actor

Noun

1. Someone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant.
2. Someone acting on behalf of someone else; a guardian.
3. Someone or something that takes part in some action; a doer, an agent.
   • A man may be principal in an offence in two degrees. A principal, in the first degree, is he that is the actor, or absolute perpetrator of the crime; and, in the second degree, he who is present, aiding, and abetting...
   • Never, my dear Bethel, did the most feverish dreams of fiction produce scenes more painful, or more terrific, than the real events to which I have been an actor, since the date of my last letter. - 1792, Charlotte...
   • Mr. Clay had been too prominent an actor in public affairs to allow whig deception and misrepresentation a fair opportunity for successful action. - 1852 February 8, “Reminiscences”, in The Daily Union (Washington),...
4. A person who acts a part in a theatrical play or (later) in film or television; a dramatic performer.
   • Seems like everyone's an actor / Or they're an actor's best friend / I wonder what was wrong to begin with / That they should all have to pretend - 1991, Ani DiFranco, “Anticipate”, in Not So Soft:
   • Exactly. Marijuana is something we just all gradually decided is okay, like Mark Wahlberg as a serious actor. “You know what? Sure, I’ve decided I’m fine with that.” - 2017 April 2, “Marijuana”, in Last Week Tonight...
   • "I'm an actress -- actor, as we have to say these days." - 2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 88:
5. An advocate or proctor in civil courts or causes.
6. The subject performing the action of a verb.
7. The entity that performs a role (in use case analysis).