actors and performers

ac‧tor W3 /ˈæktə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
someone who performs in a play or film
leading/principal actor
She has starred with many leading actors.
character actor (=an actor who takes unusual or interesting roles)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a good/fine/great actor He had a reputation as a fine actor.
▪ a well-known/famous actor I’d really like to be a famous actor.
▪ a professional/amateur actor It isn’t easy to become a successful professional actor.
▪ the leading/principal actor (=acting the most important part) Schwarzeneeger was one of Hollywood’s leading actors.
▪ a supporting actor (=acting a part that is not the most important one) She was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
▪ a talented/accomplished actor Jacobsen was one of the most accomplished actors of his generation.
▪ a comic actor He was a comic actor and he always got a laugh.
▪ a classical actor (=acting parts from important traditional literature) a drama school that trains classical actors
■ NOUN + actor
▪ a movie/film/screen/Hollywood actor the movie actor Brad Pitt
▪ a stage actor Most stage actors are very badly paid.
▪ a television/TV actor For several years he had small parts as a television actor.
▪ a comedy actor Jason was voted top TV comedy actor.
▪ a character actor (=an actor who is good at unusual or interesting roles) As a character actor you get interesting parts.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ actor someone who performs in a play or film: Her son wants to be an actor. | Both my parents are actors.
▪ actress a woman who performs in a play or film. Many women prefer to be called actors rather than actresses: Who was the actress who played Jane Eyre? | She’s one of my favourite actresses.
▪ star a famous actor: Julia Roberts is a famous Hollywood star. | The hotel is popular with movie stars.
▪ the star someone who plays the most important part in a play or film: Daniel Radcliffe is the star of the ‘Harry Potter’ films.
▪ co-star one of two or more famous actors who have important parts in a play or film: Her co-star Jodie Foster won the Best Actress Award.
▪ the lead the main acting part in a play or film: He will play the lead in a new version of ‘Dracula’.
▪ extra an actor in a film who does not say anything but is part of a crowd: She started her career as an extra in TV soap operas.
▪ understudy an actor who learns a part in a play so that they can act the part if the usual actor is ill: Vanessa had flu, and her place was taken by her understudy, Miss Lisa Fennell.
■ a group of actors
▪ the cast all the actors in a play or film: Other members of the cast include Johnny Depp and Danny DeVito. | She will head the cast (=she will have the most important part).
▪ company a group of actors who perform plays together: In 2006, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. | The play will be performed by an all-female company.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

actor

actor [actor actors] [ˈæktə(r)] [ˈæktər] noun
a person who performs on the stage, on television or in films/movies, especially as a profession
Word Origin:
late Middle English (originally denoting an agent or administrator): from Latin, doer, actor, from agere ‘do, act’. The theatre sense dates from the 16th cent.
Thesaurus:
actor actress noun C
• She is one of the country's leading actors.
performer • • artist • • comedian • • entertainer • |especially AmE movie star • |BrE usually film star • |especially BrE artiste •
a young actor/actress/performer/artist/comedian/entertainer/artiste
a famous actor/actress/performer/artist/comedian/entertainer/movie star/film star
a/an talented/aspiring actor/actress/performer/artist/comedian/entertainer
Example Bank:

• She is one of the country's leading actors.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

actor / ˈæk.tə r / / -tɚ / noun [ C ] ( female also actress )

A2 someone who pretends to be someone else while performing in a film, play, or television or radio programme:

"Who's your favourite actor?" "Robert de Niro."

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

actor

/æktə(r)/
(actors)

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.

An actor is someone whose job is acting in plays or films. ‘Actor’ in the singular usually refers to a man, but some women who act prefer to be called ‘actors’ rather than ‘actresses’.
His father was an actor in the Cantonese Opera Company...
You have to be a very good actor to play that part.

N-COUNT

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

actor
ac·tor /ˈæktɚ/ noun, pl -tors [count] : a person who acts in a play, movie, etc.

usage Actor is often used to refer specifically to a man or boy who acts.
• He's a talented actor, and his wife is a well-known actress. Actor can also refer to a woman or girl, and many women now prefer this use.
• His wife is also an actor. The plural form actors is used for groups that include both men and women.
• She and her husband are both talented actors.