Actor
Actors bring written characters to life on stage and screen, using voice, movement and interpretation to make a script believable.
- Median salary
- $88,000
4.5%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 1,500
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +11.7%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 43/wk
+3h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Actors work across theatre, film, television, commercials and voiceover, and most piece together short contracts from several of these rather than holding one job. The role sits close to casting, so a working actor spends as much time preparing self-tapes, auditioning and keeping up contacts as performing. Larger productions bring directors, casting directors and crew alongside them, while fringe theatre and independent film are often organised by the performers themselves.
How much do actors earn?
The median full-time salary for an actor is $88,000 per annum, before tax, up $18,700 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on the kind of work: screen and television roles under union agreements have set minimum rates by category, commercials and voiceover can pay well for a short booking, and small theatre companies sometimes pay very little. Because most actors work project to project, annual earnings reflect how many contracts someone strings together rather than a steady rate across the year.
What does an actor do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Learning lines and breaking a script down to work out what a character wants in each scene
- Auditioning, in a casting room or as a self-tape filmed at home, often several times between jobs
- Rehearsing scenes with a director and other actors before a shoot or an opening night
- Repeating a take or a scene until the director is satisfied, then waiting while lighting and camera are reset
- Keeping voice, movement and dialect skills in shape with classes and practice between contracts
What skills do actors need?
Employers look for creative software production, content creation and writing, visual design, backed by Script analysis software fluency and strong presenting and data storytelling.
Specialist skills
- Creative software production
- Content creation and writing
- Visual design
Software and tools
- Script analysis software
- Video recording equipment
- Acting method frameworks
- Audition platforms
- Stage lighting systems
General skills
- Presenting and data storytelling
- Written communication
- Problem solving
- Empathy and interpersonal care
- Stakeholder management
Is the job growing?
About 1,500 people work as actors in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 11.7% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become an actor?
Here's the path most actors take, step by step.
- 1Train in a recognised acting program
A three-year bachelor degree at a drama school such as NIDA, WAAPA or the Victorian College of the Arts is the most established route in Australia, and entry is by audition. Shorter full-time courses and part-time studio training are alternatives, particularly for people who come to acting later or from another career.
- 2Build a body of credits
Student films, community theatre, fringe festival productions and extras work all count when you are starting out. Casting directors and agents look for a range of roles you have actually played, which is why many actors take unpaid or low-paid work early to get footage and stage time.
- 3Prepare a showreel and headshots, then look for an agent
An agent submits you for castings and negotiates fees in exchange for a commission on booked work, and most will only take on actors they have seen on screen or stage. A short showreel, current headshots and a clear list of credits are what they ask for first.
- 4Join the union and keep training
Membership of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance gives access to industry agreements, minimum rates and support on set, and it covers screen, stage and voice work. Ongoing classes in screen technique, voice or movement are common throughout a career, since casting decisions turn on skills that need regular use.
Ready to apply as an actor?
Whether you're working toward becoming an actor or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an actor move to?
Moving into Tutor typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $42,900 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutor Actors bring communication, confidence and creative subject knowledge to tutoring, often while continuing performance work, with reskilling in education. | +$42,900 | 10% | reskill |
| Video Producer Actors bring performance insight, storytelling and on-set experience to producing, needing minimal extra training in production logistics. | +$5,600 | 61% | minimal |
| Theatre Director Actors bring stagecraft, rehearsal experience and script analysis to theatre directing, with a short course in direction. | −$2,200 | 50% | short course |
| Film and Television Director Actors bring script interpretation, storytelling and performance knowledge to directing, with short course study in screen direction. | −$7,400 | 58% | short course |
| Entertainer Actors bring characterisation, voice and stagecraft to broader entertainment work, though they may need to broaden their repertoire.Known move | −$28,200 | 44% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an actor?
The typical actor is 36 years old; 51% are men, 29% work full-time, and full-timers average 43 hours a week.
- 36
- Median age
- 49%
- Female share
- 29%
- Full-time
- +3h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an actor?
The rhythm of the job is uneven: an intense rehearsal or shoot period, then weeks or months of auditions, classes and unpaid preparation. Actors tend to enjoy the problem-solving of building a character and the company of a cast and crew, and accept that rejection and financial uncertainty come with the work. It suits people who stay curious about other people and keep working on their craft when there is no role to prepare for.
What people like
- Working out how a character thinks. Finding the voice, posture and habits of someone else, and testing those choices in a rehearsal room or on set, is the part of the job actors describe as the most absorbing.
- The company of a cast and crew. Rehearsal rooms and film sets are collaborative places, and a good company can make long days and difficult material genuinely enjoyable.
- Variety between projects. A theatre season, a television shoot and a voiceover session ask for different skills and different working conditions, so the work rarely settles into a routine.
- Performing in front of an audience. Live theatre gives immediate feedback that screen work cannot, and each performance changes slightly with the crowd in the room.
What people find hard
- The audition never stops. Even experienced actors self-tape regularly, and most auditions do not lead to a role, so rejection is a routine part of the week rather than an occasional setback.
- Income arrives in lumps. Contracts are short and the gaps between them are unpaid, so budgeting around irregular work and keeping a second source of income are common.
- Long waits around short bursts of work. Film and television days involve early starts, hours of hair, makeup and lighting set-up, and repeated takes for a few minutes of usable footage.
- Being cast to type. Decisions often turn on age, appearance and accent as much as ability, which can narrow the roles available at different points in a career.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ actors?
Arts and Recreation Services employs the largest share of actors, followed by Information Media and Telecommunications.
Top employing industries
- 1Arts and Recreation Services
- 2Information Media and Telecommunications
- 3Education and Training
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 40.9% | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 12 or below | 24.8% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 17.6% | |
| Postgraduate | 8.5% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 5.4% |
Will AI replace actors?
Much of an actor's work is not exposed to AI, because a performance depends on a body and a voice in a room, reacting in real time to other performers and to a director. The technology that does reach the job sits mainly in post-production and casting logistics, such as digital de-ageing, digital doubles, voice cloning and the platforms used to sort self-tape auditions. Union agreements now cover the use of digital replicas of performers, and those terms are still developing.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Performing on stage and on setLive presence, timing with other actors and the physical detail of a scene are what audiences watch, and they cannot be produced from a script alone.55%low
- Showreels, biographies and self-promotionEditing tools can cut a showreel or draft a biography quickly, and that admin has become a larger part of a working actor's week between jobs.20%moderate
- Auditioning and self-tapingCasting platforms increasingly use software to sort and shortlist tapes, so the tape still has to be shot and performed, but fewer people may watch it before a decision.15%moderate
- Learning lines and breaking down scriptsLine-learning apps and AI script summaries can speed up preparation, but the reading of why a character behaves a certain way is still the actor's own.10%moderate
Common questions about becoming an actor
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do actors earn?
The median full-time actor earns $88,000 per year before tax. Earnings swing widely with the type of work, since union screen rates, commercial bookings and small theatre productions pay very differently, and most actors work project to project rather than year-round.
How do you become an actor?
Most working actors train first, either at a drama school or through part-time studio courses, and then build credits in student films, community theatre and fringe productions. From there the usual step is a showreel, headshots and an agent who submits you for castings. There is no registration or licence, so the pathway is about training, credits and contacts rather than a formal qualification.
Are actors in demand?
Actors are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 11.7% over the decade to 2035. With about 1,500 people in the occupation, the numbers are small, and most work sits in screen production and in theatre companies based in the larger cities.
Will AI replace actors?
The core of the job is not easily automated, because a performance depends on a person in the room reacting in real time to other actors and to a director. The technology that does reach the work sits mainly in post-production and casting logistics, including digital doubles, voice cloning and the software that sorts self-tape auditions. Union agreements now set terms for digital replicas of performers, and those terms are still being worked out.
What other jobs can actors do?
Actors and entertainers move in both directions, since live audience work draws on much the same stagecraft. Actors also move into directing for stage or screen, using script interpretation and rehearsal experience, or into video production, which pays $5,600 more. Tutoring in drama or a related subject is another common way to earn between roles; it pays $42,900 more and usually needs some study in education.
Do you need a degree to become an actor?
No formal qualification is required, and actors enter the work through drama school, short courses, community theatre or screen extra work. A Bachelor degree is the most common qualification among people already working as actors, held by 41%, but what gets someone cast is the work they can show.
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