LISA EDELSTEIN - EDELSTEIN REFUSED TO CHANGE HER NAME TO HONOUR HOLOCAUST VICTIMS

HOUSE star LISA EDELSTEIN refused to change her name when she first arrived in Hollywood, because she wanted to pay tribute to family members who had died in the Holocaust. The Jewish New Jersey girl admits she lost out on roles because casting agents feared she'd be "too ethnic", even before they agreed to meet her. But Edelstein never considered adopting a more starry moniker. She says, "Most of my parents' families were killed in the Holocaust, and it would be denying my family line (if I changed my name). It didn't stop me. I have a great career."