Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton banned from using real name – as it's the exact same as Hollywood legend

ok.co.uk:

Michael Keaton, the actor celebrated for his roles in Beetlejuice and Batman, has shared that he couldn't use his real name professionally due to it already being taken by another star.The Screen Actors Guild, which prevents actors from using the same professional names, requested Michael adopt a new one since his birth name, Michael John Douglas, was a no-go with the presence of Michael Douglas, famed for Basic Instinct, in their ranks.

It has been reported that Michael Keaton chose his acting name on a whim, maybe even from a phone directory. Speaking to People magazine, Michael disclosed: "I was looking through - I can't remember if it was a phone book - I must've gone, 'I don't know, let me think of something here.' And I went, 'Oh, that sounds reasonable.'" Despite a stellar career spanning over 50 years, Michael now wishes to merge his stage name with his birth name.

Although he planned to be credited as Michael Keaton Douglas in his latest directorial endeavour, Knox Goes Away, the pressures of directing made him inadvertently omit the change.

Michael reflected on the oversight: "I said, 'Hey, just as a warning, my credit is going to be Michael Keaton Douglas.' And it totally got away from me.