Actress vs background actor

The differences between actresses and background actors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a background actor has an average salary of $52,647, which is higher than the $48,747 average annual salary of an actress.

The top three skills for an actress include music videos, photo shoots and on-camera. The most important skills for a background actor are production assistants, CSI, and tv show.

Actress vs background actor overview

	Actress	Background Actor
Yearly salary	$48,747	$52,647
Hourly rate	$23.44	$25.31
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	2,661	302
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

Actress vs background actor salary

Actresses and background actors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Actress	Background Actor
Average salary	$48,747	$52,647
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $98,000	Between $24,000 And $112,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between actress and background actor education

There are a few differences between an actress and a background actor in terms of educational background:

	Actress	Background Actor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Theatre	Communication
Most common college	-	-

Actress vs background actor demographics

Here are the differences between actresses' and background actors' demographics:

	Actress	Background Actor
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0%	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between actress and background actor duties and responsibilities

Actress example responsibilities.

Check the appearance of costumes on stage or under lights to determine whether desire effects are being achieve.
Learned and perform various improv games.
Edit actor's videos with iMovie.
Teach children fundamentals of drama and theater.
Organize and complete IEP forms for gift students.
Work as an ensemble member in an improv show.

Background actor example responsibilities.

Act in productions and lead performing arts and drama workshops for local schools and organizations.
Work with other crewmembers responsible for lighting, costumes, makeup, and props.
Self-Start as an actor and performer in various comedy, drama and horror films and television shows.
Content include radio, television and Internetadvertisements, video games and documentaries.
Model Ferragamo, Armani, Versace.

Actress vs background actor skills

Common actress skills

Music Videos, 16%
Photo Shoots, 10%
On-Camera, 8%
Improv, 6%
Body Movements, 6%
Comedy, 6%

Common background actor skills

Production Assistants, 18%
CSI, 15%
TV Show, 12%
ABC, 11%
Body Movements, 9%
Feature Film, 8%

Zippia Careers
Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Industry
Actress
Actress vs Background Actor

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs