People only just learning Winona Ryder isn't actress' real name – she changed it on whim

She became a household name after starring in Beetlejuice – but many people are only just learning has been using a stage name for all these years.

Winona Ryder, from Winona County, Minnesota, started her acting career in 1985 when she sent a videotape audition to appear in the film Desert Bloom.

Despite missing out on the role, director David Seltzer cast her in the high school drama Lucas, which starred Corey Haim, , and Kerri Green.

From there, she caught the eye of director Tim Burton, who went on to cast her as a goth teenager in Beetlejuice, starring alongside Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, and Michael Keaton.

But it was when filming Lucas that Winona came up with a new persona on a whim - not knowing the impact it would have on her career. Rather than use her real name Winona Laura Horowitz, she decided to be known professionally as Winona Ryder, prompting a confused Quora user to ask: "Why doesn't Winona Ryder use her real last name?"

According to : "The actress changed her last name from Horowitz when asked how she would like to have her name appear on the credits of her first role. She suggested Ryder as Mitch Ryder's album was playing in the background."

However, Charlie Sheen claims he was the one who pointed her in the direction of this time, recalling a similar story. A statement on reads: "Charlie Sheen has claimed that he came up with Winona Ryder's stage name.

"The 46-year-old actor told the YES Network show CenterStage that before Ryder landed her first major role, he came up with the name. "We were listening to The Doors, to 'Riders on the Storm'," he explained. "[Winona's] real name is Horowitz, and I said, 'You know, I'm thinking Winona Ryder sounds cool', and she was like, 'Yeah!'"

However, Sheen added that Ryder has refused to acknowledge his contribution. "[She] never, never gave me credit to this day!" he joked.

Commenting on her stage name, one Quora user said: "All of Winona’s names sound great to me." Another user added: "Some real names are too long. Some real names don't sound well when used. An alternative is to use short names instead. Many actors prefer to use their real names and have become very popular."