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Researched by Josh M.
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Research Summary
An actor is the person who you watch on TV, in movies or on stage as they perform shows. If you are watching a TV show and you watch a person, that person is an actor.
Actors perform in a lot of different places. They act in videos, on a T.V.show; they even act in plays. It is sometimes funny where an actor can act. An actor may act in a jungle, a beach, or even a flooded parking lot used as an ocean. Others act in a TV or movie studio.
Some good things about being an actor are that an actor can be a model to other people. You can also get to know other people. An actor can know lots of people like producers, directors, and also other actors. Another good thing about being an actor is that you get to be in a lot of fantasy backgrounds. An actor could pretend to be in space, on an island, even back in 1919. They get to use their creativity.
There are a lot of bad things about being an actor. Some actors have to do some risky things in their job. For instance they could have to jump off a house, or a tree too. They could also hurt themselves badly. Many can’t get a job.
An actor’s schedule can be very complicated. An actor might have to work on holidays or even weekends, anywhere, any time. They can’t say they can not come in. They have to come to work. Some really good actors get paid when they’re sick or on vacation.
There are lots of different kinds of actors. There are stage actors. They only perform on stage. There are also camera actors. They only perform in front of a camera. Then there are also drama actors. They need to be very serious. There are also comedians. The comedian actors are the funny ones. They are paid to be funny. Then there are opera actors. These actors sing the whole show. Then there are soap opera actors. They need to memorize their lines every day.
There are certain types of tools that actors use. The actors need to use props. If an actor had a part as a witch, she would need to use a broom. A broom is a prop for a witch.
An actor really does not need a college education, although it would help them. It all really depends on whether you get the part from the audition. Most actors get some kind of formal training. Some people study acting in college. Others take classes at acting school. Many people who would like to be actors take dancing, English, and theater. They also study singing. Actors work very hard. They work as soon as they get their parts. They may act in very tiny theaters. If successful they go and work in huge theaters and cities.
There are lots of jobs for acting in the United States and Canada. Of course many jobs are in New York or Los Angeles. You should also know about Hollywood. In Canada there is Toronto.
There are lots of different pay ranges for actors. If you were a Broadway actor you could get $1,040.00 per week. If you were an average actor you would get $350.00 - $600.00 per week. If you were an extra you would get $40.00 a day.
The word "actor" came from Greek. It means, "Someone who moves on stage."
When an actor is just starting, the actor gets a small part like an extra. Then they practice and show more and more talent everyday. After the producer sees their talent they want them to audition for bigger parts. Then the actor does it and they get better parts, and some become the star of the show. But before that they have to work a lot. The television actors may often start with a part on commercials. But then they go to television shows and act. They may also start as a soap opera actor. The actors that do well may end up on prime time shows. Prime time shows are shows that have larger audiences. Theater actors may start out in very small cities. Then they head to bigger cities and get better acting jobs. After many years they may play lead part.
All actors may start out as an extra or in a small part. After
they practice they can become very good at acting, and get the lead part,
and even become rich and famous.
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