Actors Career, Salary and Skills
No national wage record is published for this occupation in the current BLS dataset.
Occupation description
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.
O*NET code
27-2011.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
Not recorded
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Salary data is not available for this occupation in the current BLS dataset.
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Coordination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Active Learning | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.88 | 2.88 |
Typical tasks
- Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.
- 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.
- Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.
- Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
- Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.
- Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.
- Prepare and perform action stunts for motion picture, television, or stage productions.
Technology
- Apple Final Cut Pro
- Email software
- FileMaker Pro
- Linux
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Motion capture software
- TikTok
Related careers
- Self-Enrichment TeachersNational median $46,800
- ModelsNational median $48,470
- Film and Video EditorsNational median $75,420
- Special Effects Artists and AnimatorsNational median $102,030
- News Analysts, Reporters, and JournalistsNational median $62,200
- Art DirectorsNational median $114,850
- Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and AthletesNational median $82,890
- Costume AttendantsNational median $50,400
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.