Free to follow every thread. No paywall, no dead ends.
Actor: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Actor
In the year 534 BC, a Greek performer named Thespis stepped onto the stage at the Theatre Dionysus and became the first known person to speak words as a character in a play. Before this singular moment, Grecian stories were expressed only through song, dance, and third-person narrative, leaving no room for a single voice to claim a role. Thespis changed the course of human expression by stepping out of the chorus to answer the tragic chorus, a role that gave rise to the Greek term hypokrites, the root of our modern word for acting. This ancient Greek performer, who would later be honored as the namesake for all actors as Thespians, did not merely recite lines; he embodied a character, creating a new form of storytelling that relied on the flesh and blood of a human being to convey truth. The dramatic world expanded to include the author, the audience, and the theatre itself, yet the actor remained the actual referent, the living bridge between the story and the observer. This foundational act of stepping forward to speak as another person laid the groundwork for centuries of performance, transforming the passive observer into an active participant in the unfolding drama.
The Shadowed Stage Of Antiquity
While Thespis ignited the spark of acting, the ancient world soon imposed strict boundaries on who could hold that flame. In ancient Greece, women were barred from appearing on stage, and male actors played all female parts, a tradition that persisted for centuries. The Roman Empire, however, offered a different landscape where female performers were allowed, though they were rarely given speaking roles and were mostly employed for dancing or acrobatics. A small minority of actresses, such as Eucharis, Dionysia, and Galeria Copiola, achieved wealth and fame, forming their own acting guild known as the Sociae Mimae. These women were exceptions in a world that generally viewed the profession as dangerous and immoral. As the Western Roman Empire fell into decay during the 4th and 5th centuries, the seat of power moved eastward to Constantinople, and records show that mime, pantomime, and recitations remained popular. Yet, in the Early Middle Ages, Western Europe plunged into a period of general disorder where small nomadic bands of actors traveled the continent, performing crude scenes wherever they could find an audience. These traveling troupes were often viewed with distrust, and early actors were denounced by the Church as pagan and immoral, to the point where they could not receive a Christian burial. The profession seemed to die out, leaving only the faint echoes of the past until the Renaissance would eventually bring it back to life.
Who was the first known person to speak words as a character in a play?
Thespis became the first known person to speak words as a character in a play in the year 534 BC at the Theatre Dionysus. He stepped out of the chorus to answer the tragic chorus, creating the Greek term hypokrites which is the root of the modern word for acting.
When were women first allowed to appear on stage in England?
Women were first allowed to appear on stage in England during the Restoration of 1660 when King Charles II issued letters patent to Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant. Margaret Hughes is often credited as the first professional actress on the English stage following these patents which were reissued in 1662 with revisions.
What is Method acting and who formulated it?
Lee Strasberg formulated Method acting as a range of techniques based on the idea that actors should use their own experiences to identify personally with their characters. This approach required actors to draw upon their feelings and experiences to convey the truth of the character they portrayed and was derived from Stanislavski's system.
Who was film's first true actress and what period did she work in?
Lillian Gish has been called film's first true actress for her work in the period from 1894 to the late 1920s when movies were silent films. She pioneered new film performing techniques and recognized the crucial differences between stage and screen acting while working for D.W. Griffith's Biograph Studios.
What was the median hourly wage for actors in the United States in 2024?
In 2024 the median hourly wage for actors in the United States was $23.33 per hour. Many actors lack benefits such as health insurance with only 12.7% of SAG-AFTRA members earning enough income to qualify for its health plan.
The English stage remained silent for women until the Restoration of 1660, when the Puritan prohibition on drama was lifted after eighteen years of silence. King Charles II, who enjoyed watching actresses on stage, issued letters patent to Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant, granting them the monopoly right to form two London theatre companies. These patents were reissued in 1662 with revisions that allowed actresses to perform for the first time in England. Margaret Hughes is often credited as the first professional actress on the English stage, marking a pivotal shift in the history of performance. Before this, women's roles were generally played by men or boys, and the idea of a woman appearing in public was considered controversial and provocative. The introduction of actresses brought about a new era of Restoration comedy, which was notorious for its sexual explicitness and the rise of the first celebrity actors. While Italy had already seen professional women like Lucrezia Di Siena, Vincenza Armani, and Barbara Flaminia performing in the 16th century, England lagged behind. The English audience was first introduced to female actors by visiting foreign theatre companies, but it was not until the Restoration that native English actresses could finally take their place. This period saw the emergence of the first professional actresses, and the stage became a place where women could claim their own voices, albeit within a society that still viewed them with suspicion.
The Method And The Modern Star
By the 20th century, the economics of large-scale productions had displaced the actor-manager model, and specialization divided the roles of stage managers and theatre directors. The profession of acting had evolved from the crude scenes of the Middle Ages to the highly specialized techniques of the modern era. Lee Strasberg formulated Method acting, a range of techniques based on the idea that actors should use their own experiences to identify personally with their characters. This approach, derived from Stanislavski's system, required actors to draw upon their feelings and experiences to convey the truth of the character they portrayed. Marlon Brando, despite personally abhorring Strasberg and his teachings, became well known for his use of Method acting, which revolutionized the way actors approached their craft. The technique demanded that actors put themselves in the mindset of the character, finding things in common to give a more genuine portrayal. This shift in technique allowed for a new kind of star, one who could command the screen with a subtle, internalized performance. The rise of the actor as celebrity provided the transition, as audiences flocked to their favorite stars, and the profession became an honored, popular art form. The actor-manager model gave way to corporate ownership of chains of theatres, and big name stars became even more essential to the success of productions.
The Silent Screen And The Voice
From 1894 to the late 1920s, movies were silent films, and actors emphasized body language and facial expression to convey emotion to the audience. Much silent film acting was apt to strike modern-day audiences as simplistic or campy, yet it was a necessary adaptation to the limitations of the medium. Directors such as D.W. Griffith recognized the different limitations and freedoms of the mediums of stage and screen, and his company Biograph Studios became known for its innovative direction and acting. The revolutionary close-up shot allowed subtle and naturalistic acting, and Lillian Gish has been called film's first true actress for her work in the period. She pioneered new film performing techniques, recognizing the crucial differences between stage and screen acting. As sound was introduced to film, actors had to learn to get used to and be comfortable with a camera being in front of them. They needed to find and stay on their mark, a position on the floor marked with tape where the lights and camera focus were optimized. The performance of emotion became the most difficult aspect of film acting to master, as the film actor had to rely on subtle facial ticks, quivers, and tiny lifts of the eyebrow to create a believable character. The transition from stage to screen was not always successful, with some theatre stars making the move quite successfully while others failed to adapt to the new demands of the medium.
The Gender Fluid Stage
Having an actor dress as the opposite sex for comic effect is a long-standing tradition in comic theatre and film, with most of Shakespeare's comedies including instances of overt cross-dressing. The movie Some Like It Hot featured Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon posing as women to escape gangsters, while Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams appeared in hit comedy films where they played most scenes dressed as a woman. Occasionally, the issue can be complicated, such as when a woman plays a woman acting as a man, as seen in Victor/Victoria with Julie Andrews or Shakespeare in Love with Gwyneth Paltrow. In the 2000s, women playing men in live theatre is particularly common in presentations of older plays, such as Shakespearean works with large numbers of male characters in roles where gender is inconsequential. The tradition of cross-gender acting has also been used to emphasize the gender fluidity of the role, as seen in Hairspray where Edna Turnblad was played by Divine, Harvey Fierstein, and John Travolta. Eddie Redmayne was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Lili Elbe, a trans woman, in The Danish Girl, and transgender actors may play cross-gender roles, especially before public transition. The profession has evolved to embrace a wider range of gender expressions, challenging the traditional boundaries of who can play what role.
The Economics Of The Craft
The profession of acting has always had a large breadth of potential incomes, with some actors earning comfortable incomes while others struggle to make a living. In 1600s England, Shakespeare himself likely earned 6 shillings per week during his early acting career, which was a typical wage for a skilled tradesman. In 2024, the median hourly wage for actors in the United States was $23.33 per hour, and many lack benefits such as health insurance, with only 12.7% of SAG-AFTRA members earning enough income to qualify for its health plan. Full-time actors in Britain earned a median of £22,500 in the same year, slightly less than the minimum wage. Despite lower median incomes in the profession, some actors earn exceedingly large incomes, with film actors such as Aamir Khan and Sandra Bullock earning tens of millions of dollars for single film productions. In the United States, union child actors are paid a daily rate of at least $1,204, although due to their legal status as minors, most or all of the income chiefly goes to the parents or legal guardians. The Coogan Act requires 15% of a child's earnings be placed into a blocked trust account, to be opened when they become a legal adult. The gender pay gap remains a significant issue, with white women earning 78 cents to every dollar a white man makes, while Hispanic women earn 56 cents to a white male's dollar. The economics of the craft continue to be a complex and often unequal landscape, with the potential for great wealth existing alongside the reality of financial instability for many.