Actors
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 27-2011.00United States
Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film 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.
- Median annual earnings
- $59,753
- Projected change
- +4.5%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 75.38K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
61.7% of the workforce
Growing to 78.76K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What actors do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
- Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.
- Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
- Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.
- Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.
- Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.
- Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.
- Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances.
- Work with other crew members responsible for lighting, costumes, make-up, and props.
- Tell jokes, perform comic dances, songs and skits, impersonate mannerisms and voices of others, contort face, and use other devices to amuse audiences.
- 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.
- Prepare and perform action stunts for motion picture, television, or stage productions.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $27,863
- 25th percentile
- $38,511
- 50th percentile
- $59,753
- 75th percentile
- $186,192
- 90th percentile
- $323,363
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $59,753 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+4.5%average or slower
202575,376 jobs
2035 projected78,758 jobs
3,382 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 61.7%
- Bachelor's degree
- 20.7%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 13.9%
- Certificate
- 3.8%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- 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.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Lead Actors3,328 postings
- 02Actors1,772 postings
- 03Background Actors654 postings
- 04Character Performers571 postings
- 05Player Agents404 postings
- 06Standardized Patients400 postings
- 07People Analysts377 postings
- 08Voice Actors210 postings
- 09Conversation Partners205 postings
- 10Content Creators183 postings
- 11Mascots171 postings
- 12Chorus152 postings
- 13Character Artists148 postings
- 14Photo Specialists140 postings
- 15Outdoor Specialists135 postings
- 16Performers125 postings
- 17Costume Characters109 postings
- 18Scare Actors68 postings
- 19Music Video Directors56 postings
- 20Article Writers51 postings
Top employers
- 01Cherry Hill Programs550 postings
- 02Backstage International Ltd240 postings
- 03Joy Memories167 postings
- 04Dick's Sporting Goods134 postings
- 05Social 3.0106 postings
- 06Welocalize80 postings
- 07Six Flags Entertainment Corporation70 postings
- 08Tiktok69 postings
- 09New York University45 postings
- 10TELUS40 postings
- 11Carowinds27 postings
- 12Walt Disney26 postings
- 13American Immersion Theater25 postings
- 14Jake's Fireworks25 postings
- 15Six Flags Discovery Kingdom24 postings
- 16Six Flags Fiesta Texas24 postings
- 17Marriott International23 postings
- 18High Scale Reptiles & Enclosures21 postings
- 19RWS Global Enterprises20 postings
- 20Prolific Academic Ltd.19 postings
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