actor

 
Pronunciation: /ˈaktə/

noun

  • 1a person whose profession is acting on the stage, in films, or on television.
  • a person who behaves in a way that is not genuine: in war one must be a good actor
  • 2a participant in an action or process: employers are key actors within industrial relations

Derivatives

actorish

adjective

Origin:

late Middle English (originally denoting an agent or administrator): from Latin, 'doer, actor', from agere 'do, act'

In the time of Shakespeare female roles were played by boys or men, and women did not appear on stage in England until after the Restoration of 1660. Female performers were then called either actors or actresses—it was only later that actor became restricted to men—and it seems that we are returning to the original situation. Although there is still an awards category at the Oscars called Best Actress, some people are again using the gender-neutral term actor for both sexes. See also -ess1 (usage).