There are two actors using the name "Simon Baker" in our database. One born in 1969 is in the film "The Devil Wears Prada" billed as "Simon Baker". The other born in 1986 is also billed as "Simon Baker" in the film "Shanghai Noon".

We currently have an update to the cast of "The Devil Wears Prada" adding a birth year to that "Simon Baker" being voted down. Without using a "common name" and a "credited as" there is no other way in our current system to tell these two actors apart.

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Quoting pdf256:

Quote:
There are two actors using the name "Simon Baker" in our database. One born in 1969 is in the film "The Devil Wears Prada" billed as "Simon Baker". The other born in 1986 is also billed as "Simon Baker" in the film "Shanghai Noon".

We currently have an update to the cast of "The Devil Wears Prada" adding a birth year to that "Simon Baker" being voted down. Without using a "common name" and a "credited as" there is no other way in our current system to tell these two actors apart.

pdf

IMO this is exactly what the birth year option is there for. I would certainly vote yes to adding it to these actors. I would suggest citing your source for obtaining the year, but you already know that 

I have to agree with Skip.  The 'common' name should cover this.  'Simon Baker' and 'Simon R. Baker' are not the same name.

Goodguy:

If you had bothered to read my first post, I stated that the initial user who was providing documentation on BY also provided documentation on Simon R. Baker.

Thus BY becomes redundant and totally unnecessary.

And I get accused of not reading

Skip

Simon R. Baker (1986) Shanghai Noon has an official website, his given name is Simon Richard Baker.

Skip

Quoting skipnet50:

Quote:
Simon R. Baker (1986) Shanghai Noon has an official website, his given name is Simon Richard Baker.
Skip

In Shanghai  Noon "Simon Baker" is credited. You just call it here Simon R. Baker...

Without rules about when to add a middle name or a shortcut of a middle name we will never end this discussion.

The only rule that is currently out there is that you should use the "birthyear" for this. There is no rule about:
- You should use the most common name out there
- You should use a middle name if the name is not unique
- you should use the initials of the middle name if the name is not unique

Cheers, NEWT0N

No, I haven't changed my position and unless I am dealing with an A-list actor I am not likely to use Common Name, and probably NOT even then, until; we have some form of criteria that can be applied for all. that said in the users Original notes he included documentation relative to Simon R. Baker, not me I didn't look it up at all and I merely noted that Simon R. Baker is NOT the same as Simon Baker, therefore the BY is not necessary. Had he not provided that information I wouldn't have said a word, he shot himself in the foot. 

I would also encourage all users to wait and see what develops in both of these areas since they are both in flux at the moment.

Skip

Quoting northbloke:

Quote:
Hang on a minute Skip, you vote no to a contribution because it uses BY instead of "credited as", and now you're encouraging people to use neither? 
Erik's right, defnitely some mixed signals coming out there!

To be precise, the contribution used BOTH.  The profile change, at least the one I saw, was for 'I, Robot'.  The on screen credit was 'Simon R. Baker'.  The contribution changed the common name to 'Simon Baker', with BY, and used 'Simon R. Baker' as the credited as name.

Seems to me, since there are two 'Simon Baker's', it would have been better to leave the credit as is.