10 Celebrities Forced to Hide Their True Identity

Welcome to MsMojo, and today were looking at instances when famous people were encouraged, pressured, or downright coerced into hiding who they were to keep working.

Ben Kingsley

The famed British actor realized early in his career that he would have to disguise his heritage. Born Krishna Bhanji, a name which honored his fathers heritage, his career gained momentum almost as soon as he changed his last name. Suddenly, roles and opportunities that were closed to him before had opened. He became one of the most distinguished and varied actors of the last 60 years. Speaking on his decision in 2016, the actor sees the irony in it. After all, he won his Oscar for playing Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most important figures in Indias history.

Rita Hayworth

Marketed as the Love Goddess, she became known for her trademark looks. But her final look, as was the case for most stars under the studio system, was manufactured by her employers. At her first studio, Rita Hayworth was named Rita Cansino, a stage name in itself, with the name Cansino intended to highlight her half-Spanish heritage. In fact, they had her portraying various races and ethnicities as needed. It was only after she went to Columbia Pictures that she was transformed into Rita Hayworth. Her latin heritage was all but hidden through cosmetic procedures, including electrolysis to alter her hairline. She became a star very quickly from there.

Wayne Brady

A consummate showman, the Whose Line Is It Anyway? cast member, Masked Singer winner, and host of Lets Make a Deal is just plain likable. His entire career is a testament to how joy and charisma is an unbeatable combination. So when he made the brave decision to come out as pansexual at the age of 51, it was hard to square how a person who brought others so much laughter could be ashamed of who he is. But it was shame, Brady said, that made him feel like he couldnt come out. The message here is that its never too late to be true to who you are.

Martin Sheen

Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez noticed a consistent trend in his life. Whenever hed make an appointment and give his name, he would always be treated much better once he showed up. Martin Sheens complexion didnt betray his Spanish heritage the way his birth name did. He figured he would change his name only long enough to get a foothold in the industry, but Martin Sheen became a star. Years later, he shared his regrets about giving up his fathers name. Despite professional pressure, his son, Emilio, took his advice not to make the same choice he did.

Barry Manilow

Since his breakout as a solo act in the 1970s, the singer-songwriter has been churning out soft rock classics. For most of that time, Barry Manilow was hiding his sexuality. Like Liberace before him, he was afraid that his loyal, largely-female following would abandon him if they knew he was gay. But even as time passed, laws relaxed, and cultural sentiment changed toward LGBTQIA+ people, Manilow still feared what coming out would do to his career. He came out in 2017, announcing also that he had married his manager, Garry Kief, in 2014 after 36 years together. Manilow said he was surprised and touched at how supportive his fan base turned out to be.

Kristen Stewart

Twilight is one of the biggest media franchises ever. Its stars, and their public image, were a hot commodity. But Kristen Stewarts relationships were constantly in the news, and there was reportedly pressure on her to keep her sexual orientation a secret. Told this would affect her bankability as a star, she wasnt especially open about her private life, even if her relationships with women were known. She later admitted that she was told to avoid holding her girlfriends hand for fear it would sink her chances of getting big roles, such as a Marvel superhero. She wasnt open about her queerness until 2019, introducing the world to her future spouse, screenwriter Dylan Meyer.

Ricky Martin

He was one of the foremost heartthrobs of the 90s, 2000s, and actually, he never stopped being a heartthrob. Ricky Martins public persona had a lot to do with his sexual charisma. Speculation about his sexual orientation existed as early as the year 2000, but Martin didnt even dignify this with a definite answer. For years, he listened to people who advised against his coming out. Believing it would end his career and destroy everything he had built, he didnt disclose his identity until 2010. It was only after becoming a parent and doing the introspective work of writing his memoirs that he felt ready to be open.

Elliot Page

Before coming out as trans and nonbinary, the actor came out as gay in 2014. Both pronouncements seemed to come from a place of not wanting to lie by omission. When he was 18, infamous director Brett Ratner outed Elliot Page on set. Not only did it threaten Pages livelihood in a Hollywood that was still suspicious, if not hostile, toward LGBTQIA+ talent, but it drove him further into shame about his sexuality and gender. Vehement anti-trans rhetoric drove Page to come out as transgender in 2020. He has since become an outspoken advocate, and the creators behind The Umbrella Academy even rewrote his character to reflect his transition.

Merle Oberon

In Old Hollywood, the stories of stars early lives were tweaked and even completely hidden if they didnt serve the studios vision for them. But Merle Oberon crafted an entire backstory for herself that was more fiction than fact. Afraid that her mixed race ancestry would work against her in the 1930s movie business, she practically rewrote her own life story by herself. She listed her birthplace as Tasmania, Australia rather than her actual one, modern-day Mumbai, India. This was only found out in her retirement, when the town wanted to honor her. The extent of her fictional early life was only uncovered after Oberons death, and remains an extreme version of what a celebrity would do to attain a career.

Rock Hudson

For many years, this leading mans sexual orientation was a known secret among his nearest and dearest. Publicly, though, Rock Hudson was secretive about being gay to protect his image. Working in the 1950s, he and his agent had to do a lot of damage control to keep him from being found out. He even entered a short-lived lavender marriage with his agents secretary. It was only after his death that people felt free to speak about the part of himself he tried so desperately to hide. His 1985 disclosure that he had HIV/AIDS was one of his last acts as a public figure. It inspired public conversation that was sorely needed about the deadly pandemic. He passed away months later.

How many of these stories did you know about? Tell us in the comments.