A professional who portrays role in dramatic production to interpret character or present characterization to audience. Responsibilities include:

• Rehearses part to learn lines and cues as directed.
• Interprets serious or comic role by speech, gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform audience for stage, motion picture, television, radio, or other media production.
• May write or adapt own material.
• May dance and sing.
• May direct self and others in production (director, motion picture; director, stage).
• May read from script or book, utilizing minimum number of stage properties and relying mainly on changes of voice and inflection to hold audience's attention and be designated Dramatic Reader.
• May be designated according to gender of worker or type of role portrayed as Actress; Character Actor; Character Actress; Ingenue; Juvenile.