a person who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, television broadcasts, etc.
a person who does something; participant.
a person who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc
informal a person who puts on a false manner in order to deceive others (often in the phrase bad actor )
The term actor is almost universally used nowadays to refer to people of either gender who act
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin āctor, equivalent to āg- ( see act) + -tor -tor
If you act in a play, whether it's written by Shakespeare or your little brother, you can call yourself an actor. Some actors make films, and others are on TV. Traditionally, the noun actor referred to a male performer, while actress was used to describe a female. These days, it's become more common to use actor for players of any gender. You can also use the word to describe someone who participates in some action, or makes things happen in a particular area: "She was a real actor in the labor movement." In Latin, actor means both "doer" and "theatrical player."
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John Lithgow won Best Actor for his portrayal of Roald Dahl in "Giant", and praised the play as "extraordinarily important right now."
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Actor Larry Lamb has said he was "very lucky" to be able to work on the sets of Gavin and Stacey and EastEnders at the same time.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
Actor and Indianapolis native Brendan Fraser will be the honorary starter and wave the green flag.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Actor and producer Niko Foster has put his jaw-dropping Nevada mansion on the market for $21.9 million—12 years after work was completed on the extraordinary custom-built “masterpiece.”
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
Among his honors was the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the 1973 film The Paper Chase.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
