Why do people use aliases and pen names?

OK, this has been bugging me a little bit lately and the answer may seem a little obvious to some, but why do voice actors use a name other than their real names? I guess this would also go for mangakas who use pen names. Do they use aliases as a privacy thing like we use our usernames or what? As far as VAs go, they often use aliases because the work they are doing is non-union, which would cause a bit of a problem is they were associated officially with a series. That's one of the reasons (if not the main) that ANN respects that, and you will find listings in the encyclopedia where most people know who the VA really is, but it will still be credited to an alias. U.S. voice actors are part of a Union, and I suppose they have to sign contracts under their real names. In order for them to do other voice work outside of the Union, they have to make up aliases or fake names so as to not breach their contracts. Unlike the union issue for many American voice actors, in the case of Japanese seiyuu the major reason for using pseudonyms is roles for 18+ titles (both anime and games). Some voice actresses have up to ten different pseudonyms. Here is a good site telling you who's who (very useful when you hear a familiar voice moaning... Embarassed ). Examples Bob Dylan aka Robert Zimmerman Lana Turner aka Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner