Studios re naming ethnic actors

[pbma]

Mayim Bialik wouldn't have been able to have been "Mayim Bialik" had she started as a child actress in Hollywood during its Golden Age rather than the 1980s. Whatever studio she worked for (Paramount, Fox, RKO or whatever) would have forcibly changed her name to something more "American" and acceptable. Margaret Wilson, perhaps.

[Dave Pitts]

Sometimes the performers renamed themselves. My favorite instance is the sleek Lizabeth Scott (nee Emma Matzo!!!) While Emma Matzo might be the title of a Woody Allen movie from 2002, it just wouldn't fly on 40s marquees. Emma renamed herself after reading a play about Mary Queen of Scots. This removed the possibility of some noir expert describing the key murder scene in Too Late for Tears in these terms: "Husband is gunned down at the lake by a devious Matzo."

[pbma]

Leo DiCaprio was told by his first agent to take the name Lenny Williams so the stigma hasn’t completely died out.

[wich2]

Mildred Plotka.

[Jim Roots]

Mildred Plotka.

She would have been good at devising storylines, I'll bet.

Jim