"A character actor is an actor who mostly plays unusual or eccentric characters. Some character actors have distinctive voices or accents that limit their roles, while others develop careers because of specific talents that are required in genre films, such as dancing, horsemanship or, swimming ability.
The earliest known use of the term character actor is in the 9 November 1883 edition of The Stage, which defined it 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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