An Actors Resume is Your Professional Calling Card

Along with your 8x10 photo, your actors resume can be a powerful tool to help you get your next acting gig. It is the calling card that youll leave behind with any potential producers, directors or casting agents that provides them with all your pertinent contact information, training and experience. This means you want your actors resume to always look professional. After all, isnt that how you want to represent yourself?

At the top of your actors resume should be your name and contact information. This should be formatted into a banner type of headline. It is not necessary to include a home address but you want to make sure that whatever phone number or e-mail address you might use is current and working. You dont want to miss that important call! Along with your contact information at the top of your actors resume include any union affiliation or agent and management representation. These can go either directly under your name or in a column on either side. Below your name, list your physical attributes such as height, hair and eye color.

In the main body of your actors resume you should list your performing credits and experience. This can be done in three columns listing the title of the show then your role then the place or production company that produced the show. For movie and theatre credits you can list specific roles. For television you could either be a guest star, recurring or featured. You should also make the distinction between theatre and film by giving them separate categories.

Beneath your performing experience you should then list your training and education. This should be what is pertinent to your career. If you went to Columbia and majored in law it really wouldnt matter on an actors resume. Although you can and should list any degree you earned.

Below the education section you should list any skills you might have such as being proficient in dialects, dance styles or any other athletic abilities like skateboarding or juggling. Keep in mind that you might be called upon right on the spot to perform any one of those abilities so you better know how!

Your actors resume should fit onto one page. Ideally this should be attached to the back of your photo either by staples or printed directly onto the paper stock. Dont let a lack of experience stop you from building a resume. Each credit has value but you shouldnt fabricate roles because you never know who you might be auditioning for. And if you have new additions, dont scribble them out with a pen. Make a quality update. As mentioned above, your actors resume is a representation of your professionalism. Dont leave any room for doubt!