A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or peculiarities". The earliest example of character actor cited by the OED derives from the 9 November 1883 edition of The Stage, which defined the term as "one who portrays individualities and eccentricities, as opposed to the legitimate actor who endeavours to create the rôle as limned by the author".
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Famous quotes containing the words character and/or actor:
“But the wise know that foolish legislation is a rope of sand, which perishes in the twisting; that the State must follow, and not lead the character and progress of the citizen; the strongest usurper is quickly got rid of; and they only who build on Ideas, build for eternity; and that the form of government which prevails, is the expression of what cultivation exists in the population which permits it.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)