xradman has done a nice job of putting together a plan for dealing with non-Western names. I have pinned that thread. There is no way I could summarize it here, so I thought it best to allow that one to continue.

We can also use this thread to continue the discussions on the credited as field. The program is designed so that the credited as field should always contain the exact name of the actor as they are listed in the credits of the movie/show.

The question remains, what are a good set of rules for the common name or the master name. This name will never be seen when you have a value in the credited as field. It is used as a link between the 2 credits, where the actor had a different name in the credits, but it really is the same person.

Possible Source Suggestions:
1. Use IMDB as the source.
2. Use IMDB as a guide, allowing for debates on these forums on particular actors.
3. Actor's own website
4. Screen Caps/Time Stamps

General Rules (not a source):
1. No accents
2. Double quotes for nicknames in the middle name field
3. no commas after suffixes
4. periods after all suffixes
5. Middle initial should have a period after it.
6. Comma after the surname when there is a suffix


This is what I could gleam from the earlier post. Seems like we have 2 paths, one to define just general rules and one to define a source. I think that is a good idea, to work through both.

Note display above does not indicate an endorsement of any ideas above or a dismissal of another idea. I simply tried to summarize the earlier thread. If I missed an idea of yours, my apologies, and please add it back to the discussion.

Use this thread to voice an opinion on one/any/all of the options above or add another option.

-Gerri