Leading man

Leading man

Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star. A good leading man could make a bad actress look better than she was and a good actress shine.

A leading man can also be an actor who is typecast in romantic roles. Less frequently, the epithet has been applied to an actor who is often associated with one particular actress, for example, Errol Flynn was Olivia de Havilland's leading man in several films, Spencer Tracy had a similar association with Katharine Hepburn; used in this sense, however, the woman is usually described as the "leading lady" of the man. The term is also used collectively, as in 'Hollywood's leading men' to refer to a group of notable, famous or popular actors. Some examples of modern leading men include Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Craig.

Also

Throughout the events of Final Fantasy XII, one charismatic character, Balthier, constantly refers to himself as "the leading man"

ee also

*Character actor
*Leading lady
*Movie star
*Supporting actor


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  • Leading Man — bezeichnet das männliche Gegenstück zur Leading Lady. den Originaltitel des Films Die Stunde des Verführers. Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort bezeichneter Begriffe …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • leading man — (or leading lady) ► NOUN ▪ the actor playing the principal part in a play, film, or television show …   English terms dictionary

  • leading man — noun count the main male actor in a play, movie, or television show …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • leading man — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms leading man : singular leading man plural leading men the main male actor in a play, film, or television programme …   English dictionary

  • Leading Man, Leading Woman Lady —    In a stock company, the leading man and leading woman roles were the major roles in the play and were cast according to those lines of business. However, if a star performed with the stock company, the star would take that role while the… …   The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater

  • leading man — lead·ing man || ‚lɪːdɪŋ‚mÉ™n chief, leader, guide; front runner, man who is most likely to win; star actor, actor with the leading role …   English contemporary dictionary

  • leading man — noun Date: 1827 an actor who plays the leading male role …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • leading man — (or leading lady) noun the actor playing the principal part in a play, film, or television show …   English new terms dictionary

  • leading man — noun actor who plays the leading male role (Freq. 1) • Hypernyms: ↑actor, ↑histrion, ↑player, ↑thespian, ↑role player * * * noun, pl ⋯ men [count] : an actor who plays the most important male role in a play or movie …   Useful english dictionary

  • leading man — lead′ing man′ [[t]ˈli dɪŋ[/t]] n. sbz an actor who plays the principal male role in a motion picture or play • Etymology: 1695–1705 …   From formal English to slang

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