Actor Resume Example and Acting Resume Guide

Below is a full actor resume for Nora Castellanos, a fictional actor · AEA · Mezzo-Soprano in Chicago, IL. Keep the section order, then replace each line with your own work and results.

3 actor summaries, one each for beginning actor (casting profile), working stage actor and film and TV actor. Pick the closest and rewrite it with your own title, years and one real result.

Use an objective instead of a summary for seeking representation and career changer situations: one or two sentences on what you bring and the actor job you want.

Bullets grouped by theatre credit lines, film and television credit lines and special skills lines. The numbers are illustrations; put in your own.

17 skills employers list in actor postings. Include the ones the posting asks for and that your bullets prove.

An acting resume is one page that fits on the back of an 8x10 headshot. Either print it directly on the back of the photo, or print it on letter paper, trim it to 8x10 and staple it to the headshot at the corners, as BYU's career services guide recommends. Set the document size to 8x10 before you start so nothing gets cut off. For online submissions, upload a PDF.

Use four blocks in this order: header, experience (your credits), training and special skills. Inside each block put the most impressive and most relevant items first, not the most recent. Credits usually carry no dates.

• Header: name in large type, union status, phone and email or your agency, height, hair and eye color, voice type for musicals
• Credits: grouped by Theatre, Film, Television, Commercial or New Media, with the category that fits the audition first
• Training: degrees, conservatory and studio classes, techniques and well-known teachers
• Special skills: dialects, music, dance, stage combat, sports, vehicles, languages

Theatre credits run in aligned columns: show title, the character you played, the theatre company and the director. Add the city when the theatre is outside your market. Understudy roles are written as "u/s" plus the role, next to the track you played nightly.

Film and television credits list the project, the size of the role and the production company or network, plus the director for film. Film role types run from lead to supporting and featured; television billing uses series regular, recurring, guest star and co-star. Write the role type rather than the character name, so a casting director can read your level at a glance.

Commercial lists change often and can raise product conflicts, so many actors write "Commercial conflicts available upon request" instead of naming brands.

Start with what you have. School plays, community theatre, student films, readings and showcases all count when you are beginning. If you have very few credits, scene work from an acting class can go on the page if it is labeled honestly, for example "scenes from Proof | Catherine | Acting II Studio (dir. J. Lee)".

When credits are thin, training becomes your strongest section. Name techniques and teachers, not just "acting class": Meisner, Viewpoints, Alexander Technique, Linklater voice, on-camera audition technique. Then make special skills specific enough to cast from: the dialects you can do on request, instruments, dance styles, sports and stage combat.

List only skills you could perform in the audition room or on set tomorrow, because directors do ask. Group them by type and give a level where it matters: "Dialects: RP, Irish, Southern American"; "Piano (intermediate), reads music"; "Horseback riding (English and Western)".

Skip filler like "fast learner" and jokes that are not real skills. Practical items help on film sets: a valid driver's license, driving stick shift, swimming, or a professional credential such as EMT or nurse for medical shows.

Both belong in the header under your name. Write your union affiliation with the standard abbreviation, such as SAG-AFTRA or AEA, and leave the line off if you are non-union. Never claim a status you do not hold; unions and producers check it before contracts are signed.

Add height, hair color and eye color. Some guides also ask for weight. Skip age and birth date unless you are a minor. Singers add voice type and range, and everyone updates the header and headshot when their look changes.

Terms that show up in actor job postings. Mirror the exact wording of the posting you apply to, but only for work you have done.

• acting resume
• actor
• lead
• principal
• supporting
• featured
• ensemble
• understudy
• SAG-AFTRA
• AEA
• non-union
• Meisner
• stage combat
• improv
• dialects
• self-tape
• musical theatre
• voiceover

• Padding or inventing credits. Casting directors and directors talk to each other. List background work as background and class scenes as scenes.
• Ordering by date. Order credits by importance within each category and leave dates off.
• A page that does not match the headshot. Trim it to 8x10 and staple it; a loose sheet gets separated from your photo.
• Vague special skills. "Singing" means little without a voice type, and "accents" means little without the list.
• Non-acting jobs on the page. Restaurant or office work belongs on a separate resume unless it was a performance job.
• Background work next to speaking roles. Once you have principal or co-star credits, drop most background and extra credits.

• Theatre Resume Example and Format Guide
• Dancer resume
• Musician Resume Example and Music Resume Format Guide
• Artist Resume Example and Writing Guide
• Writer Resume Example and Writing Guide (Freelance and Staff)

We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Actors (median hourly pay, education, outlook, number of jobs, auditions)
2. BYU Career Services: Guidelines for an Actor's Resume (8x10 size and attachment, section order, credit columns, film role types, training and special skills)
3. Actors' Equity Association: Join Equity (ways to join Equity, including Open Access)