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Definition 2024


character_actor

character actor

English

Noun

character actor (plural character actors)

  1. A supporting actor who specializes in playing eccentric or unusual roles.
    • 2007, Michael Blitz, Louise Krasniewicz, Johnny Depp: A Biography, page 91,
      In an interview with Charlie Rose in November 1999, Johnny Depp stated that he really would like to be known as, and work as, a character actor. Depp cites Lon Chaney as his model and hero, “the greatest character actor of all time."
    • 2008, John Fawell, The Hidden Art of Hollywood: In Defense of the Studio Era Film, page 141,
      One of the great signature traits of the studio years in Hollywood was its wealth of character actors.
    • 2009, Gill Foreman, A Practical Guide to Working in Theatre, page 48,
      The character actor has a much less glamorous effect on their audiences, their impact being made more traditionally over time. Character actors are those who early in their careers discover the chameleon-like ability to play a great variety of roles, each time subsuming themselves into the part until they are almost unrecognisable.

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