[custom_adv] An actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is, literally "one who answers". [custom_adv] The actor's interpretation of their role—the art of acting—pertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. [custom_adv] Formerly, in ancient Greece and Rome, the medieval world, and the time of William Shakespeare, only men could become actors, and women's roles were generally played by men or boys. [custom_adv] After the English Restoration of 1660, women began to appear on stage in England. In modern times, particularly in pantomime and some operas, women occasionally play the roles of boys or young men. [custom_adv] Interpretation occurs even when the actor is "playing themselves", as in some forms of experimental performance art.
