For as long as there has been a Hollywood it’s been common practice for stars to change their names. Back in the golden age studios chose names for stars that they thought would market well, with little to no input from the stars themselves. The fact that name changes happened was fairly public knowledge. These days name changes are still quite common, though not always as well known. Many might not be aware that an actor like Jonah Hill, who is so well known, isn’t actually named Jonah Hill.
His name is actually Jonah Hill Feldstein, so he’s been using his middle name as his professional last name. Very shortly however, Jonah Hill will be the actor’s real name, as The Blast reports he has filed a petition to have his legal name changed to his professional name. The decision is likely one designed to simplify things like signing contracts, since technically Hill should be using his legal name to sign deals as both an actor and producer. It makes a certain amount of sense when actor Jonah Hill signs a contract, he signs it with the name that appears in the credits.
Jonah Hill’s actual last name will live on in Hollywood however, Hill’s sister is Elizabeth Greer Feldstein. She uses her last name, but not her legal first name. She’s known professionally as actress Beanie Feldstein, known for movies like Booksmart and her recent time on Broadway in Funny Girl. Whatever the reason that Hill decided to change his name initially, it seems that his legal last name might not have been a barrier to success.
Many actors and other performers have gone the Jonah Hill route and used their middle name as a professional first or last name, likely because they just thought that would sound or read better. Others have gone with more significant name changes. Kanye West is trying to get his own name changed to Ye, a name he has been going by professionally for some time, though most people are still referring to him as Kanye.
Other stars have been pressured to change their names when they became actors, but have fought the suggestion. Keanu Reeves has said that people thought his name was too unusual or exotic and tried to get him to go with something more traditional. Reeves clearly made the right call sticking with his name as it’s one of the most iconic first names in Hollywood.
A simple name change like this, with Jonah Hill taking his existing middle name as his last name, which he has been doing in public for years, will likely not cause any issues when it comes to the legal change. Once his petition is reviewed it’s certain to be approved and Jonah Hill will truly become Jonah Hill going forward.
