An actor’s bio is simply a summary of your career. You are certain to be asked for one at some point, maybe for an agent’s website, a program or a press release, and it’s advisable to have one ready to send at a moment’s notice; it’s guaranteed that you’ll never be asked until that day when you’re in the middle of filming with a 4am finish time and you absolutely need to send it off by 10am the next day and you’ll end up rushing it. Therefore, it’s better to be prepared and have one written up in advance.
Take your time. Everything that is out there about you as an actor is very important. It might take an hour or two to write a bio. Make sure you have that time and that you can focus without any distractions.
A bio should be factual, short and straight to the point with no fluffy talk about how you’ve dreamed of being an actor since that day at primary school where you played Mary/Joseph in the school nativity.
It should always be written in 3rd person and in sentence form (as opposed to a list), with the most important information at the top. It’s fine to name drop, it’s useful for people to know who you’ve worked with.
SPLIT YOUR BIO INTO FOUR PARAGRAPHS:
• Paragraph 1 – Include your strongest credits and any awards
• Paragraph 2 – Include your relevant training
• Paragraph 3 – Include your most recent work and any other good credits that are not mentioned
• Paragraph 4 – Include your skills and some details of your personal life including hobbies and achievements
You weren’t born to be ordinary… You were born to shine!
Eirian Cohen | “I help new actors to fly into the industry like silver bullets. What you believe, you will achieve” | Founder of Northern Star Acting and co-producer of ESG Media, LTD.
If you want to follow a step-by-step process that gives you all of the information you need on how to launch your acting career, and for continuous help and support in implementing and staying on track, follow this link to find out about our online program, The Acting Biz
