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My original name was Juaquin, and my cousin couldn't pronounce my name right. So he'd just b...
WAKA FLOCKA FLAME![]()
'Khalifa' is Arabic, it means successor, leader, shining light. My granddad is Muslim and he...
WIZ KHALIFA A coach I had in Spain, Scott Roth, he used to call me Zinger. He would yell at me all the time, ...
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS G-Rock from the Westside, from Allen Temple. He gave my name, The Future; he was like, 'Man, you...
NAYVADIUS CASH![]()
My name is Jidenna, which means 'to hold or embrace the father' in Igbo. It was my father wh...
JIDENNA Don't compare me to Babe Ruth. God gave me the opportunity and the ability to be here at the rig...
SAMMY SOSA![]()
I guess my name was gonna be Michael Vernon Wells, and I came out, and my dad saw my nose. He always...
VERNON WELLS![]()
I do this a lot with names. I'll start with a name, and then for some reason he won't talk m...
ELMORE LEONARD My father-in-law had an anvil and he gave it to me. I noticed it had a name on it. I thought that wa...
CORKY HELMS I teased Randy Orton because he started using my finish, the Angle Slam. I said, 'Hey, I don'...
KURT ANGLE![]()
I asked him why he gave me a girl's name, ... He told me it was the proper way to spell it. But no o...
JOHN MADDEN![]()
Who are you?'
I didn't understand the question.
I'm Uri', he said. 'What's your name?'
JERRY SPINELLI I met him in October, and he said he would lend his name to our lacrosse classic. This significant m...
AUDREY WALLACE![]()
The Lord gave me 'Sojourner,' because I was to travel up an' down the land, showin' ...
SOJOURNER TRUTH I laugh when Floyd Mayweather says that if he went back in time he would beat us all. I'll tell ...
ROBERTO DURAN![]()
So though there are many things I would have done differently, I submit to God's sovereignty and...
T. D. JAKES I have a coffee mug that my dad gave me years ago that has the San Mateo police logo and my dad'...
MICHAEL TRUCCO![]()
I ain't want my kids to grow up and call me Thug. I don't want anybody to kind of look at me...
YOUNG THUG Gypsy was the name my brother gave a pet turtle he had. I always thought it was so peculiar.
JOEL HODGSON The first time I ever met Stephen King, he came up to me, and we went to shake hands, and he had, li...
ROB REINER My parents wanted to name me Karim Hill. My aunt always liked the name Dule, from this actor Keir Du...
DULE HILL The whole time I was on 'Grey's,' I'm still reconciling myself to my 11-year-old son...
ISAIAH WASHINGTON My name is Lithuanian. My father was born there, and he gave me a cool name. It's the Lithuanian...
RUTA GEDMINTAS![]()
My mother's very proud of the name she gave me. She thought it sounded rhythmically better. It d...
HOLLY MARIE COMBS![]()
I actually ran into Justin Bieber when nobody knew him at the Kids' Choice Awards. He came up to...
TERRY CREWS So my father grew up in an orphanage in Boston. He was then adopted by an elderly childless couple f...
GEORGE J. MITCHELL![]()
My first 'Daily Show' piece was pretending I had this terrible immigrant journey, so I went ...
JOHN OLIVER![]()
I remember my first visit with my guru. He had shown that he read my mind. So I looked at the grass ...
RAM DASS A famous actor told me once - I don't want to name names, I hate that sort of thing - but I was ...
SAM CLAFLIN He always left a nice drink for me. He was just like a father to me, although he never spoke my name...
LEO LATLIP My father made me who I am. He gave me a basketball and told me to play with the ball, sleep with th...
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL Al Jolson was my first husband. He always used to boast that he was spoiling me for any man who migh...
RUBY KEELER I was born 'Harmony,' and it was weird because when I was a little kid, I was picked on so m...
HARMONY KORINE I was bought an electric guitar when I was 12, but my guitar teacher beat me up. I didn't like g...
SIMON COWELL I remember, when I was doing 'Nicholas Nickleby', James Archer came to see me at the interva...
DAMIAN LEWIS![]()
[Morita said in a 1986 interview with The Associated Press he was billed as Noriyuki] Pat ... the on...
JERRY WEINTRAUB People kind of have a misconception, because when someone calls me Theo and I correct them, say, ...
MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER![]()
You've got to get used to it. He said you need a great point guard to be a great team. I just take t...
NATE ROBINSON![]()
My relationship with God has gotten so much stronger. He's always had his hand on me. He always ...
DMX![]()
My father didn't know his real name. My father got his name from his grandfather and he got his ...
MALCOLM X Man I got so many regrets. The biggest is that Eminem gave me so many demos - six different times he...
FAT JOE I don't know how to make Harper and Alloy want me, not just my name.
L. J. SMITH![]()
I really didn't want to rap; I was just a regular kid. My friend - his name is William Aston - w...
LIL UZI VERT My dad said to me, 'Work hard and be patient.' It was the best advice he ever gave me. You h...
SIMON COWELL![]()
I wish my name was Brian because maybe sometimes people would misspell my name and call me Brain. Th...
MITCH HEDBERG Traveling, I've met Ghanaian people who have seen me in minor stuff, but they see the name Ato E...
ATO ESSANDOH I did the voice of Cyclops on 'Shrek the Third'. I don't know how I got that. They said ...
MARK VALLEY![]()
It's really frustrating when you're an identity-theft victim, and you go to the police and y...
FRANK ABAGNALE A friend of mine, that I had known for some time, came up one day with an old guitar. I don't kn...
CHARLIE DANIELS I remember my agent at ICM at the beginning of my career telling me that I wasn't pretty enough,...
WHITNEY CUMMINGS I asked God for a flower he gave me a garden. I asked for a tree he gave me a forest. I asked for a ...
OMAR ASHRAF EZZELDIN 'Miracle at St. Anna.' I was challenged by Spike Lee. When he offered me the film, he looked...
LAZ ALONSO![]()
Yeah, I know I'm ugly... I said to a bartender, 'Make me a zombie.' He said 'God bea...
RODNEY DANGERFIELD I'm a rational person, and I'm not a method actor. You don't need to call me by my chara...
ZANA MARJANOVIC My sister married an American and took his name, and my brother has shortened Sayrafiezadeh to Sayra...
SAID SAYRAFIEZADEH![]()
No, I chose the name Jane Seymour because I was doing my first film, 'Ode to Lovely War,' an...
JANE SEYMOUR![]()
Malcolm X made me very strong at a time I needed to understand what I was angry about. He had peace ...
LENA HORNE He just said he brought up my name because he told them everything he was taking. I'm not mad at him...
MIGUEL TEJADA![]()
My dad grew up wrestling. He knew Ken Shamrock, and I didn't know who he was at the time. So, he...
PAIGE VANZANT Then he took me off Jeannie and he gave me Millie the Model. That was a big break for me. It wasn...
DAN DECARLO I go on stage with what God gave me - and that's a natural high. I don't need nothing to per...
BARBARA LYNN He pulled me close and said, "Katie, don't leave me, you're my breath, I refuse to live without you....
J.A. ANUM Imagine a very long time passing - and I find my way out, following someone who already knows how to...
ELIZABETH KNOX![]()
He gave me an opportunity to swim against the best swimmer of his day in the lane next to me, ... Do...
MARK SPITZ![]()
I can remember that on the shelves at home, there were these books by Thomas Wolfe. 'Look Homewa...
TOM WOLFE I work for one man. His name is Donald Trump. He has told me one thing: 'Secure the border.'
JOHN F. KELLY I told God, 'I don't want a man. I don't want more gold albums. The only thing I want is...
LA INDIA I got fired from a movie that ended up being called 'Windows,' which Gordon Willis, the cine...
SCOTT RUDIN When I was a kid, I looked up to an Olympian superstar. I won't mention his name but when I aske...
RYAN LOCHTE![]()
I don't do the whole, 'Put my name on it, make me famous' thing.
T-PAIN I have to give all praise to the Man above, because I never gave up on Him, and He never gave up on ...
CHAD KELLY I remember once, years ago, I met Sting, and he told me that he had seen 'Spinal Tap' 50 tim...
ROB REINER![]()
My dad used to ignore me when I was a kid. He couldn't stand my voice, so he just used to ignore...
ALISON GOLDFRAPP I just got addicted to getting better. My coach gave me a goal to get a tip dunk in a game - you kno...
STEVEN ADAMS![]()
Acting as a profession came to me by chance: in 1946, after the war, I was having lunch with my cous...
CHRISTOPHER LEE![]()
Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years it's a name that the streets taught...
MOS DEF![]()
Ike's problem was that he was a musician that always wanted to be a star; and was a star, locall...
TINA TURNER When Brandon called me on the phone and said he was going to put his name in the draft -- and he cou...
JOHN BRADY![]()
I had always been fascinated with Napoleon because he was a self-made emperor; Victor Hugo said, ...
AUGUST WILSON![]()
I love women, but I feel like you can't trust some of them. Some of them are liars, you know? Li...
DEMETRI MARTIN Are you taking us to the beach?" - Dan Cahill
JUDE WATSON![]()
When I first discovered the moon, he said, I gave it a different name. But everyone kept calling it ...
BRIAN ANDREAS![]()
You say that your fare told you that he was a detective?"
"Yes, he did."
"When did he say ...
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE I fought a boxer who everybody said I couldn't beat - Sugar Ray Leonard. They said he was faster...
ROBERTO DURAN![]()
And I looked,' Pyrlig said to me, 'and I saw a pale horse, and the rider's name was death.' I just s...
BERNARD CORNWELL When it was over, I was so happy, I felt like crying. I wanted to win this one for Casey. After what...
DON LARSEN I liked the name Frederick Bickel and I wish now I had left it as it was. After all, Theodore Bikel,...
FREDRIC MARCH![]()
When I Asked God for Strength He Gave Me Difficult Situations to Face When I Asked God for Brain & B...
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA When I was 14, my dad came home one day and told us he had cancer. It was looking pretty bad. And I ...
JEFFREY SKOLL![]()
Out started six officers, seized my bridle, put their pistols to my breast, ordered me to dismount, ...
PAUL REVERE![]()
He pointed at me and said, 'that one won't stand up.' The two policemen came near me and only one sp...
ROSA PARKS I think Frank Ocean is a talented artist; I think he's created material that made me know his na...
CURTIS JACKSON![]()
I was never one of those surly teenagers who doesn't smile. My lovely godfather said it was alwa...
OLIVIA COLMAN Me and this other gentleman, I don't know his name, I know he was from Argentina, he picked up the b...
GABRIEL VIVAS I met Ne-Yo in London. I sang for him and he said, 'I want to sign you.' It was amazing - it...
CONOR MAYNARD My first agent told me to change my name or I'd only play Jewish parts or Indians. Of course I r...
MALACHI THRONE![]()
One night at a party, a really drunk guy came up to me and said, 'Whoa you look like Yves Saint ...
PIERRE NINEY![]()
I don't know how I got involved in 'Celebrity Wife Swap.' It came from my agent Hugh. He...
GARY BUSEY![]()
When I first met Alan Parker, who directed 'Angel Heart,' he'd heard so many horror stor...
MICKEY ROURKE I was with [Littleton] everyday, and when he got shot, it hurt me real bad. I just like having his n...
JAMES HINES
WAKA FLOCKA FLAME
'Khalifa' is Arabic, it means successor, leader, shining light. My granddad is Muslim and he... WIZ KHALIFA A coach I had in Spain, Scott Roth, he used to call me Zinger. He would yell at me all the time, ...
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS G-Rock from the Westside, from Allen Temple. He gave my name, The Future; he was like, 'Man, you...
NAYVADIUS CASH
My name is Jidenna, which means 'to hold or embrace the father' in Igbo. It was my father wh... JIDENNA Don't compare me to Babe Ruth. God gave me the opportunity and the ability to be here at the rig...
SAMMY SOSA
I guess my name was gonna be Michael Vernon Wells, and I came out, and my dad saw my nose. He always... VERNON WELLS
I do this a lot with names. I'll start with a name, and then for some reason he won't talk m... ELMORE LEONARD My father-in-law had an anvil and he gave it to me. I noticed it had a name on it. I thought that wa...
CORKY HELMS I teased Randy Orton because he started using my finish, the Angle Slam. I said, 'Hey, I don'...
KURT ANGLE
I asked him why he gave me a girl's name, ... He told me it was the proper way to spell it. But no o... JOHN MADDEN
Who are you?'I didn't understand the question.
I'm Uri', he said. 'What's your name?'
JERRY SPINELLI I met him in October, and he said he would lend his name to our lacrosse classic. This significant m...
AUDREY WALLACE
The Lord gave me 'Sojourner,' because I was to travel up an' down the land, showin' ... SOJOURNER TRUTH I laugh when Floyd Mayweather says that if he went back in time he would beat us all. I'll tell ...
ROBERTO DURAN
So though there are many things I would have done differently, I submit to God's sovereignty and... T. D. JAKES I have a coffee mug that my dad gave me years ago that has the San Mateo police logo and my dad'...
MICHAEL TRUCCO
I ain't want my kids to grow up and call me Thug. I don't want anybody to kind of look at me... YOUNG THUG Gypsy was the name my brother gave a pet turtle he had. I always thought it was so peculiar.
JOEL HODGSON The first time I ever met Stephen King, he came up to me, and we went to shake hands, and he had, li...
ROB REINER My parents wanted to name me Karim Hill. My aunt always liked the name Dule, from this actor Keir Du...
DULE HILL The whole time I was on 'Grey's,' I'm still reconciling myself to my 11-year-old son...
ISAIAH WASHINGTON My name is Lithuanian. My father was born there, and he gave me a cool name. It's the Lithuanian...
RUTA GEDMINTAS
My mother's very proud of the name she gave me. She thought it sounded rhythmically better. It d... HOLLY MARIE COMBS
I actually ran into Justin Bieber when nobody knew him at the Kids' Choice Awards. He came up to... TERRY CREWS So my father grew up in an orphanage in Boston. He was then adopted by an elderly childless couple f...
GEORGE J. MITCHELL
My first 'Daily Show' piece was pretending I had this terrible immigrant journey, so I went ... JOHN OLIVER
I remember my first visit with my guru. He had shown that he read my mind. So I looked at the grass ... RAM DASS A famous actor told me once - I don't want to name names, I hate that sort of thing - but I was ...
SAM CLAFLIN He always left a nice drink for me. He was just like a father to me, although he never spoke my name...
LEO LATLIP My father made me who I am. He gave me a basketball and told me to play with the ball, sleep with th...
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL Al Jolson was my first husband. He always used to boast that he was spoiling me for any man who migh...
RUBY KEELER I was born 'Harmony,' and it was weird because when I was a little kid, I was picked on so m...
HARMONY KORINE I was bought an electric guitar when I was 12, but my guitar teacher beat me up. I didn't like g...
SIMON COWELL I remember, when I was doing 'Nicholas Nickleby', James Archer came to see me at the interva...
DAMIAN LEWIS
[Morita said in a 1986 interview with The Associated Press he was billed as Noriyuki] Pat ... the on... JERRY WEINTRAUB People kind of have a misconception, because when someone calls me Theo and I correct them, say, ...
MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER
You've got to get used to it. He said you need a great point guard to be a great team. I just take t... NATE ROBINSON
My relationship with God has gotten so much stronger. He's always had his hand on me. He always ... DMX
My father didn't know his real name. My father got his name from his grandfather and he got his ... MALCOLM X Man I got so many regrets. The biggest is that Eminem gave me so many demos - six different times he...
FAT JOE I don't know how to make Harper and Alloy want me, not just my name.
L. J. SMITH
I really didn't want to rap; I was just a regular kid. My friend - his name is William Aston - w... LIL UZI VERT My dad said to me, 'Work hard and be patient.' It was the best advice he ever gave me. You h...
SIMON COWELL
I wish my name was Brian because maybe sometimes people would misspell my name and call me Brain. Th... MITCH HEDBERG Traveling, I've met Ghanaian people who have seen me in minor stuff, but they see the name Ato E...
ATO ESSANDOH I did the voice of Cyclops on 'Shrek the Third'. I don't know how I got that. They said ...
MARK VALLEY
It's really frustrating when you're an identity-theft victim, and you go to the police and y... FRANK ABAGNALE A friend of mine, that I had known for some time, came up one day with an old guitar. I don't kn...
CHARLIE DANIELS I remember my agent at ICM at the beginning of my career telling me that I wasn't pretty enough,...
WHITNEY CUMMINGS I asked God for a flower he gave me a garden. I asked for a tree he gave me a forest. I asked for a ...
OMAR ASHRAF EZZELDIN 'Miracle at St. Anna.' I was challenged by Spike Lee. When he offered me the film, he looked...
LAZ ALONSO
Yeah, I know I'm ugly... I said to a bartender, 'Make me a zombie.' He said 'God bea... RODNEY DANGERFIELD I'm a rational person, and I'm not a method actor. You don't need to call me by my chara...
ZANA MARJANOVIC My sister married an American and took his name, and my brother has shortened Sayrafiezadeh to Sayra...
SAID SAYRAFIEZADEH
No, I chose the name Jane Seymour because I was doing my first film, 'Ode to Lovely War,' an... JANE SEYMOUR
Malcolm X made me very strong at a time I needed to understand what I was angry about. He had peace ... LENA HORNE He just said he brought up my name because he told them everything he was taking. I'm not mad at him...
MIGUEL TEJADA
My dad grew up wrestling. He knew Ken Shamrock, and I didn't know who he was at the time. So, he... PAIGE VANZANT Then he took me off Jeannie and he gave me Millie the Model. That was a big break for me. It wasn...
DAN DECARLO I go on stage with what God gave me - and that's a natural high. I don't need nothing to per...
BARBARA LYNN He pulled me close and said, "Katie, don't leave me, you're my breath, I refuse to live without you....
J.A. ANUM Imagine a very long time passing - and I find my way out, following someone who already knows how to...
ELIZABETH KNOX
He gave me an opportunity to swim against the best swimmer of his day in the lane next to me, ... Do... MARK SPITZ
I can remember that on the shelves at home, there were these books by Thomas Wolfe. 'Look Homewa... TOM WOLFE I work for one man. His name is Donald Trump. He has told me one thing: 'Secure the border.'
JOHN F. KELLY I told God, 'I don't want a man. I don't want more gold albums. The only thing I want is...
LA INDIA I got fired from a movie that ended up being called 'Windows,' which Gordon Willis, the cine...
SCOTT RUDIN When I was a kid, I looked up to an Olympian superstar. I won't mention his name but when I aske...
RYAN LOCHTE
I don't do the whole, 'Put my name on it, make me famous' thing. T-PAIN I have to give all praise to the Man above, because I never gave up on Him, and He never gave up on ...
CHAD KELLY I remember once, years ago, I met Sting, and he told me that he had seen 'Spinal Tap' 50 tim...
ROB REINER
My dad used to ignore me when I was a kid. He couldn't stand my voice, so he just used to ignore... ALISON GOLDFRAPP I just got addicted to getting better. My coach gave me a goal to get a tip dunk in a game - you kno...
STEVEN ADAMS
Acting as a profession came to me by chance: in 1946, after the war, I was having lunch with my cous... CHRISTOPHER LEE
Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years it's a name that the streets taught... MOS DEF
Ike's problem was that he was a musician that always wanted to be a star; and was a star, locall... TINA TURNER When Brandon called me on the phone and said he was going to put his name in the draft -- and he cou...
JOHN BRADY
I had always been fascinated with Napoleon because he was a self-made emperor; Victor Hugo said, ... AUGUST WILSON
I love women, but I feel like you can't trust some of them. Some of them are liars, you know? Li... DEMETRI MARTIN Are you taking us to the beach?" - Dan Cahill
JUDE WATSON
When I first discovered the moon, he said, I gave it a different name. But everyone kept calling it ... BRIAN ANDREAS
You say that your fare told you that he was a detective?""Yes, he did."
"When did he say ...
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE I fought a boxer who everybody said I couldn't beat - Sugar Ray Leonard. They said he was faster...
ROBERTO DURAN
And I looked,' Pyrlig said to me, 'and I saw a pale horse, and the rider's name was death.' I just s... BERNARD CORNWELL When it was over, I was so happy, I felt like crying. I wanted to win this one for Casey. After what...
DON LARSEN I liked the name Frederick Bickel and I wish now I had left it as it was. After all, Theodore Bikel,...
FREDRIC MARCH
When I Asked God for Strength He Gave Me Difficult Situations to Face When I Asked God for Brain & B... SWAMI VIVEKANANDA When I was 14, my dad came home one day and told us he had cancer. It was looking pretty bad. And I ...
JEFFREY SKOLL
Out started six officers, seized my bridle, put their pistols to my breast, ordered me to dismount, ... PAUL REVERE
He pointed at me and said, 'that one won't stand up.' The two policemen came near me and only one sp... ROSA PARKS I think Frank Ocean is a talented artist; I think he's created material that made me know his na...
CURTIS JACKSON
I was never one of those surly teenagers who doesn't smile. My lovely godfather said it was alwa... OLIVIA COLMAN Me and this other gentleman, I don't know his name, I know he was from Argentina, he picked up the b...
GABRIEL VIVAS I met Ne-Yo in London. I sang for him and he said, 'I want to sign you.' It was amazing - it...
CONOR MAYNARD My first agent told me to change my name or I'd only play Jewish parts or Indians. Of course I r...
MALACHI THRONE
One night at a party, a really drunk guy came up to me and said, 'Whoa you look like Yves Saint ... PIERRE NINEY
I don't know how I got involved in 'Celebrity Wife Swap.' It came from my agent Hugh. He... GARY BUSEY
When I first met Alan Parker, who directed 'Angel Heart,' he'd heard so many horror stor... MICKEY ROURKE I was with [Littleton] everyday, and when he got shot, it hurt me real bad. I just like having his n...
JAMES HINES
The further jazz moves away from the stark blue continuum and the collective realities of Afro-Ameri... 