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  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

50 Greatest Actor Names

Features
By Greg Wakeman published 9 October 2012

What's in a name?

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Shannyn Sossamon

Why We Love It: Your ears would struggle to comprehend this barely eligible name inside a library, let alone a nightclub.

You must be careful too, you could easily get caught in a repetitive loop just pronouncing her surname.

Sounds Like: A stutterer’s worst nightmare.

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Jeff Goldblum

Why We Love It: The world’s cool uncle, Goldblum has a name that more than matches his affable personality, magnetic presence and dynamite hair.

He even manages to make Jeff sound cool too.

Sounds Like: A prospector’s dream.

Peter Cushing

Why We Love It: There’s a suave chivalry to the Hammer actor's classically English name that makes you know he’s OK.

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Grand Moff Tarkin did pretty much destroy that image in one fell swoop though.

Sounds Like: A snooker player.

Ving Rhames

Why We Love It: Ving Rhames is the only man that could pull off the name, Ving Rhames.

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His stature, voice and, most importantly, his eyes seem to have been constructed around his birth certificate. Deep down he’s clearly a sweetheart too.

Sounds Like: A badass.

Lee Pace

Why We Love It: Because you have to utter his name quickly just to say it right. Two syllables. Seven letters. Done. Next? What a hero.

Sounds Like: A winger with no end product.

Winona Ryder

Why We Love It : Achingly sweet but also deceivingly rebellious too, Winona Ryder has truly come to embody her stage name.

But what did you expect when it was supposedly Charlie Sheen who gave it to her? The name that is...

Sounds Like: The nickname for a village prostitute.

Adolphe Menjou

Why We Love It: Up until that selfish brat from Austria ruined it for everyone, Adolphe was an acceptable name to have.

You can imagine Menjou sipping a fine wine at his intricately planned dinner party, whilst acting in a pretentious manner that his guests will moan about on their way home. He’d probably use the word divine too. The cretin.

Sounds Like: A European bootlegger.

Orson Welles

Why We Love It: The Citizen Kane director was always going to achieve greatness with such a fantastically bombastic name.

You instantly move up a class just thinking about it.

Sounds Like: A duke.

Carmen Electra

Why We Love It: The Date Movie actress knew exactly what she was doing when she changed her name from Tara Leigh Patrick.

Preposterously sexy yet innately trashy, she’s hardly set the acting world alight with her talents, but that probably wasn’t what we were supposed to be looking for.

Sounds Like: A stripper.

Armie Hammer

Why We Love It: If Steve Rogers ever needs rebranding, he’d do a lot worse than stealing The Social Network star's name.

It’s pretty much the reason why he’s got the aura of an all-American hero. It wouldn’t work if he’d been called Navy Screwdriver.

Sounds Like: A soldier’s tool.

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