Actors
Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, motion picture productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction. Interpret serious or comic role by speech, gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform audience. May dance and sing.
- Overview
- Tasks
- Skills
Education: Less than high school diploma (52%); Some college, no degree (28%); Bachelor's degree (9%)
Projected Growth: Slower than average (3% to 7%)
Related Job Titles: Actor; Actress; Comedian; Comic; Community Theater Actor; Narrator; Voice-Over Artist; Stand Up Comedian; Theatre Ensemble Member; Understudy
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Actors.
- Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.
- Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.
- Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
- Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.
- Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.
- Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
- Work with other crew members responsible for lighting, costumes, make-up, and props.
- Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances.
- Read from scripts or books to narrate action or to inform or entertain audiences, utilizing few or no stage props.
- Promote productions using means such as interviews about plays or movies.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Actors.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Actors.
