How to Make an Acting Resume: 3 Acting Resume Tips

An acting resume is a one-page summary of a performer’s professional acting jobs and training. Resumes operate similarly to cover letters; they let performers detail their work history and acting career on one page of text. Agents use resumes to secure their clients auditions for acting roles. Actors update their resumes when they win accolades, change their contact information, and land new roles.

Actors typically email their resume to a casting office and hand the printed sheet to casting directors upon securing and arriving at an audition. Actors secure their headshot to the backside of the printed, one-page resume.

When following a standard acting resume template, there are a few critical bits of information to include:

1. 1. Name: Most important on your resume is your stage name—the name you go by professionally in the business. This should be in a larger typeface and right up top. Keep the font type on your resume consistent and clear—a clean font such as Arial or Times New Roman will work nicely, and if the rest of your resume is in 12-point size, your name can go up to size 16 or 20.
2. 2. Contact information: Just underneath your name should be your contact information, including your cell phone number and email address. If you have an agent, include your representation’s contact information.
3. 3. Physical description: While your full-color headshot will attach to the back of your resume, you should still list your eye color, hair color, weight, and height on your resume, along with your pronouns.
4. 4. Acting credits: Your acting credits will take up the majority of your resume. Sort your credits by artistic medium—theater, film, and television. In general, lead with whichever section is most relevant to the given audition. For example, for TV show auditions, your on-camera work should come first: TV, film, then theater. You can follow a familiar template for your acting credits and list the project, character’s name, and production company (for theater) or distribution company (for film and television) in three columns. Lead with the most recent project, working backward.
5. 5. Awards: You can list any notable awards in parentheses next to the award-winning role or production.
6. 6. Training: You can title this section “Training” or “Education.” Here, you can list the schools you studied at (with your degrees, such as MFA or BFA) and the specific instructors you learned from, breaking down what you studied with each person (for example, acting classes, improvisation, movement, or voice-over work).
7. 7. Special skills: At the very bottom of your resume you can list specific skills that may be seen as advantageous to directors. These may include accents you’ve perfected, foreign languages you are fluent in, or dance styles you can confidently execute.

No matter if you are auditioning in Hollywood or for Broadway, the goal with a resume is to have your acting experience catch the attention of casting directors. As such, keep the below in mind:

1. 1. Lead into your strengths. No two resumes will look the same; a general structure may unite different resumes, but you can customize yours to your strengths. For your special skills, list the most impressive or unique ones first. If you have worked with notable directors, include their names in the same row as the plays, shows, or films you list. Just be consistent: If you list directors for larger projects, also include them for smaller ones.
2. 2. Include any union affiliations. If you are a member of SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) or AEA (Actors’ Equity Association), name those unions on your resume. It will show directors that you are a professional and take your occupation seriously.
3. 3. Keep your headshot up to date. It is important that your headshot reflects how you currently look. Get new headshots every few years so that casting directors in theater and filmmaking can reference your resume and immediately get a sense of who you are. Some actors will have different headshots on hand to show their range—smiling photographs for comedies or upbeat projects and more serious ones for dramas or heavier scripts.

Even if you don’t have a wealth of experience, your resume should still showcase your abilities. Fill your resume with smaller or older projects—you might include classes taken, short films or student films you’ve worked on, even college or high school shows. You can also list out classes you’ve taken, and you can amplify your special skills section with relevant information also found on professional acting resumes—languages spoken, cooking abilities, and any musical instruments you play can all be listed.

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