An actor (sometimes actress for female; see terminology) is a person who acts in a dramatic or comic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity. The ancient Greek word for an "actor," ὑποκριτής (hypokrites), means literally "one who interprets"; in this sense, an actor is one who interprets a dramatic character.

After 1660, when women first appeared on stage, actor and actress were initially used interchangeably for female performers, but later, influenced by the French actrice, actress became the usual term. The etymology is a simple derivation from actor with ess added. The word actor refers to a person who acts regardless of gender, and this term "is increasingly preferred", while actress refers specifically to a female person who acts. Actress "remains in general use", although in a survey of a "wide cross-section of current British English", compiled in 2010, actor was almost twice as commonly found as actress. Within the profession, however, the re-adoption of the neutral term dates to the 1950s–60s, the post-war period when women's contribution to cultural life in general was being re-evaluated.Actress remains the common term used in major acting awards given to female recipients.

Jonathan Pryce, CBE (born 1 June 1947) is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s. His work in theatre, including an award-winning performance in the title role of the Royal Court Theatre's Hamlet, led to several supporting roles in film and television. He made his breakthrough screen performance in Terry Gilliam's 1985 cult film Brazil.

Critically lauded for his versatility, Pryce has participated in big-budget films such as Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies, Pirates of the Caribbean and The New World, as well as independent films such as Glengarry Glen Ross and Carrington. His career in theatre has also been prolific, and he has won two Tony Awards—the first in 1977 for his Broadway debut in Comedians, the second for his 1991 role as "The Engineer" in the musical Miss Saigon.

Muhammad Javed, commonly known as Kodu, is a renowned comedian in Pakistan.^{[citation needed]} He rose to fame and is mostly known for his stage and theatrical performances. He has performed in more than 150 films and numerous stage and television plays. He has been a strong critic of vulgarity in stage dramas. He is very short in height and a dwarf, in fact the Kodu nickname attached to his name is a term used in Punjabi language for people with short height.

He started his career on stage in 1981. At the age of 13, he did his first film Soddey Baaz which included Pakistani superstars like Sultan Rahi, Nanha, and Ali Ijaz.

Mahmood Khan is a Pakistani born singer, song writer, sound engineer, music producer and film maker. Originally from Lahore, Khan was the first Pakistani national to achieve mainstream success within the Australia music industry.^{[citation needed]}

After moving to Los Angeles, America, in the late 1980's, Khan was employed as a second engineer at Jam Power, a music production house. Khan was employed at Jam Power for 12 years and was promoted to chief sound engineer and music producer. During this period Khan undertook the Seth Riggz voice training program to develop his voice. Khan also developed his song writing skills and was successful in entering several song writing contests in Hollywood.^{[citation needed]} Through his position at Jam Power, Khan was involved in producing music for developing artists, and his knowledge of the music industry subsequently increased.

In 1995 Khan released Fairytale, his first solo album in the US. The album was released on Khan's own record label. Whilst Fairytale was not a commercial success, it attracted the attention of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who approached Khan in 1997 to propose a collaboration.^{[citation needed]}