The Nicknames of the Stars (1925) 🇺🇸
Few players are so dignified that they have escaped having pet and nicknames fastened upon them by their families and friends, and a number of them are here set forth and explained.
by A. L. Wooldridge and Dorothy Wooldridge
A motion-picture star may wear a halo about her head when she’s working at the studio and crowds may struggle to get a look at her when she makes an appearance in person, but when she gets home and a young brother happens to address her, the halo vanishes.
“Shucks!” he says, just like all kid brothers, “that’s only ‘Sis!’”
Imagine, if you will, the queenly Irene Rich entering the front door and being greeted by a chilly “Good evening, Miss Rich!” as she had heard herself addressed all day Never! When the queen in Rosita walks into the presence of that brother, she is confronted with:
“Hullo, Bean! How goes it?”
And when Mary Astor, she of the auburn hair and smiling face, gets home, Mother Astor says cheerily:
“Well, Rusty, how’d things turn out to-day?”
“Rusty” and “Ginger” and “Peggy” and “Pat” and “Polly” are nicknames affectionately bestowed upon the screen celebrities at their homes or by intimate friends at the studios.
Mary Astor’s mother says she calls Mary “Rusty” because she is not.
Margaret Livingston and Jeanie Macpherson both acquired the nickname “Ginger” because they are so full of life.
Harold Lloyd, to his dad, has always been Speedy because he is just that.
Betty Compson, ever since she was a baby, has been called “Chuckles” by her mother by reason of a low chuckling laugh she developed in her cradle days.
Then there’s Phyllis Daniels; ever hear of her? Phyllis is one of the most widely known motion-picture stars in America and her name appears in electric lights at all the theaters where Paramount pictures are shown. She was christened by that name but her restless energy and talent for “making things pop” brought her very early the nickname “Pep.” Then one day, her grandmother, reading Ouida’s “Two Little Wooden Shoes,” was impressed by the character of a “bebe” appearing in the story. Bebe is Spanish for baby. Thenceforth and thereafter Phyllis and Pep were discarded for Bebe and Bebe Daniels has become known to all the cinema world. It is pronounced in two syllables.
In their homes or at the clubs in the screen colony of Hollywood, here are the appellations often heard:
| Actor/Actress | Nickname | Origins of Nickname | More Info |
| Astor, Mary | “Rusty.” | (She has auburn hair.) | Mary Astor |
| Baby Peggy | “Shrimp.” | (That’s what her daddy calls her.) | Baby Peggy |
| Bedford, Barbara | “Babbs.” | (So many B’s.) | Barbara Bedford |
| Bellamy, Madge | (Margaret became “Madge,” “Midge,” “Peggy,” then Piggy.”) | Madge Bellamy | |
| Bronson, Elizabeth Ada | “Betty.” | (Abbreviation of Elizabeth.) | Betty Bronson |
| Collier, William, Jr. | “Buster.” | (A memory of boyhood days.) | William Collier Jr. |
| Compson, Betty | “Chuckles.” | (Her childhood laugh.) | Betty Compson |
| Daniels, Phyllis | “Bebe.” | (Spanish for “baby.”) | Bebe Daniels |
| Dean, Priscilla | “Pee-dee.” | (So named by the round-the-world fliers.) | Priscilla Dean |
| De la Motte, Marguerite | “Peg.” | (Applied by girl chums.) | Marguerite De La Motte |
| De Mille, Cecil B. | “C.” | (Name used by mother to distinguish him from his brother William [William C. de Mille].) | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Devore, Dorothy | “Puddy.” | (She couldn’t say “Pretty” when a child.) | Dorothy Devore |
| DuPont, Miss | “Pat.” | (Source unknown.) | Miss DuPont |
| Fazenda, Louise | “Mandy” and “Miss Fazoola.” | (Selected by herself.) | Louise Fazenda |
| Frederick, Pauline | “Polly.” | (In common use by Paulines.) | Pauline Frederick |
| Gibson, Edward | “Hoot.” | (He doesn’t know why.) | Hoot Gibson |
| Hamilton, Lloyd | “Ham.” | (It couldn’t be anything else!) | Lloyd Hamilton |
| Hurlock, Madeline | “Mag.” | (Her exotic appearance implies anything but that.) | Madeline Hurlock |
| Jones, Charles | “Buck.” | (His buddies in the army gave it to him.) | Buck Jones |
| Keaton, Joseph | “Buster.” | (Another relic of kid days.) | Buster Keaton |
| Kingston, Natalie | “Nanna.” | (Ben Turpin gave her that name, brief for Nanook, Eskimo character she played in her first comedy.) | Natalie Kingston |
| Langdon, Harry | “Links.” | (A diminutive neighborhood boy couldn’t pronounce “Harry Langdon.”) | Harry Langdon |
| Logan, Jacqueline | “Jackie.” | (For studio use, generally.) | Jacqueline Logan |
| Livingston, Margaret | “Ginger.” | (She has so much of it.) | Margaret Livingston |
| Lorraine, Louise | “Media.” | (Given by her mother. Media is Spanish for middle or half.) | Louise Lorraine |
| La Rocque, Roderick | “Rod” at the studio; “Roddiex” to his mother and sister. | Rod La Rocque | |
| Lloyd, Harold | “Speedy.” | (His father says he is.) | Harold Lloyd |
| Lloyd, Mildred | “Mid.” | (She couldn’t pronounce “Mildred” when a child.) | Mildred Davis |
| Macpherson, Jeanie, scenario writer | “Ginger,” and “Gingy.” | (Her mother is the only one who pulls that on her in company.) | Jeanie Macpherson |
| Marlowe, June | “Kewpie.” | (Sometimes she looks like a Kewpie doll.) | June Marlowe |
| Mix, Tom | (Says his nicknames can’t be printed. Postal laws forbid.) | Tom Mix | |
| Moore, Colleen | “Katie.” | (Her name is really Kathleen.) | Colleen Moore |
| Moreno, Antonio | “Tony.” | (It couldn’t be anything else.) | Antonio Moreno |
| Mosquini, Marie | “Wop.” | (Highbrow for Italian.) | Marie Mosquini |
| Nagel, Conrad | “Connie.” | (No mystery whatever.) | Conrad Nagel |
| Negri, Appollonia | “Pola.” | (The reason is quite obvious.) | Pola Negri |
| Nixon, Marian | “Kid.” | (She was one of last year’s baby stars.) | Marian Nixon |
| Philbin, Mary | “Moggs.” | (Rupert Julian, director, says it’s easier to say.) | Mary Philbin |
| Prevost, Marie | “Bicky.” | (Abbreviation of her middle name, “Bickford.”) | Marie Prevost |
| Rich, Irene | “Bean.” | (Fondly bestowed by her devoted brother.) | Irene Rich |
| Rich, Lillian | “Billy.” | (A relic of her tomboy days in England. Awarded after due consideration by her father, J. C. Rich.) | Lillian Rich |
| Semon, Lawrence | “Larry.” | (Like a million other “Larries.”) | Larry Semon |
| Talmadge, “Mother” | “Peg.” | (All of Norma [Norma Talmadge] and Constance Talmadge’s friends know Mrs. Talmadge as “Peg.” | Margaret Talmadge |
| Turpin, Bernard | “Ben.” | (No one could conceive of his being “Bernard.”) | Ben Turpin |
| Valli, Virginia | “Vee-vee.” | (Union of her initials.) | Virginia Valli |
| Vidor, Florence | “Florrie.” | (Just a few intimate friends use this.) | Florence Vidor |
—
Keeping names all laid out in good order and selecting those which will have good publicity value, often requires considerable attention.
Marilyn Miller tried the name “Ruth” but it conflicted with the name of Patsy Ruth Miller and she discarded it. Then she tried “Diana” but there was not any great harmony in “Diana Miller,” so she dropped it, too. Now she is known on the lot as “The Girl Without a Name.”
Billie Dove was christened “Billie,” and although she has longed for something a little more dignified, Billie still sticks.
“Buck” became such an integral part of the Buck Jones character that he legally and formally adopted it for business purposes.
About the only real sufferer for a nickname is Walter Hiers. In his little home town in Alabama there was a boy fatter than he who cornered the market on such names as “Tubby,” “Fatty,” and the like and all Walt got out of it was just that — Walt Hiers.
Collection: Picture Play Magazine, March 1925