leading man
an actor who plays the principal male role in a motion picture or play.
Origin of leading man
1Words Nearby leading man
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use leading man in a sentence
It’s truly a feat of moviemaking that this film soared so high, despite being weighed down by a sentient, charmless sack of potatoes as its leading man.
Why the new West Side Story works — and one thing that doesn’t | Constance Grady | December 10, 2021 | VoxThe short-lived, late-’80s era of Timothy Dalton was rougher around the edges, in keeping with what critic Keith Phipps recently termed “a leading man who sometimes looks as if he’s in the midst of a final exam for which he hasn’t studied enough.”
Meanwhile, Affleck’s “Sexiest Man Alive” status was understood to be a mark in his favor, a sign of his leading man chops — up until the makeover.
The Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck recoupling is the greatest gossip story we’ve had in years | Constance Grady | August 24, 2021 | VoxHowever — and wherever — you choose to watch this season’s biggest movies, these leading men promise to make them worth every second.
Watch your back Liam Neeson, here comes Kevin Costner to steal your older-leading-man thunder!
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More | Kevin Fallon | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
There was a recent piece titled, “Is Idris Elba a Hollywood leading man Yet?”
Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave Chappelle | Marlow Stern | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo it leads you to question: “What is a leading man these days?”
Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave Chappelle | Marlow Stern | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTCAPOTE (2005) This is the role that propelled Hoffman from ace character actor to leading man.
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Best Performances: ‘Boogie Nights,’ ‘Capote,’ and More | Marlow Stern | February 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe leading-man roles followed in the back-to-back 2012 blockbusters John Carter and Battleship.
‘Lone Survivor’ Taylor Kitsch’s Journey From Homelessness to Hollywood Stardom | Marlow Stern | December 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut the climax was reached at Mrs. Charmington's great scene with her leading man, at the conclusion of the third act.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3) | Charles James WillsHe is a red republican, a leading man among the Jacobins, hand in glove with all who hate aristocrats.
The Light That Lures | Percy BrebnerFor nearly two years he was the leading man in France, and he retained his influence in the Assembly to the end.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume IX | John LordWhen he first came to work for me at the age of fifteen, I believed that he was destined to be a leading man.
Now that you have won a national fame, you will always be looked upon as the leading man of the Northwest.
The Life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens, Volume II (of 2) | Hazard Stevens
British Dictionary definitions for leading man
/ (ˈliːdɪŋ) /
a man who plays the main part in a film, play, etc
Derived forms of leading man
- leading lady, fem n
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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