Top 10 Mononymous Actors
Some celebrities are so famous, all you need to hear is a single name and you know exactly who they are. And some celebrities choose to just go by a single name. In this list, I’m going to countdown 10 actors & actresses who forgo their birth names to go mononymously, or by a single name. There are a lot of mononymous athletes, singers, rappers, and celebrities who have acted (Madonna, Beyonce, Rihanna, Eminem, Ludacris, etc.), but I tried to go mostly with celebs known mostly for their acting careers.
Awkwafina (Nora Lum)- Awkwafina originally rose to fame as a rapper on YouTube, before jumping into acting. Since she made the leap, she has won a Golden Globe for her role in ‘The Farewel’ and has become known for appearing in literally everything. Her live action roles include parts in ‘Ocean’s 8,’ ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ ‘Jumanji: The Next Level,’ ‘Jackpot!,’ & ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,’ with her voice roles including ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2,’ ‘Raya and the Last Dragon,’ ‘The Bad Guys,’ ‘The Little Mermaid,’ ‘Migration,’ ‘Kung Fu Panda 4,’ & ‘IF.’
Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian)- Do you believe in life after love? Sure you do. You may also believe that Cher is more well known for being a singer than an actress, which would be a correct assumption. However, the Goddess of Pop is also an award-winning actress, with 3 Golden Globes and an Oscar to her name. Her well known films include ‘Silkwood,’ ‘Moonstruck,’ & ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.’
Flea (Michael Peter Balzary)- Another musician turned actor, Flea was first known for being the founding bassits of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, he began acting the same year the band formed and has appeared in projects like ‘Suburbia,’ ‘Back to the Future Parts II & III,’ ‘The Big Lebowski,’ ‘Baby Driver,’ ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi,’ & ‘Babylon.’
Ice-T (Tracy Lauren Marrow)- This 90s rapper is perhaps more known nowadays for his role as NYPD detective Odafin Tutuola in ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,’ a role he has played since 2000. That makes him the longest running male series actor in history, so I’d say it’s safe to categorize him as an actor.
Mako (Makoto Iwamatsu)- This Japanese born actor may not be as well-known as other names on this list, but his film career spanned 5 decades. Throughout his career he received nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, & Tony, with the Oscar & Golden Globe nominations coming from his second ever credited role in ‘The Sand Pebbles.’ His more pop culture friendly roles include Akiro the Wizard in ‘Conan the Barbarian’ & ‘Conan the Destroyer,’ as well as voicing the characters Aku & Uncle Iroh in ‘Samurai Jack’ & ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ until his death in 2006.
Mo’Nique (Monique Angela Hicks)- This comedian who rose to stardom for her role as Nikki Parker in ‘The Parkers,’ has won several accolades through her career. She has both an Emmy & Grammy nomination, and has won 1 BAFTA, 1 Oscar, 1 SAG Award, & 1 Golden Globe. All of these awards came for her supporting role in 2009’s ‘Precious.’
Raven (Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman-Maday)- The actress also known as Raven-Symoné is mostly known for her starring role in ‘That’s So Raven,’ but prior to that she played Olivia Kendall on ‘The Cosby Show.’ She has appeared in a slew of films like ‘Dr. Dolittle,’ ‘The Princess Diaries 2,’ & ‘The Cheetah Girls,’ and has done voice work in ‘Kim Possible’ & ‘Tinker Bell.’
Sinbad (David Adkins)- Better known as a stand-up comedian, Sinbad has still made his mark in acting with roles in TV series; ‘A Different World’ & ‘The Sinbad Show.’ He has starred in films such as ‘Coneheads,’ ‘Jingle All the Way,’ & ‘Good Burger,’ and despite popular belief, he never starred in a movie as a genie (many people claim to remember said movie, this is a very famous example of the Mandela effect)
Topol (Chaim Topol)- The Israeli actor known by his last name, Topol, performed in his most well known role over 3,500 times between 1967 & 2009. That role was the lead role of Tevye in ‘The Fiddler of the Roof,’ both the stage musical and the film adaptation. He received a Tony & Oscar nomination for the role, as well as a Golden Globe win.
Zendaya (Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman)- One of the best young actors in Hollywood, Zendaya rose to prominence on the Disney Channel in ‘Shake It Up’ & ‘K.C. Undercover.’ Her other well known TV role is that of Rue Bennett on ‘Euphoria’ for which she twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, making her the youngest recipient of the award. Her films role include MJ in the MCU’s ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy, Anne Wheeler in ‘The Greatest Showman,’ Marie in ‘Malcolm & Marie,’ Tashi Duncan in ‘Challengers,’ & Chani in the ‘Dune’ duology.
