Character actor and his roles on stage. Character actor is What is a character actor

A distinction was made between actors playing character and semi-character ( demi-caractère) roles in comedies, petty-bourgeois dramas and melodramas (Tragedy required a sublimely abstract, non-domestic manner of acting). The development of realistic trends in the European theater of the 19th century led to the need to put any character in connection with the environment, era, and social life. Actors, striving for artistic truth, looked for social, historical, and everyday characteristics in all the types they portrayed. Among the largest Russian character actors late XVIII - early XIX centuries, A. M. Krutitsky, S. N. Sandunov, A. E. Ponomarev, A. A. Pomerantsev and others should be highlighted. M. S. Shchepkin is typical in the tragic role of the Baron (“The Miserly Knight” by A. S. Pushkin), V. V. Samoilov - in the role of King Lear. L.P. Nikulina-Kositskaya - in the role of Katerina (“The Thunderstorm”). In all these cases, the characteristic was not only external, but also internal: it colored the psychology of the character, his aspirations and feelings. A. E. Martynov in the “characteristic” role of Tikhon (“The Thunderstorm”) and P. M. Sadovsky in the role of Lyubim Tortsov (“Poverty is not a vice”) and others went beyond this role and deepened their play to a tragic sound. Realism, in fact, eliminated this role, and in this sense, K. S. Stanislavsky said that character must be present in every image, including the hero and lover. IN modern theater, concept character actor It is often used only to emphasize the dominant feature of the actor’s creative individuality.

In cinema

American film critics often note that character actors Always are minor characters. Professor Ira Koenigsberg defines a character actor in the Complete Dictionary of Cinematography: “A character actor is an artist who specializes in minor roles clearly expressed and often humorous content.” As noted by the famous American film critic David Thomson, a character actor can play any role in a film, with the exception of the main one. The range of such roles for a character actor, according to Thomson, begins with the roles of the main characters(while not being decisive, key characters) and ends with roles a la “appeared in the frame and immediately fell dead” (in American film criticism similar characters commonly called "red shirts").

Character actor career

Theater and film critic Michael Anderegg notes the difference between a character actor and a film or television star, which is that an actor embodies a role, while a star embodies myself in one role or another.

There are several reasons why many actors choose character roles. It is much easier to audition for a supporting role than to get a leading role in a film or TV series. Most films only have between one and three main heroes, and there are usually more secondary characters. Also important type actor, according to which he gets the role: actors Dennis Hopper and Steve Buscemi achieved fame playing a lot of villain roles in films, and Jane Lynch, Melissa McCarthy, Lisa Kudrow and Cloris Leachman became known for their roles of eccentric women.

The Path to Leading Roles

Some actors who started out playing character roles eventually achieved fame in leading roles. These include Kathy Bates, who played her first main role in 1990 in the film “Misery” and after that she received a couple more leading roles, and also returned to the status of an episode actress. Whoopi Goldberg, Fran Drescher, Angela Lansbury, Heath Ledger, Felicity Huffman, David Carradine, Sean Connery, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, Meryl Streep, Donald Sutherland, Jodie Foster, Dana Delaney, Maggie Smith, Tim Roth, Laurence Olivier also in different years After character roles, they achieved success by playing leading roles.

see also

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Notes

1. Character actor // Theater Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. P. A. Markov. - M.: State. scientific publishing house "Sov. Encyclopedia", 1967. - T. 5. - P. 579.
2. Litosova M.K. Professional speech of an actor and director: terminological and non-terminological phrases: tutorial for students of theater universities. - M.:, 1989. - P. 99. - 208 p.
3. Romanovsky I. I. Character actor // Mass media: dictionary of terms and concepts. - M.: Union of Journalists of Russia, 2004. - P. 400. - 477 p. - ISBN 5-8982-3050-5.
4. Dubrovskaya O. N. Character actor // . - M.: OLMA-PRESS Education, 2002. - P. 290. - 320 p. - 5 thousand, copies. - ISBN 5-94849-106-4.
5. Chisholm, Hugh. Character actor // The Encyclopaedia Britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information (English). - 11th edition. - N.Y.: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910. - Vol. V. - P. 856.
6. Konigsberg, Ira. Character actor // The Complete Film Dictionary (English). - 2nd Ed. - N.Y.: Penguin Reference, 1997. - 469 p. - ISBN 0-670-10009-9.
7. Arnheim, Rudolf. In Praise of Character Actors // / Edited by Pamela Robertson Wojcik. - N. Y.: Routledge, 2004. - P. 205. - 240 p. - (In focus). - ISBN 0-415-31024-5.
8. Stein, Ben (April 8, 1996). "". New York Magazine(New York Media, LLC) 29 (14): 44. ISSN.
9. Anderegg, Michael. Cameos, Guest Stars and Real People // / Edited by Laurence Goldstein, Ira Konigsberg. - Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1996. - P. 155. - 338 p. - ISBN 0-472-06640-4.

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Books

• Tricky game, Alves Katya, Fraulein Adele behaves very suspiciously. This is extremely uncharacteristic of her. She completely stopped going to the general gathering of the Super Secret Gang of Fluffies and is constantly in a hurry to get somewhere. Maybe… Category: Fairy tales by foreign writers Series: Publisher: Willie Winky Editorial,
• Tricky game, Katya Alves, Marta Valmaseda, Editorial team "Willy Winky" presents! Fraulein Adele is behaving very suspiciously. This is extremely uncharacteristic of her. She completely stopped attending the general gathering of the Super Secret Gang of Fluffies and... Category: For children Series: Super Secret Fuzzy Gang Publisher: PUBLISHING HOUSE AST, Manufacturer:

The essence of the term is more succinctly defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica, according to which a character actor is an actor who plays bright roles.

From the history of the theater

In cinema

American film critics often note that character actors Always are minor characters. Professor Ira Koenigsberg defines a character actor in the Complete Dictionary of Cinematography: “A character actor is an artist who specializes in supporting roles with a strong and often humorous content.” As noted by the famous American film critic David Thomson, a character actor can play any role in a film, with the exception of the main one. The range of such roles for a character actor, according to Thomson, begins with the roles of the main characters (who are not the decisive, key characters) and ends with roles a la “appeared in the frame and immediately fell dead” (in American film criticism, such characters are usually called “ Red Shirts").

Character actor career

Theater and film critic Michael Anderegg notes the difference between a character actor and a film or television star, which is that an actor embodies a role, while a star embodies myself in one role or another.

There are several reasons why many actors choose character roles. It is much easier to audition for a supporting role than to get a leading role in a film or TV series. Most films have only one to three main characters, and there are usually more supporting characters. Also important type actor, according to which he gets the role: actors Dennis Hopper and Steve Buscemi achieved fame playing a lot of villain roles in films, and Jane Lynch, Melissa McCarthy, Lisa Kudrow and Cloris Leachman became known for their roles of eccentric women.

The Path to Leading Roles

Some actors who started out playing character roles eventually achieved fame in leading roles. These include Kathy Bates, who played her first leading role in 1990 in the film “Misery” and after that received a couple more leading roles, and also returned to the status of an episode actress. Whoopi Goldberg, Fran Drescher, Angela Lansbury, Heath Ledger, Felicity Huffman, David Carradine, Sean Connery, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, Meryl Streep, Donald Sutherland, Jodie Foster, Dana Delaney, Maggie Smith, Tim Roth, Laurence Olivier also, in different years, after character roles, achieved success playing leading roles.

see also

Notes

1. Character Actor// Theater Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. P. A. Markov. - M.: State. scientific publishing house "Sov. Encyclopedia", 1967. - T. 5. - P. 579.
2. Litosova M.K. Professional speech of an actor and director: terminological and non-terminological phrases: a textbook for students of theater universities. - M.: , 1989. - P. 99. - 208 p.
3. Romanovsky I. I. Character Actor// Mass media: dictionary of terms and concepts. - M.: Union of Journalists of Russia, 2004. - P. 400. - 477 p. - ISBN 5-8982-3050-5.
4. Dubrovskaya O. N. Character Actor// Theater: Encyclopedia. - M.: OLMA-PRESS Education, 2002. - P. 290. - 320 p. - 5 thousand, copies. -

Full-blooded stage image, created by the talent of an actor, must fully possess both character and distinctiveness. What is the essence of these concepts? What are their similarities and differences? Translated from Greek, “character” is “minting”, “sign”. Indeed, character is the special characteristics that a person acquires while living in society. Just as the individuality of a person is manifested in the characteristics of mental processes (good memory, rich imagination, intelligence, etc.) and in temperament, it also reveals itself in character traits.

“Character is the inner essence of a person, the individual way of thinking and feeling. . Character is a set of stable individual characteristics of a person that develops and manifests itself in activity and communication. . Character traits are mostly formed in childhood and remain in a person, changing little, throughout his life. A person’s character is manifested not only in actions, in work, but also in human relationships. The concept of “character” for a long time included the “temperament” of a person, but in Lately These concepts are separated as being closest to each other in their content, but different in their expression. How does a person’s character differ from his temperament?

Human temperament is innate, while character is acquired.

Temperament is determined by the biological characteristics of the human body, and its character is determined by the social environment in which it lives and develops.

A person’s temperament determines his mentality and behavior, while character is the content of his actions (ethical, moral, etc.)

It is impossible, for example, to say about a person’s temperament that he is good or bad, while definitions are quite suitable for assessing character.

In relation to the description of a person’s temperament, the term “properties” is used, and in relation to character, the term “traits” is used (13.P.-432).

Character is expressed in character (stage). Characteristic - there is a way to reveal character, its external form. In modern performing arts These two concepts - character and distinctiveness - are inseparable and are considered as a single whole. These are not only the external features of the person being portrayed, but, first of all, his internal, spiritual makeup, which manifests itself in the special quality of the action performed by the actor on stage.

1.1. Unity of character and specificity

We call the special character of behavior characteristic of a given person or group of persons characteristic, meaning the unity of these two concepts. Once upon a time, K.S. Stanislavsky divided character into external and internal. Gradually he united them more and more. Indeed, it is difficult to understand a person’s external behavior without penetrating into his psychology. Any characteristic (stage) is both external and internal.

In the old theater, character roles were considered one of the varieties of numerous acting roles. Concern about creating character was characteristic only of character actors who were assigned roles based on age, genre, negative or comedic. Actors of other roles, for example, lovers, heroes, noble fathers and mothers, reasoners, etc., often dispensed with any character, showing on stage only their acting abilities or, rather, the usual cliches. As K.S. said Stanislavsky: “they do not need either characterization or transformation, because these persons adapt every role to themselves...” (16.-P. 214). Fighting against craft for the approval of the art of a living person on the stage K.S. Stanislavsky clearly expressed his attitude to the issue of character: “All artists without exception - creators of images - must transform and be characteristic. There are no uncharacteristic roles"(16.-P.224).

Unfortunately, many students during their studies, even professional theater actors, are often afraid to be funny and sharp-witted so as not to cause ridicule from their classmates and theater colleagues. The stupid habit of treating a character actor as a second-rate performer persists to this day and is, at the very least, surprising. It is my deep conviction that playing a character role, especially in an episode, is much more difficult than playing a large one. The actor playing the main role believes that everything is written in his role, and he does not have to suffer for a long time to play it. I must say that an actor who relies only on the role and the director is doomed to failure.

“Here is a plane flying,” said Russian director and actor M.N. Kedrov, - flies quickly, beautifully! But for it to fly, how many screws, wires, levers, tubes and all sorts of parts are needed. So the image will turn out when all the screws and nuts are screwed in, the tubes are adjusted, etc. And if this is not there, then there will be props, tricks - there is nothing there.” (7.-P.143.) Stage character arises from awareness of the internal foundations of the personality who must appear on stage, and then the external features of the role are born . A truly creative stage character is formed in the process of complex and deep interaction between the personality of the actor and the personality of the hero.

Relying on character when creating a stage image is necessary for all types of actors. But for the shyest actors, who think that their human personality is unstageable, it is especially necessary. Here’s how K.S. Stanislavsky wrote about it: “The image you are hiding behind can be created without makeup. No, you show me on your own behalf your features, no matter what, good or bad, but the most intimate, hidden, without hiding behind someone else’s image. Will you decide to do this? - Tortsov pestered me ( K.S. Stanislavsky).

It’s a shame,” I admitted, after thinking (Nazvanov).

And if you hide behind an image, then won’t you be ashamed?

Then I can, I decided.

You see! - Tortsov was delighted. - The same thing happens here as in a real masquerade...

Characteristics are the same mask that hides the human actor himself. In such a disguised form, he can expose himself to the most intimate and piquant spiritual details.”( 17.- P.223)

But we must not forget that characterization in itself, outside the concept of the performance, the creation of the desired stage image, the ultimate task and end-to-end action role, only harmful. This characteristic does not transform you, but only betrays you and gives you a reason for “breaking”, “self-showing”.

On stage, an actor should not portray feelings, but live them. M.A. Chekhov argued that “taking on” the characteristic features of another person gives the artist great creative joy. And since you can live only by your own, and not by other people’s sensations and feelings, it means that without spending your own human feelings and thoughts it is impossible to create a truthful image. The essence of acting is not only that the action performed by the actor is organic, but if it is devoid of individual characteristics inherent in the person being portrayed, then this is not art, but only approaches to it.

When creating character, actors often use additional elements. Make-up, wig, mustache, beard stickers, costume, thickness, props, etc., should only emphasize and complement the image embodied by the actor in action, and therefore are auxiliary means of expression. You can create a stage image without resorting to their help. And vice versa, let’s imagine an actor who, thanks to successfully found makeup and costume, is given a characteristic appearance, but if action is not found in the role, then this will rather be the achievement of the artist, not the actor.

The internal characteristic of the image, i.e. character, is created from the elements of the soul of the artist himself, who selects and combines them differently each time, extracting from himself everything that is necessary for the role he plays, and muting what contradicts it. And the feeling of inner character will tell the actor and external characteristic. In theoretical reasoning, for greater clarity, we often separate character from specificity. But this division, of course, is conditional - here there is an example of a dialectical With whom unity.

The first path is from internal to external . Character and distinctiveness mutually influence and complement each other, i.e. this relationship is two-way. When, when talking about form and content, we recognize the primacy of content, here too we recognize the primacy of character. We are dealing with stage character when an actor creates a more or less clearly defined personality on stage. It is a person with a whole set of different personal characteristics: how the character feels, how he thinks, what kind of biography he has, what actions distinguish him from others, what position he takes, what he fights for, etc.

The second way is from external to internal . Sometimes a simple external trick helps to find character. As an example, we can cite the words of Peter from the play “Forest” by A.N. Ostrovsky, who explains to his fiancée Aksyusha what needs to be done so that they are not recognized when escaping: “you closed one eye, and here you have a crooked one.” When asked by his students where to get material for characterization, K.S. Stanislavsky answered: “Let everyone obtain this external characteristic from himself, from others, from real and imaginary life, from intuition or from observations of himself or others, from life experience, from acquaintances, from paintings, engravings, drawings, books, stories, novels, or from a simple case - it doesn’t matter. Just with all these external searches, do not lose yourself internally.”(17.-P. 205).

Further, K.S. Stanislavsky writes: “It turned out to be unexpected for him (Arkady Nikolaevich) that for some reason, simultaneously with the lip trick, his body, legs, arms, neck, eyes and even his voice somehow changed their usual state and assumed the physical characteristic that matched the shortened lip and long teeth... This was done intuitively. And why? Yes, because, delving deeper into himself and listening to what was happening inside him, Arkady Nikolaevich noticed that in his psychology, against his will, a noticeable shift had occurred, which it was difficult for him to immediately understand. And further... the inner side was reborn from what was created external image, in accordance with it." (17.-P. 204)

There are actors who go from external to internal drawing and vice versa, each has their own approach to working on the image. That is why now, when we talk about the need for the closest attention to the problem of the stage image, we cannot dismiss a serious analysis of what character can give us on the path to transformation. “Characterism during transformation is a great thing. After all, if you don’t do anything with your body, voice, manner of speaking, walking, acting, if you don’t find a characteristic that matches the image, then, perhaps, you won’t convey the life of the human spirit...” (16.-P.201)

Physiologist P.V. Simonov claims that the nerve cells of the brain and the muscles of the human body are closely connected with each other. Even insignificantly small impulses in the human cerebral cortex respond in his muscles. An actor must know his body, its habits, mistakes, difficulties, like the alphabet. But there is also a reverse reaction: a person’s muscular activity affects his psyche. This, apparently, explains the influence of a person’s external appearance, behavior, and manners on his internal state, and characteristics on his character. But there is one danger here that I would like to warn students about. The development of external specificity through plasticity and its consolidation as the basis of specificity, as well as rational selection or overkill, impoverish the search for specificity. If I have adopted a characteristic gesture, intonation, manner of behavior, etc. from the outside, then the task is not to imitate, not to imitate this gesture, the intonation of the voice, but to pass them through myself, understand the nature of the borrowed characteristic and make hers with hers.

I will use an example from my own practice. While working on the role of the burgomaster in the play “Obsessed with Love” by F. Crommelynck, I did not get my first appearance on stage, on which the character (characterism) of this fussy character, frightened by the circumstances of the death of Mr. Dom, the richest man in this town, depended. In search of character, I had to try different devices - gait, manner of speaking, etc. Nothing helped. A feeling of helplessness came over me and turned into a fear of failure in the role. And here the director of the play A. Vorobyov came to the rescue. Losing patience, he jumped out of the wings, crouching and waving his arms in different sides like a chicken. There was laughter from the actors involved in this performance. Of course, it’s good when the actor himself finds and brings his own developments and devices that help find external character, but if the director offers a more interesting color, it’s better not to resist, but to enjoy the director’s find and proposal and make it your own. Having repeated after the director the gait he invented, the character of this person instantly appeared in me, the plasticity of the body, the way of communication and manner of speaking, and the “attachment” to the partners changed. It became easy and comfortable in the role. And longer is a matter of the actor’s technique.

Characteristic

And characteristic, -and I , -oh ; -ren , -rna , -rno .

1. (characteristic ).

Possessing pronounced, peculiar features.

Characteristic appearance.

His [the manager's] figure, on the contrary, had some kind of pleasant proportionality, even harmony, and was extremely characteristic. Grigorovich, Anton-Goremyka.

The displaying kosach takes a characteristic pose: its wings are lowered, its tail is fanned out, its neck is swollen, stretched forward and slightly tilted. Hunting calendar.

The whitish color of the massive crystalline rock [granite] both on the land surface and in the water is so characteristic that it is impossible to make a mistake. Arsenyev, In the mountains of Sikhote-Alin.

2. (characteristic ).

Inherent, characteristic of someone, something, constituting someone's. a peculiar feature, a distinctive feature.

From the window characteristic appearance Petersburg outskirts - roofs, vacant lots, courtyards, factory chimneys. Korolenko, History of my contemporary.

From artists you can learn to directly perceive the environment - a property characteristic of children. Paustovsky, Prose Poetry.

3. (characteristic ) only full f.

Peculiar to a certain people, era (about dancing).

Characteristic dances.

Marked by a pronounced social, everyday, external originality.

Characteristic roles. Character Actor (performing such roles).

4. (characteristic ). outdated And simple

Possessing character (in 2 meanings), a firm, strong will.

A proud, characterful, virtuous girl appeared. Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment.

- You are a smart and characterful woman. And if so, then you are no less in demand than Vasily. Nikolaev, Harvest.

Having an angry, hot-tempered, stubborn, etc. character.

Lev Stepanovich was a man of character; he did not consider it necessary to restrain himself. Herzen, Duty First.

- So he’s angry with you? - Oh, typical! It happened that he would start swearing - why? - unknown. A. Tarasov, Large animal.

Small academic dictionary. - M.: Institute of Russian Language of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Evgenieva A. P. 1957-1984.

Antonyms:

See what “characteristic” is in other dictionaries:

CHARACTERISTIC, characteristic, characteristic; characteristic, characteristic, typical. 1. (characteristic). Possessing sharply expressed, very noticeable features and traits. Characteristic figure. Characteristic clothes. 2. (characteristic). Clearly expressing character... ... Dictionary Ushakova

Cm … Synonym dictionary

Having his own distinctive features; colloquially: wayward, stubborn. Complete dictionary foreign words, which have come into use in the Russian language. Popov M., 1907. CHARACTER from the word character. a) Stubborn. b) Special. Explanation 25000... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

characteristic- and characteristic. In meaning “imperious, stubborn”, as well as in the speech of theater workers “about the role, artist, actress who embody in creativity a certain social psychological type"characteristic. She's very typical. Character roles in A. N.’s plays… … Dictionary of difficulties of pronunciation and stress in modern Russian language

I character actor adj. 1. ratio with noun character I 3., associated with it 2. Expressing a certain psychological type. II character actor adj. decomposition 1. ratio with noun character I 1. associated with it 2. Possessing a difficult character [... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova

Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

CHARACTERISTIC, oh, oh; ren, rna. 1. Stubborn, loving to do things his own way, with a difficult, wayward character (simple). X. man. 2. characteristic role same as a character role. II. CHARACTERISTIC, oh, oh; ren, rna. 1. With pronounced features... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

characteristic- I hara/kterny aya, oe; ren, rna, rno. 1) only full. In performing arts: characteristic to a certain people, era, social environment; expressing a certain psychological type. Xth role. Xth genre figure. Character actor, artist; ... ... Dictionary of many expressions

Adj., used. compare often Morphology: characteristic, characteristic, typical, characteristic; more characteristic 1. Characteristic is something that is typical, characteristic of someone or something. Feature novel. | Characteristic sign… … Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

characteristic- I. CHARACTERISTIC I oh, oh. CHARACTER oh, oh. caractère avoir du caractère. outdated and vernacular Powerful, strong-willed, stubborn. BAS 1. The woman is good, reasonable, .. only a little characterful, loves to command. Stanyukovich at night. Why don’t you honey... Historical Dictionary Gallicisms of the Russian language