Careers · Explore one path
Actors
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.
Other titles employers use
Actor · Actress · Comedian · Comic · Community Theater Actor · Ensemble Member · Narrator · Performer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
- Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
- Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to creative, helping and persuading work.
- Creative
- Making, designing, writing, or performing without one set answer
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Social Perceptiveness
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
Subjects to know
- Fine Arts
- English Language
- Communications and Media
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Psychology
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Memorization
- Speech Clarity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 4.8 | Arm’s length or closer, most of the day |
| On your feet | 3.8 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.4 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 2.1 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for some college. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 62%
- A four-year degree 20%
- A doctorate or professional degree 14%
- A certificate or some college 4%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Video creation and editing software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Electronic mail software
- Operating system software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 32,200
- Job openings each year
- 3,800
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 10.3%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 32,200 | 3,800 | 10.3% |
| Florida | 14,760 | 1,780 | 18.3% |
| Georgia | 8,500 | 1,010 | 13.6% |
| New York | 5,940 | 0 | — |
| Illinois | 3,420 | 400 | 4.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 3,330 | 380 | 2.8% |
| Utah | 1,440 | 180 | 33.3% |
| Louisiana | 1,400 | 160 | −6.0% |
| Ohio | 1,340 | 160 | 7.2% |
| Virginia | 1,160 | 140 | 6.4% |
| Maryland | 1,110 | 130 | 8.8% |
| Tennessee | 1,090 | 130 | 22.5% |
| New Jersey | 910 | 100 | — |
| Arizona | 890 | 110 | 12.7% |
| Washington | 870 | 110 | 6.1% |
| Texas | 820 | 100 | 9.3% |
| Indiana | 650 | 80 | 6.6% |
| Oregon | 510 | 60 | 27.5% |
| North Carolina | 490 | 60 | 11.4% |
| Minnesota | 410 | 50 | 7.9% |
| South Carolina | 370 | 40 | 12.1% |
| Alabama | 340 | 40 | 6.3% |
| Wisconsin | 310 | 40 | 14.8% |
| Michigan | 290 | 30 | 3.6% |
| Rhode Island | 270 | 30 | — |
| Colorado | 230 | 30 | 15.0% |
| New Hampshire | 220 | 30 | 10.0% |
| Missouri | 210 | 20 | — |
| Nevada | 200 | 20 | 11.1% |
| Massachusetts | 170 | 20 | 6.3% |
| Kentucky | 150 | 20 | — |
| Iowa | 100 | 10 | — |
| Connecticut | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Maine | 60 | 10 | −14.3% |
| Mississippi | 60 | 10 | 20.0% |
| South Dakota | 60 | 10 | — |
| North Dakota | 50 | 10 | — |
| Idaho | 40 | 10 | — |
| Nebraska | 30 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
New York University
- Degrees each year
- 421
- Admit rate
- 9%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
American Musical and Dramatic Academy
- Degrees each year
- 225
- Admit rate
- 25%
- Annual cost after aid
- $44,000
Savannah College of Art and Design
- Degrees each year
- 220
- Admit rate
- 84%
- Annual cost after aid
- $49,000
Texas State University
- Degrees each year
- 168
- Admit rate
- 89%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
University of Southern California
- Degrees each year
- 150
- Admit rate
- 10%
- Annual cost after aid
- $20,000
Columbia College Chicago
- Degrees each year
- 140
- Admit rate
- 91%
- Annual cost after aid
- $26,000
SUNY at Purchase College
- Degrees each year
- 139
- Admit rate
- 73%
- Annual cost after aid
- $20,000
Loyola Marymount University
- Degrees each year
- 121
- Admit rate
- 40%
- Annual cost after aid
- $34,000
Compare every college offering drama/theatre arts and stagecraft