How to Write an Actor CV

An actor's CV is unlike any other CV. It does not follow a chronological work history format. It does not list hobbies or references. Its job is to show a casting director or agent, at a glance, what you have done, what you can play, and what makes you useful. Getting the format right is essential.

What an Actor CV Is Not

Before covering what to include, it helps to understand what not to do. Common mistakes from actors new to the industry:

• Using a standard job-application CV format
• Including school subjects or non-acting work history
• Padding with irrelevant hobbies ("I enjoy reading and walking")
• Listing every amateur production you have ever appeared in
• Making it longer than one page

An actor's CV should fit on a single A4 page. No exceptions.

Standard UK Actor CV Structure

The accepted format for UK actor CVs, top to bottom:

1. Your Name

Large, at the top. This is your professional name — use it consistently across all materials.

2. Contact Details / Agent Information

If you have an agent, their contact details go here (not yours). If you are unrepresented, use your email address. Never put your home address or personal phone number on a CV you are distributing widely.

3. Physical Stats

Height, playing age range (not your actual age), hair colour, eye colour. Some actors include ethnicity if relevant. This section is brief — two lines at most.

4. Training

Drama school or other relevant training, listed with the institution name and qualification. If you trained at a well-known school (RADA, LAMDA, Guildhall, RSAMD, etc.), this section carries significant weight and should appear prominently.

5. Credits — by Category

This is the main body of the CV. Credits are grouped by medium, not listed chronologically:

• Television
• Film
• Theatre
• Commercial / Other

Within each category, use a three-column format:

Production Title   |   Role   |   Production Company / Director / Venue

List your most impressive credits first within each category, not the most recent. A small role in a major ITV production outranks a lead in a fringe show.

6. Skills

Only list skills you can genuinely perform to a professional standard. Common sections:

• Accents — list specific accents, not vague regions. "RP, Standard American, Scouse, Glasgow" is useful. "Various British and American accents" is not.
• Languages — fluent only. If you can order coffee in French, do not list French.
• Singing — voice type (soprano, baritone, etc.) and any musical training
• Musical instruments — list specific instruments you play to performance standard
• Sports and physical skills — horse riding, stage combat, gymnastics, specific dance styles
• Driving licence — UK full licence only if you have one

Formatting Guidelines

Keep it clean and easy to scan:

• Use a simple font — Times New Roman, Garamond, or a clean sans-serif. No script fonts.
• Keep font size at 10–12pt for body text
• Use consistent tab stops or a table to align the credit columns
• No photographs on the CV itself — the headshot is a separate document
• Save as PDF to preserve formatting when emailing

Keeping It Current

Update your CV after every professional credit. An out-of-date CV suggests an out-of-date career. When you get new footage, update both your showreel and your CV at the same time.

A Note on Lying

The industry is small. Inflated or invented credits will be checked. A casting director who discovers that your listed role in a major production was actually as a background extra — or did not happen at all — will not work with you again. Honesty is a long-term career investment.