prospects owing to racial discrimination and bias, although he maintains his birth name for legal documents such as his passport; his sons made divergent choices: Carlos Irwin Estévez is now Charlie Sheen , while Emilio Estevez left his name unchanged. German-born actor Hans Gudegast adopted
4350-533: The name Terrance Quinn. Long-time Simpsons writer and Futurama executive producer David X. Cohen changed his middle initial from S to X because there was already a David S. Cohen registered with the Writers Guild of America. Julianne Moore was born Julie Anne Smith but found that all variations of that name were already used by other actors. Former American football player Thomas Q. Jones added his middle initial to his name when he began acting, as his name
4437-412: The original AIADMK. Tamil Nadu Congress decided to ally with Jayalalitha's fragment of AIADMK. This move was opposed by Sivaji Ganesan and hence he left the party along with his supporters to form the new party Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani on 10 February 1988. To popularise the party Ganesan produce a movie titled En Thamizh En Makkal (My Tamil language and my people). At the time the party was created it
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#17328864018004524-549: The patronage of A. V. Meiyappan of AVM Productions , bought the film rights of Parasakthi . P.A. Perumal cast Ganesan after being impressed with his performance as Nur Jahan in the Sakthi Nadaga Sabha play of the same name. It was he who, in 1950, gave Ganesan a flight ticket to Madras for the screen test for Parasakthi . Ganesan had simultaneously shot for the Telugu-Tamil bilingual film Paradesi / Poongothai , which
4611-418: The penultimate film he worked in before his death was Padayappa (1999). Chinna Ponnusamy Padayatchi is the teacher of theatrical arts who trained Ganesan in his troupe. During an interview with V.S. Srinivasan, Ganesan said: "Theatre has taught me everything. My teacher ( Chinna Ponnuswamy Padayachi of Chidambaram ) taught me Bharatnatyam , acting , body movements & practically everything. Padayachi,
4698-496: The performer, such as Lady Gaga . At times the line may be blurred between the name of an act and the stage name of the lead. Many performers refer to their stage name as their "professional name". For instance David Jones became David Bowie in order to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees but retained Jones as his legal name. In some cases, performers subsequently adopt their stage name as their legal name. For instance,
4785-507: The popular actors in Tamil cinema in the 1950s. His unique voice had a greater appeal. His style of dialogue delivery with a long spell of dialogues—like a poetry recitation with much clarity—earned him critical recognition. Two factors can be attributed the entry of Ganesan into films: The principal artists in Tamil films during the 1940s and 1950s were Telugus , whose acting was not matched by their dialogue delivery in Tamil. (In fact, Sivaji Ganesan lent his voice to Mukkamala Krishna Murthy,
4872-533: The prefix Cheb (for men) or Chaba (Chebba) for women. Both Arabic words mean "young" (e.g. as in Cheb Khaled , or "Young Khaled"). John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin was born John Richard Baldwin. This is still his legal name. John Paul Jones being his professional name. Some performers take a series of different stage names. The British pop singer who was successful in the 1970s as Alvin Stardust previously went by
4959-823: The pronunciation of his initials (M and M), and later used his real name at various public events and as an alter ego after his real name gained recognition following the release of his multi-platinum album The Marshall Mathers LP . LL Cool J (James Todd Smith) referenced his real name on the albums Mr. Smith and Todd Smith . Queen Latifah (Dana Owens) released The Dana Owens Album after changing her focus from hip-hop to jazz. Xzibit (Alvin Joiner) has also been credited by his real name when acting in several television shows. Some performers and artists may choose to simplify their name to make it easier to spell and pronounce, and easier for others to remember. For instance, Fall Out Boy vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump removed
5046-684: The role of India's cultural ambassador. During his visit there, he was honoured by being made the honorary mayor of Niagara Falls, New York , for one day and was presented the golden key to the city . The only other Indian who has had this honour before Ganesan was Jawaharlal Nehru. Upon returning to India from both Egypt and the US, massive crowds of fans were present at Madras Airport to celebrate his arrival. On 22 March 1976, he travelled to Mauritius on an invitation from Prime Minister Ramagoolam and took part in their independence day celebrations and stayed as their government guest for four days. During his visit to
5133-684: The salary was better. Guilds and associations that represent actors, such as the SAG-AFTRA (formed from a 2012 merger between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ) in the United States and Equity in the United Kingdom , stipulate that no two members may have identical working names. An actor whose name has already been taken must choose
5220-403: The same but still too similar; many guilds and associations that represent actors mandate that no two members may have identical working names. Other performers use a stage name in order to retain anonymity, as is often the case for porn stars , especially if they intend on switching careers. The phrase nom de porn is sometimes used to refer to a pornographic actor's stage name, referring to
5307-436: The same: Jett Williams (née Antha Bell Jett) and Scott Eastwood (né Scott Clinton Reeves) each use their fathers' last names; while others have not: Joseph Baena , son of Arnold Schwarzenegger , chose not to use his father's last name. Women who achieve fame after marriage often use their married name as part of their professional name, while women who achieved fame before marriage may continue to use their maiden name or
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#17328864018005394-411: The stage name Steve Harley after realising that his on stage persona differed greatly from his real-life persona, and as a result feeling that he was no longer "Ronald and Joyce's [Harley's Parents] little boy" when on stage. Comedian Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz adopted the stage name Danny Thomas , largely because he did not want his friends and family to know he had gone back into working clubs where
5481-538: The stage name of Eric Braeden . Actors Anthony Quinn and Anne Bancroft were advised to anglicize their names because 'Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca' and 'Anna Maria Louisa Italiano', respectively, were considered too 'ethnic' for Hollywood and Broadway at the time. Eydie Gorme (born Edith Garmezano), Sophia Loren (born Sofia Villani Scicolone), Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky), and Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino), are four more well-known examples of this trend. Broadcaster Dave Roberts
5568-578: The stage name of Shane Fenton in the 1960s. He had been born Bernard William Jewry . Some performers will use different names in different settings. Charles Thompson, singer-songwriter for the alternative band the Pixies , was known in that band as Black Francis . He was called Frank Black as a solo performer and again called Black Francis in a reunited Pixies. Unlike Hollywood stage names, many musical artists' stage names are obviously not personal names, but they may still end up universally used to refer to
5655-503: The surname Kaminsky, the original two lineups of The Three Stooges (born Moses Horwitz, Jerome Horwitz, Samuel Horwitz and Louis Feinberg) and Woody Allen (born Allen Konigsberg). Jon Stewart claims that he did not anglicize his name for career reasons, but because of his estranged relationship with his father. Israeli-American Natalie Portman , born Natalie Hershlag, changed her name allegedly to protect her privacy. James Goldman, retired television anchorman, has stated that he chose
5742-406: The time. Cary and the studio eventually settled on "Cary Grant" (Grant thought the letters "C" and "G" to be lucky: they had brought previous success for both Clark Gable and Gary Cooper ). Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, had her name changed as a result of a magazine poll organised by her studio, MGM . Gorden Kaye (born Gordon Kaye) had one letter in his first name changed owing to
5829-574: The title roles in movies like Chenchu Lakshmi , Suvarna Sundari and Anarkali . Anjali Devi was born in Peddapuram , East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh , India, as Anjamma. She changed her name to Anjani Kumari when acting in dramas. Later, director C. Pullaiah changed her name to Anjali Devi. She was a theatre artiste before venturing into movies, her debut film role was as Lohitasva in " Raja Harishchandra" in 1936. Her first film as
5916-421: The variety of roles he depicted on screen, which also gave him the Tamil nickname Nadigar Thilagam ( transl. the pride of actors ). In a career that spanned close to five decades, he had acted in 288 films in Tamil , Telugu , Kannada , Malayalam and Hindi . Sivaji Ganesan is the only actor in Tamil cinema to have played the lead role in over 250 films. Ganesan was the first Indian actor to win
6003-489: The wake of the summer of 2020 , to honor her Japanese heritage; she had originally used Bloom, an English equivalent to Sakura (meaning cherry blossom ) out of a fear of typecasting. Another consideration in choosing a stage name is the ease of use. The Actors' Equity Association (AEA) advises performers to select a name that is easy for others to pronounce, spell, and remember. Some performers, while paying great attention to their skills and abilities, give little thought to
6090-686: Was a remake of his 1969 Tamil film Sivandha Mann , in which he played the lead role. In the Hindi version, Ganesan played the role which Muthuraman had played in the original. Several directors such as Krishnan–Panju , T. R. Sundaram , T. R. Ramanna , A. P. Nagarajan , L. V. Prasad , B. R. Panthulu , T. Prakash Rao , D. Yoganand , A. Bhim Singh , K. Shankar , C. V. Sridhar , A. C. Tirulokchandar , P. Madhavan , K. S. Gopalakrishnan , Muktha V.Srinivasan , C. V. Rajendran , and K. Vijayan directed Ganesan in different roles. Jaggayya offered his voice to Sivaji when his movies were dubbed into Telugu. In
6177-416: Was already taken. The rumor that Michael Keaton changed his surname because of an attraction to actress Diane Keaton is incorrect; he chose Keaton because of an affinity for the physical comedy of Buster Keaton . A middle name may be adopted in preference to changing a name. American author James Finn Garner , born James Edward Garner, adopted his mother's maiden name for a middle name after joining
6264-457: Was born David T. Boreanaz but was known professionally as Dave Thomas and later Dave Roberts as ethnic surnames were discouraged when he first began his career during the 1950s; his son, actor David Boreanaz , chose not to adopt a stage name. The use of stage names for ethnic purposes may vary widely depending on the media market the personality is representing. For example, in Buffalo, New York ,
6351-554: Was born Farrokh Bulsara, but legally changed his name concurrently with the formation of Queen . Elvis Costello (born Declan MacManus), who had adopted his professional name as a legal name, changed it back to his birth name in 1986. Another example is Marvin Lee Aday, known by his stage name Meat Loaf . In a similar way, actress and singer Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus but found "Miley" more comfortable, making it her legal name. Entire musical groups have been known to adopt
6438-467: Was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. Some surnames may carry unfortunate connotations. Hal Linden , born Harold Lipshitz, adopted his stage name for fear that the embedded obscenity in his original surname could cost him work. Ralph Lauren 's brother (who was his guardian) changed their family name from Lifshitz for a similar reason: fear of mockery. Duran Duran 's Nick Rhodes , born Nicholas James Bates, changed his name to escape childhood ridicule (as
6525-538: Was considered to be pro- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam . The party opposed the presence of Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka stating that the force was trying to wipe out the LTTE and its leader V. Prabhakaran . The party also urged the Government of India to hold talks with the LTTE without any pre- condition. In the 1989 elections, his party lost all of its seats in favor of V. N. Janaki Ramachandran . Sivaji himself
6612-602: Was criticized for going "against the stated values of rationalism" during a visit to Tirupathi. In 1956 he left the DMK. Due to his popularity, he was requested to be part of the Indian National Congress Tamil Nadu. His respect for Kamaraj made him support Congress. From 1964, Ganesan became a strong supporter of the Indian National Congress . He embraced Congress leader Kamarajar's leadership. He
6699-561: Was defeated by DMK candidate Durai Chandrasekaran in the Tiruvayaru seat by a difference of 10,643 votes. He later joined the Janata Dal under VP Singh and rose through the ranks to become the party's state president, but his political career came to an end in 1993. (1956-1961) Ganesan was the fourth son of his family. He had three brothers and one sister. Ganesan married Kamala on 1 May 1952 and had four children. His younger son Prabhu
6786-488: Was easy and inevitable, and he could establish himself in a better position. Andha Naal (1954) was a trendsetter in Tamil cinema because it had no songs and Ganesan played an anti-hero. The film won the president's silver medal the following year. The same year, he co-starred with his competitor M. G. Ramachandran in Koondukkili , where he played the antagonist. His role in the film Veerapandiya Kattabomman won him
6873-644: Was encouraged as a child actress to use her father's first name, Peter as her last name by her mother to avoid being type-cast in Italian roles. Chloe Bennet had used her birth name, Chloe Wang, for her singing career in China, along with a short-lived TeenNick music series. She started using the surname Bennet, after her father's first name, when she failed to be welcomed by Hollywood agents . In reverse, Nichole Bloom, an actress with mixed Japanese-Irish parentage, changed her stage name to her birth name of Nichole Sakura in
6960-463: Was himself an outstanding stage actor and I learnt in an atmosphere that was reminiscent of an ashram school." Sivaji Ganesan has made many financial contributions during natural disasters and for the educational development. In 1960, K. Kamaraj introduced the Midday Meal Scheme for which Sivaji Ganesan donated one lakh rupees. Sivaji Ganesan presented a 80 gram gold chain to P. Kakkan , who
7047-575: Was living in poverty, and also he donated the entire proceeds from the play 'Thanga Padhakkam' which is held at the Salem Nehru Auditorium. He also donated a large amount of money during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 . Sivaji ganesan bought the place where Veerapandiya Kattabomman was hanged in Kayatharu and placed a statue of Veerapandiya Kattabomman at his expense which is still remain
7134-572: Was made the Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi . Indira Gandhi's death in 1984 also brought Ganesan's political career to an end. After the death of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) founder and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. G. Ramachandran in 1987, AIADMK broke into two, one headed by his wife V. N. Janaki Ramachandran and other by another Tamil movie star J. Jayalalithaa . Election Commission of India refused to accept either of them as
7221-524: Was made to commemorate Sivaji Ganesan's legacy. He was given a State funeral . His funeral the next day was telecast live on Sun TV and was attended by thousands of viewers, politicians and personalities from the South Indian film fraternity. Ramkumar, performed his last rites at the Besant Nagar Crematorium, Chennai. When President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt visited India, Sivaji Ganesan
7308-489: Was retained. Meiyappan was also satisfied with the final results of the film. The initial scenes of Ganesan which he earlier disliked were reshot. Ganesan was paid a monthly salary of ₹ 250 (valued at about US$ 52.5 in 1952) for acting in the film.The script was written by later Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu , M. Karunanidhi . Since actors who are well-trained in classical dance can effectively showcase expressions called Nava Rasa on their faces, Ganesan went on to become one of
7395-419: Was supposed to be his actual film to release first, but released much later after Perumal requested its co-producer Anjali Devi to let Parasakthi release first, and she agreed. Parasakthi did not begin well for Ganesan. When shooting began and 2000 feet of the film was shot, Meiyappan was dissatisfied with Ganesan's "thin" physique, and wanted him replaced with K. R. Ramasamy . Perumal refused, and Ganesan
7482-946: Was the case with Barbara Eden , born Barbara Jean Huffman – or, in the heyday of the Hollywood studios, by a movie studio. Joan Rivers (born Joan Alexandra Molinsky) went one step further and named herself after a former agent, Tony Rivers, after he told her to change her name. In the non-English-speaking world, an example is the Taiwanese Mandopop girl group S.H.E (composed of Selina Jen , Hebe Tian , and Ella Chen ), whose members' English names were chosen by their manager after taking personality tests . Rockabilly musician Glen Glenn (real name Orin Glen Troutman) had an involuntary name change bestowed upon him in 1956; while he originally performed as Glen Trout, he became Glen Glenn. Former child star Patty Duke (whose real name
7569-442: Was the only individual granted permission by the then-Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru , to host a party for Nasser. Nasser was given a number of valuable mementos depicting the civilisation and culture of South India. Sivaji Ganesan was the first artist from India to visit the United States in a cultural exchange programme by the US government. In 1962, Ganesan was invited by the then-US President John F. Kennedy , where he took
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