5135-NOC

Actors and comedians

(NOC 5135)
Annual Earnings
$37,541
Typical Education Background
Degree
Job Openings
(2022-2032)
1,250

Career Overview

Actors and comedians:

  • Perform roles in motion picture, television, theatre and radio productions to entertain a variety of audiences
  • Work for motion picture, television, theatre and other production companies
  • This unit group includes acting teachers employed by private acting schools.

Duties

Actors and comedians:

  • Study and rehearse lines, gestures and expressions to interpret a role
  • Play roles in video or motion picture productions, television shows, theatre productions, radio dramas, commercials and other productions or perform the narration
  • Sing or dance as required by specific roles
  • Perform comedy acts in nightclubs alone or as members of comedy troupes
  • Improvise a role

Acting teachers:

  • Train students in interpretation of scripts, speech, movement and dramatic theory
  • Prepare acting students for specific auditions and performances

Earnings

Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.

Annual Earnings

$37,541

Provincial Hourly Rate

High$45.00/hr
Median$18.00/hr
Low$15.65/hr
Source: B.C. Labour Market Information Office, derived from 2022 Job Bank Wage data

Work Environment

# Workers Employed

2,500

% Employed Full Time

10%
Source: 2016 Census

Key aspects of the work in this occupation:

  • Work takes place in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings that include various weather and temperature conditions.
  • Workplaces may include hazardous locations or stunt work that pose safety risks.
  • Noise in the workplace may affect hearing.

Career Pathways

Career path information is not currently available.

Occupational Interests

It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.

For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.

Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:

Artistic
Artistic
Social
Social

Job Titles

Acting teacher - private or studio
Actor / actress - movie / TV / stage
Actor / actress - voice-over, narrator
Coach, diction / drama / voice
Comedian / comic / storyteller
Dramatic reader
Film dubber
Humorist
Performing arts extra
Standardized patient
Teacher, drama / dramatic arts

Education, Training and Skills

  • Demonstrated ability, based on an audition or previous acting roles, is an important hiring criteria.
  • Acting programs are offered at universities, colleges and private acting schools.
  • Acting teachers usually require experience as actors.
  • Membership in a guild or union may be required.

Education programs in B.C.

The following program areas are related to this occupation:

  • Drama/Theatre Arts Related
EducationPlannerBC Logo
Find out more information about programs offered specifically for this career.

Skills

Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.

Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.

See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!

Speaking

Talking to others to share information effectively.

70%
Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

69%
Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

68%
Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

66%
Instructing

Teaching others how to do something.

57%
Monitoring

Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

55%
Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

55%
Learning Strategies

Choosing and using training, instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

55%
Time Management

Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

51%
Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

50%

Labour Market Statistics

Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.

Employment

Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.

Employment

2,500
Source: 2016 Census

Employment by Region

Map of BC Map of Cariboo region Map of Kootenay region Map of Mainland/Southwest region Map of North Coast and Nechako region Map of Northeast region Map of Thompson-Okanagan region Map of Vancouver Island/Coast region
Cariboo
Kootenay
Mainland/Southwest
North Coast and Nechako
Northeast
Thompson-Okanagan
Vancouver Island/Coast
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Region Employment (2022) % Employment of this Occupation
Cariboo N/A 0.4%
Kootenay N/A 0.0%
Mainland/Southwest 2,780 92.2%
North Coast and Nechako N/A N/A
Northeast N/A 0.0%
Thompson-Okanagan 50 1.6%
Vancouver Island/Coast 170 5.8%
Source: 2016 Census and B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Labour Market Outlook

The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.

Forecasted Job Openings (2022-2032)

1,250
Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Forecasted Job Openings

Forecasted Employment Growth Rate

Composition of Job Openings

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Job Openings by Region (2022-2032)

Map of BC Map of Cariboo region Map of Kootenay region Map of Mainland/Southwest region Map of North Coast and Nechako region Map of Northeast region Map of Thompson-Okanagan region Map of Vancouver Island/Coast region
Cariboo
Kootenay
Mainland/Southwest
North Coast and Nechako
Northeast
Thompson-Okanagan
Vancouver Island/Coast
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Map label line
Region Job Openings Avg. Annual Employment Growth
Cariboo N/A N/A
Kootenay N/A N/A
Mainland/Southwest 1,180 2.4%
North Coast and Nechako N/A N/A
Northeast N/A N/A
Thompson-Okanagan 0 1.8%
Vancouver Island/Coast 90 1.1%
N/A: Data is not available for this region.
Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Industry Highlights

Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.

Forecasted Job Openings by Industry

IndustryJob Openings (2022-2032)
Information, Culture and Recreation57,300
Educational Services64,500
Retail Trade115,500
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services148,000
Public Administration49,200
For additional industry information, visit the Industry Profiles page.
Source: 2016 Census and B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Resources

Resource information is currently not available.