The Probert Encyclopaedia of People

ACTRESS

An actress is a female dramatic performer (actor). A woman who performs in plays. Samuel Pepys, a keen spectator of plays, describes first seeing women performing in a play - 'Beggars Bush' which had previously opened in Autumn 1660 with an all-male cast - in early January 1661, previous to that date, in England and western Europe, the parts of women in plays were played by men.
Research Actress