leading man

American  

[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

noun

1. an actor who plays the principal male role in a motion picture or play.

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leading man British  

/ ˈliːdɪŋ /

noun

1. a man who plays the main part in a film, play, etc

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Other Word Forms

• leading lady noun

Etymology

Origin of leading man

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

The gig started as a one-time guest role but “ignited a fan hysteria so intense,” Falchuk said, that the show was rewritten to make Dane a leading man.

From Los Angeles Times

More character actor than leading man, he could be relied upon to inject a feisty, fiery machismo and a cantankerous contrariness into the most mainstream Hollywood offering.

From BBC

He never realized his dream of becoming Hollywood’s first Black romantic leading man, but he helped pave the way for actors like Denzel Washington, Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan.

From The Wall Street Journal

The result: Chalamet may be the focus of Oscar talk as the movie’s leading man, but it’s the people swirling around his character who send the propulsive drama about ambition into overdrive.

From The Wall Street Journal

And I think, for me as an artist, this will probably be the only time in my life where I get to play a leading lady and a leading man at the same time.

From Los Angeles Times