Actors in period costume sharing a joke while waiting between takes during location filming

An actor is a person who acts, or plays a role, in a dramatic production. The term commonly refers to someone working in movies, television, live theatre, or radio, and can occasionally denote a street entertainer. Besides playing dramatic roles, actors may also sing or dance or work only on radio or as a voice artist. A female actor can be known either as an actor or actress, depending on the person's preference, though some use the term "actor" for either sex. Download high resolution version (480x640, 105 KB)Actors in period costume, resting between takes whilst on location filming in London. ... Download high resolution version (480x640, 105 KB)Actors in period costume, resting between takes whilst on location filming in London. ... Acting is the work of an actor, a person in theatre, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed... A voice actor (or voice artist) is a person who provides voices for computer and video games, puppet shows, amusement rides, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, stop motion, and animation works (including cartoons, animated feature films, animated shorts), and radio and television commercials. ... The mirror of the Roman Goddess Venus is often used to represent the female sex. ...

An actor usually plays a fictional character. In the case of a true story (or a fictional story that portrays real people) an actor may play a real person (or a fictional version of the same). Occasionally, actors appear as themselves, as in John Malkovich's performance in the film Being John Malkovich. A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Being John Malkovich is a 1999 film written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze. ...

Etymology

"Actor" is directly from the masculine Latin noun actor (feminine, actrix) from the verb agere "to do, to drive, to pass time" + the suffix -or "so./st. who performs the action indicated by the stem". Alternatively from Greek ἂκτωρ (aktor), leader, from the verb ἂγω (agō), to lead or carry, to convey, to bring. [1] Latin is an ancient Indo-European language. ... This list of Latin verbs includes all four principal parts (three in the case of deponent verbs, semi-deponent verbs, and certain passives) of the verbs in this order (all are 1st person, singular, active, indicative): 1- present 2- infinitive 3- past perfect 4- passive perfect participle. ... A verb is a part of speech that usually denotes action (bring, read), occurrence (decompose, glitter), or a state of being (exist, stand). Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its tense, aspect, mood and voice. ...

History

The first recorded case of an actor performing took place in 534 BC (probably on 23 November, though the changes in calendar over the years make it hard to determine exactly) when the Greek performer Thespis stepped on to the stage at the Theatre Dionysus and became the first known person to speak words as a character in a play. Prior to Thespis' act, stories were told in song and dance and in third person narrative, but no one had assumed the role of a character in a story. In honour of Thespis, actors are commonly called Thespians. Theatrical legends to this day maintains that Thespis exists as a mischievous spirit, and disasters in the theatre are sometimes blamed on his ghostly intervention. Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC Events and trends 539 BC - Babylon is conquered by Cyrus the Great, defeating Nabonidus. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... Thespis of Icaria (6th century BCE) is claimed to be the first person ever to appear on stage as an actor in a play although the reality is undoubtedly more complex. ... A song is a relatively short musical composition for the human voice (possibly accompanied by other musical instruments), which features words (lyrics). ... Storytelling is the art of portraying in words, images, and sounds what has happened in real or imagined events. ...

Actors were traditionally not people of high status, and in the Early Middle Ages travelling acting troupes were often viewed with distrust. However, this negative perception has largely been reversed in the 20th century as acting has become an honored and popular profession and art. Part of the cause is the easier popular access to dramatic film entertainment and the resulting rise of the movie star - as regards both their social status and the salaries they command. The combination of public presence and wealth has profoundly rehabilitated their image. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... A movie star is a celebrity who is well known for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. ...

In the past, only men could become actors in some societies. In the ancient and medieval world, it was considered disgraceful for a woman to go on the stage, and this belief continued right up until the 17th century, when in Venice it was broken. In the time of William Shakespeare, women's roles were played by men or boys, though there is some evidence to suggest that women disguised as men also (illegally) performed. The British prohibition was ended in the reign of Charles II who enjoyed watching female actors on stage. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Country Italy Region Veneto Province Venice (VE) Mayor Massimo Cacciari (since April 18, 2004) Elevation m Area 412 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 271,251  - Density 646/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Veneziani Dialing code 041 Postal code 30100 Frazioni Chirignago, Favaro Veneto, Mestre... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ...

Theories

Many acting theories and innovations came about, just as in any other form of art. Stanislavsky and the Moscow Theater were among the first founders of what is now considered Method Acting. Meyerhold and his theory on biomechanics and physicality was a revolutionary idea back in early 20th century Russian theater. Since then, Americanized forms of these theories brought about by Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and other variations brought about by Sanford Meisner and Viola Spolin can be seen. Konstantin (Constantin) Stanislavski (Константи́н Серге́евич Станисла́вский / Алексе́ев) (January 5, 1863 - August 7, 1938) was a Russian theatre and acting innovator. ... Method acting is an acting technique in which actors try to replicate in real life the emotional conditions under which the character operates, in an effort to create a life-like, realistic performance. ... Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold (born Karl Kazimir Theodor Meyerhold) (1874 - 1940) was a Russian theatrical director, actor and theorist. ... Lee Strasberg (November 17, 1901–February 17, 1982) was an American director, actor, producer, and acting teacher. ... Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was a Jewish-American actress, and for decades was regarded as Americas foremost acting teacher. ... Sanford Meisner (born August 31, 1905 in New York City, died February 2, 1997 in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California) was an actor and a teacher of acting. ... Viola Spolin Introduction Viola Spolin, who died in 1994, can probably be considered as the American Grandmother of Improv. ...

Techniques of acting

Actors employ a variety of techniques that are learned through training and experience. Some of these are:

1. The rigorous use of the voice to communicate a character's lines and express emotion. This is achieved through attention to diction and projection through correct breathing and articulation. It is also achieved through the tone and emphasis that an actor puts on words
2. Physicalisation of a role in order to create a believable character for the audience and to use the acting space appropriately and correctly
3. Use of gesture to complement the voice, interact with other actors and to bring emphasis to the words in a play, as well as having symbolic meaning

Shakespeare is believed to have been commenting on the acting style and techniques of his era when Hamlet gives his advice to the players in the play-within-the-play. He encourages the actors to “speak the speech...as I pronounced it to you,” and avoid “saw[ing] the air too much with your hand” , because even in a ” whirlwind of passion, you must...give it smoothness.” On the other hand, Hamlet urges the players to “Be not too tame neither.” He suggests that they make sure to “suit the action to the word, the word to the action”, taking care to “o'erstep not the modesty of nature.” As well, he told the players to not “...let those that play your clowns...laugh, to set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too,” which Hamlet considered to be a “villainous” and “pitiful” tactic. William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... A detail of the engraving of Daniel Maclises 1842 painting The Play-scene in Hamlet, portraying the moment when the guilt of Claudius is revealed. ...

Actors playing the opposite sex

Women sometimes play the roles of prepubescent boys, because in some regards a woman has a closer resemblance to a boy than does a man. The role of Peter Pan, for example, is traditionally played by a woman. The tradition of the principal boy in pantomime may be compared. An adult playing a child occurs more in theater than in film. The exception to this is voice actors in animated films, where boys are generally voiced by women, as heard in The Simpsons. Opera has several 'pants roles' traditionally sung by women, usually mezzo-sopranos. Examples are Hansel in Hänsel und Gretel, and Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro. A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... Peter Pan is a fictional character created by British novelist and playwright, James Matthew Barrie (1860–1937), as well as the title of a stage play and novel based on the character. ... In pantomime, the principal boy role is the young male protagonist of the play, traditionally played by a young actress in boys clothes. ... It has been suggested that The British Pantomime be merged into this article or section. ... Animation refers to the process in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result. ... The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox network. ... Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognisable opera houses and landmarks. ... A breeches role (also pants role or trouser role) is a role in which an actress appears in male clothes (breeches being tight-fitting knee-length pants, the standard male garment at the time breeches roles were introduced). ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... Hänsel und Gretel is an opera by Engelbert Humperdinck (Humperdinck himself described it as a fairy opera. ... Le nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (Trans: ), K. 492, is an opera buffa (comic opera) composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, Le mariage de Figaro (1784). ... Le nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (Trans: ), K. 492, is an opera buffa (comic opera) composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, Le mariage de Figaro (1784). ...

Mary Pickford played the part of Little Lord Fauntleroy in the first film version of the book. Linda Hunt won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in The Year of Living Dangerously, in which she played the part of a man. Mary Pickford. ... Little Lord Fauntleroy is a sentimental childrens novel by American (English-born) author Frances Hodgson Burnett, serialized in St. ... Linda Hunt (born April 2, 1945 in Morristown, New Jersey, USA) is an American actress. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Year of Living Dangerously is a 1982 film directed by Peter Weir and written by Christopher Koch (from his novel of the same name), Weir, and David Williamson. ...

Having an actor play the opposite sex for comic effect is also a long standing tradition in comic theatre and film. Most of Shakespeare's comedies include instances of cross dressing, such as Francis Flute in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and both Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams appeared in hit comedy films where they were required to play most scenes dressed as women. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon famously posed as women to escape gangsters in the Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot. Several roles in modern plays and musicals are played by a member of the opposite sex, such as the character "Edna Turnblad" (originally played by Harvey Fierstein) in the Broadway musical Hairspray. Francis Flute is a character in the play A Midsummer Nights Dream. ... A Midsummer Nights Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the mid-1590s. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Roger Moore and Tony Curtis in The Persuaders! Tony Curtis (born June 3, 1925) is an American film actor. ... Jack Lemmon at Expo 1967. ... Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was a screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. ... Some Like It Hot is a 1959 comedy film cowritten and directed by Billy Wilder. ... Harvey Forbes Fierstein (born June 6, 1954 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor, author, and singer. ... Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... Hairspray is a Tony-winning musical, based on the 1988 movie Hairspray. ...

Acting awards

• Filmfare Awards for Bollywood cinema
• Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, for film
• Golden Globe Awards for film and television
• Emmy Awards for television
• Genie Awards for Canadian film
• Gemini Awards for Canadian television
• British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for film and television
• Tony Awards for the theatre (specifically, Broadway theatre)
• European Theatre Awards for the theatre
• Laurence Olivier Awards for the theatre
• Screen Actors Guild Awards for actors in film and television
• César Awards for French film
• Logie Award for Australian Television

Please expand and improve this section as described on this articles talk page or at Requests for expansion, then remove this message The filmfare award. ... Movie poster of one of the most popular films—Sholay (1975) Bollywood (Hindi: बॉलीवुड, Urdu: بالیوُڈ) is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India, but has largely become synonymous with Indian cinema in general. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent film awards in the United States and most watched awards ceremony in the world. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... An Emmy Award. ... The Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian films and television, by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. ... The Gemini Awards are an annual awards ceremony that celebrates the achievements for TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... The Laurence Olivier Awards, previously known as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, were renamed in honour of British actor Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier in 1984, having first been established in 1976. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The César Award is the national film award of France first given out in 1975. ... The Gold Logie Award The Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. ...

See also

• Acting
• Celebrities
• Charisma
• Method acting
• Movie star
• Stunt work
• Theatre
• Lists of actors

Acting is the work of an actor, a person in theatre, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play. ... For the 1998 movie, see Celebrity (1998 movie). ... John F. Kennedy was widely considered charismatic and charming by both his political peers and the larger public The word charisma (from the Greek word kharisma, gift or divine favor, from kharizesthai, to favor, from kharis, favor) refers to a rare trait found in certain human personalities usually including extreme... Method acting is an acting technique in which actors try to replicate in real life the emotional conditions under which the character operates, in an effort to create a life-like, realistic performance. ... A movie star is a celebrity who is well known for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. ... This article is about stunt performance. ... It has been suggested that Drama (art form) be merged into this article or section. ...

Suggested reading

• An Actor Prepares by Konstantin Stanislavski (Theatre Arts Books, ISBN 0-87830-983-7, 1989)
• A Dream of Passion: The Development of the Method by Lee Strasberg (Plume Books, ISBN 0-452-26198-8, 1990)
• Sanford Meisner on Acting by Sanford Meisner (Vintage, ISBN 0-394-75059-4, 1987)
• Letters to a Young Actor by Robert Brustein (Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-00806-2, 2005).
• The Alexander Technique Manual by Richard Brennan (Connections Book Publishing ISBN 1-85906-163-X, 2004)
• The Empty Space by Peter Brook

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Lee Strasberg (November 17, 1901–February 17, 1982) was an American director, actor, producer, and acting teacher. ... Sanford Meisner (born August 31, 1905 in New York City, died February 2, 1997 in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California) was an actor and a teacher of acting. ... Robert Brustein (born April 21, 1927) is and American educator, critic, and author. ... Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH CBE (born 21 March 1925) is a highly influential British theatrical producer and director. ...

External links and resources

• Actors' Equity Association (AEA): a union representing U.S. theatre actors and stage managers.
• AGVA, AGMA and AFM: unions representing variety artists (including actors at small venues, jugglers, etc.), musical artists, and musicians.
• American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA): a union representing U.S. television and radio actors and broadcasters (on-air journalists, etc.).
• Career Advice: an online guide for beginning and professional actors, from the performing-arts trade publication Back Stage.
• British Actors' Equity: a trade union representing UK artists, including actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, stage managers, theatre directors and designers, variety and circus artists, television and radio presenters, walk-on and supporting artists, stunt performers and directors and theatre fight directors.
• Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance: an Australian/New Zealand trade union representing everyone in the media, entertainment, sports, and arts industries.
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG): a union representing U.S. film and TV actors.