This is a question I have been thinking about for a long time, when a person marries an actor who doesnt use thier real name what is the legal name of that other person e.g Is Nicole Kidman known as Nicole Cruise or Nicole Mapowther? (is that spelt correctly)and what do the children use a s their real surname?

Can anyone answer this earth shattering question for me?

when a person marries an actor who doesnt use thier real name what is the legal name of that other person?
what do the children use as their real surname?
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The answer is so simple you will probably laugh. The legal name is whatever the person chooses as their legal name. The children use whatever the parents write on their birth certificate.

I thought that your legal name was the name on your birth certificate.Isn't that the name you would use to get a marriage license or a passport?

An actor could legally change their name so that their stage name would then be their legal name.In that case the name change is done through a court and a new birth certificate is issued with the new name.

If people could just constantly adopt any name they felt like, as their legal name, without a legal name change, there would be no consistency in vital records that establish identity---like birth certificates, social security number, voter registration, etc.

You can call yourself by any name you wish.But that doesn't make it your "legal" name.

So, to answer your question---I think that Nicole Kidman would be Mrs Tom Whatever-his-name-is-on-his-birth-certificate.
Their childrens' birth certificates should really have the parent's legal names on them.

Why would an actor not want to use his real name on official documents?

[This message has been edited by chelseabelle (edited 01-08-2000).]

Well Tom Cruise's birth name was Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ... so I guess that would make Nicole Mrs Mapother.

Blessings

MeKare

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"Four be the things I'd been better without
Love, curiosity, freckles and doubt"

~Dorothy Parker~

Anyone can petition the court to legally change his/her name from the name of his/her birth certificate and then the new name is the legal name of the person. Not all people with stage names legally change their names and not all women that marry change their names. So, without knowing the legal name it is hard to argue the correct names of the children.