How much does a actor make?

The median pay is $29.05 per hour — roughly $60,500 a year, with the real range running from about $16.50/hr (10th percentile) to $143.68/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a actor?

The typical entry-level education is: Some college. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

What does a actor actually do all day?

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.

Arts & Media

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.

What it pays
Actors earn a median of $29.05/hr — about $60,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $16.50/hr; the top 10% earn $143.68/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

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.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Some college. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

The feel of the work

You're around people constantly; time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 27.9% of actors are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are creative, people-focused and take-charge.

Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.

Related careers

Quick questions

How much does a actor make?: The median pay is $29.05 per hour — roughly $60,500 a year, with the real range running from about $16.50/hr (10th percentile) to $143.68/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a actor?: The typical entry-level education is: Some college. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
What does a actor actually do all day?: 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.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.