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Actor for Dummies

noun

pronunciation: 'æktər

What does Actor really mean?

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Hey there! So you're curious about the word "actor," huh? Well, I'm here to help you understand it in the simplest way possible. You see, an actor is someone who acts, just like you may pretend to be someone or something when you play make-believe with your friends or family. But when we talk about actors, we're talking about people who pretend to be different characters on stage, in movies, or on TV.

Imagine this: Have you ever watched a movie or a play and seen someone who is not themselves? They may be a superhero, a princess, or even someone from a different time or place. Those people are actors! They use their voices, faces, and bodies to become someone else, just like you do when you play pretend. They may dress up in different clothes and even wear wigs or makeup to help them look like the character they're playing.

Actors are like storytellers: You know how your parents or teachers read you stories to take you on adventures without leaving the room? Well, actors do something pretty similar, but they bring those stories to life right before our eyes. They use their acting skills to make us feel all kinds of emotions, like happiness, sadness, fear, or excitement. They make the characters seem real and help us connect with them and the story they're telling.

There are different types of actors: Just like there are different roles and characters in the stories we read, there are different actors who specialize in different types of acting. Some actors perform on stage in theaters and act out plays live in front of an audience. They use their bodies, voices, and expressions to convey the story. Other actors work in movies or TV shows and use cameras to capture their performances, so we can watch them later on screens. These actors may do scenes over and over again until they get it just right.

But wait, there's more: Actor can also refer to someone who acts in real life, not just in movies or plays. For example, when someone is pretending or putting on a false face to trick others, we might call them an actor. It's like when you know someone is upset, but they pretend to be happy so that others don't see their true feelings.

So, to sum it up: An actor is someone who pretends to be different characters on stage, in movies, or on TV. They use their acting skills to bring stories to life and make us feel a whole range of emotions. There are different types of actors, and sometimes we might use the word "actor" to describe someone who is pretending or not showing their true feelings. So, the next time you watch a movie or a play, remember that the people you see playing different characters are actors doing what they do best!


Revised and Fact checked by Brian Anderson on 2023-10-30 08:05:45

Actor In a sentece

Learn how to use Actor inside a sentece

  • An actor is someone who pretends to be a character in a play, like a princess or a superhero.
  • When you watch a movie, the people you see on the screen are actors.
  • In a school play, the students who act out the different roles are called actors.
  • If you go to a theater, you might see a group of actors performing a funny comedy or a scary horror show.
  • Sometimes actors also perform on TV shows, where they pretend to be different people in different stories.

Actor Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

doer histrion player role player thespian worker

Actor Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.

individual mortal performer performing artist person somebody someone soul

Actor Hyponyms

Words that are more specific than the original word.

actress animator ball of fire barnstormer busy bee character actor comedian demon eager beaver energiser energizer extra fireball go-getter ham ham actor heavy human dynamo ingenue lead leading man live wire man of action man of deeds mime mimer movie actor mummer pantomimer pantomimist plant play-actor playactor powerhouse principal reenactor scene-stealer screen actor sharpie sharpy spear carrier standby star supernumerary tragedian trouper understudy upstager vitaliser vitalizer walk-on whiz-kid whizz-kid

Actor Has Instances

Words that are examples of the original word.

al jolson alec guinness alfred lunt allen allen stewart konigsberg anthony hopkins arthur john gielgud asa yoelson astaire baron olivier of birghton barrymore bela ferenc blasko bela lugosi bing crosby bogart booth boris karloff bruce lee burbage burton buster keaton cagney cary grant charles laughton charles robert redford chevalier clark gable cooper coward cronyn crosby david garrick de niro dean depardieu douglas elton fairbanks douglas fairbanks douglas fairbanks jr. drew dudley moore dudley stuart john moore duke wayne dustin hoffman e. g. marshall edmund kean edward g. robinson edward goldenberg robinson erich von stroheim eugene curran kelly fairbanks fonda francis albert sinatra frank cooper frank sinatra fred astaire gable garrick gary cooper gene kelly george c. scott george orson welles gerard depardieu gibson gielgud grant granville-barker guinness hanks harley granville-barker harold clayton lloyd harold lloyd harrison harry lillis crosby heming hemminge henry fonda herbert blythe hoffman hopkins howard hume blake cronyn hume cronyn humphrey bogart humphrey deforest bogart israel strassberg jack lemmon james byron dean james cagney james dean james maitland stewart james mason james neville mason jimmy cagney jimmy stewart john barrymore john drew john heming john hemminge john uhler john wayne john wilkes booth jolson joseph francis keaton julius ullman karloff kean keaton kelly konstantin sergeevich alekseev konstantin sergeyevich stanislavsky konstantin stanislavsky laszlo lowestein laughton laurence olivier lee lee strasberg lee yuen kam lemmon leslie howard leslie howard stainer lionel barrymore lloyd lorre lugosi lunt marshall martin mason maurice barrymore maurice chevalier mel columcille gerard gibson mel gibson mitchum moore newman noel coward o'toole olivier orson welles otis skinner paul leonard newman paul newman peter alexander ustinov peter lorre peter o'toole peter seamus o'toole peter sellers poitier ralph richardson redford reginald carey harrison rex harrison richard burbage richard burton richardson robert de niro robert mitchum robert redford robinson scott sellers sidney poitier sinatra sir alec guinness sir anthony hopkins sir anthony philip hopkins sir herbert beerbohm tree sir john gielgud sir laurence kerr olivier sir noel pierce coward sir peter ustinov sir ralph david richardson sir rex harrison skinner spencer tracy stanislavsky steve martin stewart strasberg stroheim thomas j. hanks tom hanks tracy tree ustinov wayne welles william clark gable william henry pratt woody allen