An Actor

Does an actor have to look nice all the time? Why do Thai actors always appear nice and neat on screen, regardless of roles given? How many Thai actors know how to act, then?!?!

An actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity. The ancient Greek word for an actor, hypokrites, means literally "one who interprets"; in this sense, an actor is one who interprets a dramatic character.

The word actor refers to a person who acts regardless of gender, while actress refers specifically to a female who acts, therefore a female can be both. The Oxford English Dictionary states that originally "'actor' was used for both sexes". The English word actress does not derive from the Latin actrix, probably not even by way of French actrice; according to the Oxford English Dictionary, actress was "probably formed independently" in English. As actress is a specifically feminine word, some feminists assert that the word is sexist. Gender-neutral usage of actor has re-emerged in modern English, especially when referring to male and female performers collectively, but actress remains a commonly used word.

Historically, acting was considered a man's profession; so, in Shakespeare's time, for instance, men and boys played all roles, including the female parts. However when an eighteen year Puritan prohibition of drama was lifted after the English Restoration of 1660, women began to appear on stage.

In Japan, men took over the female roles in kabuki theatre when women were banned from performing on stage during the Edo period. However, some forms of Chinese drama have women playing all the roles.

In modern times, women sometimes play the roles of prepubescent boys. Having an actor dress as the opposite sex for comic effect is also a long standing tradition in comic theatre and film. Most of Shakespeare's comedies include instances of overt cross-dressing. Several roles in modern plays and musicals are played by a member of the opposite sex (rather than a character cross-dressing). Occasionally the issue is further complicated through a woman acting as a man pretending to be a woman, or a woman acting as a woman pretending to be a man.

Dear all Thai actors, watch and learn!!!