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Also called actor understudy, background actor, community theater actor and motion picture actor.
$81,670
Median pay a year
55,000
People do this work
6
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Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
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A Actor resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Actor
Summary
Actor portraying roles in stage, television, and film productions, using speech, gestures, and body movements to entertain and inform audiences. Collaborates with other actors and works with directors to interpret scripts and perform
Experience
Actor
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Collaborated with other actors as part of an ensemble
Portrayed and interpreted roles using speech, gestures, and body movements for live audiences
Worked closely with directors and playwrights to find the best interpretation for roles
Studied and rehearsed roles from scripts to learn and memorize lines and cues
Attended auditions and casting calls to audition for roles
Performed humorous and serious interpretations of emotions and actions using body movements
Promoted productions through interviews about plays or movies
Skills
Core Skills
Entertaining the public, Studying scripts, Practicing athletic skills, Constructing for commercial purposes, Writing material for artistic or entertainment, Promoting organizations, Performing music for audiences
Working With People
Informing audiences, Auditioning for roles
Education
High School Diploma Your school, Year
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What did you do each day?
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Worked with other actorsPerformed roles for audiencesFollowed director's instructionsShowed emotions with body languageLearned lines and cuesAttended auditions for roles
becomes
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Worked with fellow actors to develop character interpretations and enhance ensemble performances
Portrayed diverse characters by using body language and gestures to convey emotions.
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Mention if you were part of any specific ensemble or production.
The line
Worked with fellow actors in a community theater group to develop character interpretations and enhance ensemble performances
Mention if you were part of any specific ensemble or production.
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Part of a community theater groupInvolved in a school play ensembleMember of a local acting troupe
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Show what audiences felt or how they reacted to your performances.
The line
Portrayed diverse characters by using body language and gestures to convey emotions.
Show what audiences felt or how they reacted to your performances.
Pick one that fits
Audiences often laughed or cried during my scenesReceived positive feedback from directors and peersEngaged the audience with my emotional range
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In your wordsAdd it
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What it is made of
Skills for an Actor resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Entertaining the public
Studying scripts
Practicing athletic skills
Constructing for commercial purposes
Writing material for artistic or entertainment
Informing audiences
Promoting organizations
Auditioning for roles
Performing music for audiences
The work itself
What an Actor does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
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. May dance and sing.
What it pays
How much does an Actor make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$55,640
Median
$81,670
75th percentile
$138,080
About 55,000 people do this work in the United States.
Other names
Other names for this job
actor understudy, background actor, community theater actor, motion picture actor, movie actor, scare actor, television actor, tour actor, vaudeville actor, voice actor, actress, character artist.
More names for this work
character performer, comedian, comic, costume character, double, dramatic reader, elocutionist, ensemble member, entertainer, extra, illusionist, impersonator, mime, minstrel, monologist, movie extra, movie star, movie stunt performer, narrator, performer, puppeteer, ring conductor, role player, show girl, soubrette, stand in, standardized patient, stunt double, stunt driver, stunt performer, stunt person, stunt woman, theater team member, theatrical performer, theatrical trouper, thrill performer, ventriloquist, voice over artist.
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This page is about the occupation Actors. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.