Actor
Actors build a character from a script and perform it for an audience, on stage or in front of a camera.
- 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
- 3 out of 10
- Average hours
- 43/wk
+3h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
- The work spans theatre, film, television, commercials and voiceover, and most actors piece together short contracts across several of them in a year.
- Jobs are short contracts, so a typical year mixes performing with auditions, self-tapes and other work that fits around shooting schedules.
- No licence or registration is needed to act, but professional castings are hard to reach without training, an agent and a showreel.
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.
What you earn moves with the kind of production you are in and how long the contract runs: a guest role on a series, a commercial, a stage season and a voiceover session are all paid on different terms. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance sets minimum rates for many film, television and theatre productions, while fringe and independent work often pays little or nothing. Ask the producer whether the fee is a flat payment for the whole engagement or includes repeats, streaming and overseas screenings, and check what your agent's commission comes out of.
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 pulling a script apart to work out what your character wants in each scene
- Filming self-tapes at home and attending castings, often several times between paid jobs
- Rehearsing scenes with a director and other actors before a shoot or an opening night
- Repeating a take until the director is happy, then waiting while lighting, sound and camera are reset
- Keeping your voice, movement and dialect skills sharp with classes between contracts
What skills do actors need?
Employers look for performance and stagecraft, backed by Video recording equipment fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Performance and stagecraft
Software and tools
- Video recording equipment
- Acting method frameworks
- Audition platforms
General skills
- Written communication
- Problem solving
- Empathy and interpersonal care
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.
- 1Perform wherever you can
School productions, community theatre, extra work and student films give you the credits and footage that agents and casting directors want to see. You don't need formal training to start here.
- 2Train at a drama school or university
A three-year acting degree at a university or a national drama school, or a diploma at a private school, is the main route into professional work, and entry is by audition. Shorter courses exist for people who already have performance experience.
- 3Build a showreel and find an agent
Agents see casting briefs before they become public, so most screen and commercial work reaches actors through them. You'll need a short reel of screen footage and a professional headshot before one will take you on, and they take commission from your fees.
- 4Join the union
Membership of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance gives you access to the minimum rates and conditions negotiated for film, television and theatre productions, which helps when you're weighing up a contract.
- 5Keep other income and keep training
Contracts are short, so a flexible job that lets you take time off for a shoot covers the gaps between them. Voice, dialect and movement classes between jobs keep you ready for the next audition.
Study that can help
No set qualification is needed for this role in our data. These qualifications are not required, but the study can help.
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)Bachelor degree
Gives studio training in acting technique, voice and movement, the skills actors keep practising.
Prefer something shorter?
A short course can build some of these skills without a full qualification. These aren't accredited, and we don't rank or recommend providers: compare a few before you commit.
Performing arts
Search on CourseraSearch on UdemySearch on LinkedIn Learning
These are ordinary links to each provider's own site. We don't currently earn anything from them.
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.
- EntertainerRecorded move$59,800−$28,200
- TutorSuggested move$130,900+$42,900
- Video ProducerSuggested move$93,600+$5,600
- Theatre DirectorSuggested move$85,800−$2,200
Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.
| 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 | 15% | reskill |
Video Producer Actors bring performance insight, storytelling and on-set experience to producing, needing minimal extra training in production logistics. | +$5,600 | 5% | reskill |
Theatre Director Actors bring stagecraft, rehearsal experience and script analysis to theatre directing, with a short course in direction. | −$2,200 | 7% | reskill |
Film and Television Director Actors bring script interpretation, storytelling and performance knowledge to directing, with short course study in screen direction. | −$7,400 | 10% | reskill |
Entertainer Actors bring characterisation, voice and stagecraft to broader entertainment work, though they may need to broaden their repertoire.Known move | −$28,200 | 31% | 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?
Your week rarely looks the same twice. One month you might be on set at dawn, waiting through lighting resets for a two-minute scene, the next you're in a rehearsal room five days a week, and the month after that you're back in a day job while you send out self-tapes. The uncertainty is the hardest thing to live with: work arrives in short contracts with long gaps between them, and nobody can tell you when the next one lands. If working out what a character wants appeals to you and rejection as a routine doesn't put you off, the performing itself is absorbing.
What people like
- Working out what makes a character tick. You take a scene apart with the director and the other actors, and the choices you make change how the whole thing plays.
- The buzz of a live audience. In theatre you feel the room respond in the same breath as you deliver a line, and you can adjust your performance night by night.
- Every contract is a different job. A period drama one month, a commercial the next, then a voice session for an animated series, each with a new cast and crew.
- Seeing the finished work. A screening, a broadcast or an opening night gives you something concrete after weeks of preparation.
What people find hard
- Auditions take up more time than performing. Self-tapes and castings fill the weeks between contracts, and the preparation is usually unpaid.
- Income arrives in lumps. A contract lasts weeks or months, so you might earn well through a season and then have nothing booked for a quarter.
- Long days with little to do. On set you can be called at dawn and spend hours waiting while lights and camera positions are set for a short scene.
- Rejection with no explanation. You rarely hear why a role went to someone else, which makes it hard to know what to change next time.
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?
Low exposure. Unlikely. AI will change some of the work around this job, not the job itself.
Actors sit at the low end of the range for AI exposure, and the reason is in the work itself: a performance built with a director in a rehearsal room or on a set is not something the current tools generate alone. Digital doubles and de-ageing have taken over some crowd and background shots, and voice cloning now covers some narration and commercial reads. Starting a career now, the practical move is to get comfortable filming and editing your own self-tapes and to learn how virtual production stages work, because those skills turn up in screen castings.
How a typical week splits
- Background and crowd work15% of the week
Digital crowd replication and de-ageing have replaced some extras and doubles on large productions.
- Auditioning and self-tapes20% of the week
Casting platforms now sort and shortlist self-tape submissions, though the performance on the tape is still yours.
- Voiceover and narration20% of the week
Synthetic voices handle pickups, audiobook narration and some commercial reads, while character work in animation generally still goes to actors.
- Performing on stage and on set45% of the week
The live exchange between actors, and the response of an audience or a director, is the element the tools can't reproduce.
How we work this out
We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.
Common questions about becoming an actor
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do actors earn?
Full-time actors earn a median of $88,000 per year before tax, and the spread around that figure is wide because work comes in short contracts. A stage season, a recurring screen role and a run of commercials pay on very different terms, so treat the annual figure as a midpoint. When you're offered a job, ask whether repeats, streaming and overseas screenings are covered by the fee.
How do you become an actor?
Get in front of people as often as you can, then train. A three-year acting degree at a drama school or university is one route into professional work, and plenty of actors start in community theatre and student film and pick up training later. What casting directors look at first is a strong showreel and a set of credits.
Are actors in demand in Australia?
Actors are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 11.7% over the decade to 2035. Growth in the numbers employed doesn't change how casting works, since most jobs are filled through agents and casting directors, so being on their books matters more than applying cold. Keep your reel current and stay in touch with the people who cast you.
Will AI replace actors?
Not the performing itself, but it already covers some of the work around it. Digital doubles fill in for background crowds, and synthetic voices are used for narration and commercial pickups, so the tasks most at risk are the ones that never involved much acting. A strong screen presence and experience on virtual production sets are the best protection.
What else can actors move into?
Directing on stage or screen draws on the script analysis and rehearsal room experience you already have, and the technical side is usually picked up in a short course. Producing video work uses your on-set knowledge and pays $5,600 more, while moving into entertainment more broadly pays $28,200 less and calls for a wider repertoire of skills. Each move takes you away from performing, so try a short directing or producing project before committing to it.
Do you need an agent to get acting work?
Not to start, since community theatre, student films and extras agencies take people without one. Once you're aiming at screen and commercial castings, most briefs go to agents first, and you'll need a showreel and a professional headshot before one will take you on. Agents work on commission, so they take a cut of what you earn.
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