How to Become an Actor
Play characters on stage, on screen and in voice work, from auditions through rehearsal and performance. It typically requires a some college, no degree, with a median salary of Varies per year and slower than average projected job growth.
Median pay
Varies/yr
Job growth
Slower than average
Openings / yr
6,300
Majors that lead here
Key skills
- Acting Technique
- Memorization
- Improvisation
- Collaboration
Related careers
- Art Director$114,850 median
- Animator / Special Effects Artist$102,030 median
- Industrial Designer$83,910 median
- Fashion Designer$80,960 median
- Editor$77,920 median
- Writer / Author$76,910 median
Frequently asked questions
How much does an Actor make?
Pay for an Actor varies widely, and the BLS does not publish a single national median for this role. What you earn depends on experience, location, and whether you work for an employer or yourself.
What degree do you need to become an Actor?
The usual entry point is a some college, no degree. Common majors are Theater Arts and Film and Media Production.
Is Actor a growing field?
Projected job growth for this role from 2024 to 2034 is slower than average (BLS projections via O*NET), with roughly 6,300 U.S. openings a year.
What skills does an Actor use most?
Common skills for this role are Acting Technique, Memorization, Improvisation, and Collaboration.
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Take the major quizWhere these pay figures come from
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.
Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).