matinée idol

noun

1. a male actor, usually a leading man, idolized especially by female audiences.

matinée idol

noun

1. (esp in the 1930s and 1940s) an actor popular as a romantic figure among women

Word History and Origins

Origin of matinée idol¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

By turns a wry comic, matinee idol, bankable box-office draw, indie titan and devoted preservationist, Redford carefully cultivated the superstardom based on his boyish charms and capitalized on the post-studio-boss system as he became the de facto godfather of the independent film movement.

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He’s a dashing, square-jawed, clean-shaven matinee idol with a luxurious head of long, curly black hair.

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Former Matinee idol Buddy Rogers bounded by the winding staircase to the third floor of his Beverly Hills mansion and called to his wife of 37 years: “Mary, darling. You have a visitor, pet.”

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Olivier, who was playing Archie Rice, was at the peak of his acting career and considered something of a matinee idol.

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"I mean I just sit at the piano and play the piano. I'm in my 70s, I'm not a matinee idol. So why are you coming to see me in the first place? But it all has to do with the music."

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Related Words

• leading man