actor-manager

American  

[ak-ter-man-uh-jer] / ˈæk tərˈmæn ə dʒər /

noun

1. a leading actor who produces and usually stars in their own productions.

   Sir Henry Irving was one of the first actor-managers.

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Etymology

Origin of actor-manager

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

actor-manager

The author, Bram Stoker, was the devoted and long-suffering business assistant to the Lyceum’s capricious actor-manager, Sir Henry Irving, who angrily refused to read the part of the saber-toothed count.

From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2020

The just-concluded “Renaissance” portion of ASC’s year-round operation seems to be in the spirit of Shakespeare himself and the bygone era of the actor-manager.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 25, 2019

There was the fading actor-manager in The Dresser, opposite Tom Courtenay, which gained him another Oscar nomination.

From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2019

Langella strides about the stage like a 19th century actor-manager, posing and positioning himself in Doug Hughes’ production as though the only relationship that mattered was the one between a star and his adoring fans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2016

Why should a Shakespeare, whose cunning hand divined the dramatic sequence of his story, have it improved by a modern playwright or actor-manager?

From Shakespeare in the Theatre by William Poel