Actor Or Actress

[Caribeing]

Always thought a male was an actor a female an actress now it seems to be all actors, was watching Sunday Brunch today and they said now we have actor Jemma Rooper and she was a female didn’t know her anyway but made me think has all my education etc been useless!

[Mamyalynne]

The word 'Actor' is not gender specific, never really has been.

[Eleena]

First reply here Caribeing ..
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Shopping/Celebrity-Style/Question1284163.html

[Caribeing]

According to Collins Dictionary Actor is defined as a man!

[Old_Geezer]

Been noticed that women don't like to identify as such and nick all the male titles for their own use. Guides are becoming scouts too.

[Mamyalynne]

actor
ˈaktə/Submit
noun
1.
a person whose profession is acting on the stage, in films, or on television.
synonyms: performer, player, trouper, theatrical, dramatic artist, thespian, member of the cast, artist, artiste; More
2.
a participant in an action or process.
"employers are key actors within industrial relations"

[fiction-factory]

I'm not sure how the actor/actress distinction came about.
I remember when we had managers and manageresses and waiters and waitresses still exist as separate entities, but we've never had doctors and doctoresses, for example

[dunnitall]

This is one of our pet hates!! Actor..male....actress ...female. How when they call some actresses an 'actor' can they then at an awards ceremony give an award to 'the best ACTRESS' or Actor? Crazy stuff.... Same as executor ...male...executrix..female. The world has gorn mad 'cept for thee n me lol.

All cringeworthy stuff in our house.... We prefer what we were taught.... Back in the day lol lol. I hope that doesn't come up as chortlesplutter because I put lol twice.... Argh

[Old_Geezer]

You should point out to them that their definition missed gender aspects. You may get a thank you letter in reply.

[dunnitall]

Carib....exactly as it should be IMO...the dictionary definition

[Eleena]

It is confusing.

[Mamyalynne]

If it bothers you it does, it hasn't ever bothered me much.

[fiction-factory]

I can see a case for distinguishing between actor and actress because it helps visualise the role/subject, especially if they have a name which is used by both genders (or is it sexes). But I see no need to use terms like executrix, manageress, headmistress or chairwoman, now.

[DarceyK123]

It's just another PC issue I think.

[bobbie22]

Similar thing .... Manager and manageress. The manager always seemed to be senior. Now its all manager, and I agree.

[Mamyalynne]

Terminology like fashions goes in cycles, this one is an excellent example.

//n the time of Shakespeare female roles were played by boys or men, and women did not appear on stage in England until after the Restoration of 1660. Female performers were then called either actors or actresses—it was only later that actor became restricted to men—and it seems that we are returning to the original situation. Although there is still an awards category at the Oscars called Best Actress, some people are again using the gender-neutral term actor for both sexes. //

[Calibax]

Similarly, we use to have poetesses and authoresses. Both seem very dated now.

[webbo3]

\\actress
noun
a woman who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, television broadcasts, etc., especially professionally.

Why do we never see a woman in the best actor category in the oscars.?

[THECORBYLOON]

Chambers Dictionary says, "actor noun a man or woman who performs in plays or films, especially as their profession. actorish or actorly adj affectedly theatrical. 
ETYMOLOGY: 16c; 14c, meaning 'agent': Latin, meaning 'doer'."

[andy-hughes]

It's simply the evolution of language, which happens all the time.

Some people refer to a hotel as an "'otel" - dropping the 'h'.

[THECORBYLOON]

A lot of folk use "blonde" for men and women rather than "blond" for a man.