From the Latin word actus meaning "to do", acting is the portrayal of characters in the first person to make up and share a story. It is the becoming of someone other than one's self.

Acting goes back as early as 4000 BC when the Egyptian actor-priests performed for the memory of the dead. Professional acting also developed in China at around the same time with performers telling the triumphs of their current emperors.

Western traditional acting originated during the 6th century BC in Greece when Thespis of Icaria, the "tragedian", took the role of the tragic hero and represented the character in the first person. He is regarded as the founder of the profession.

There developed many different forms of portraying characters ranging from the wearing of comic and tragic masks to naturalistic acting. Both forms continued side by side though the masks became the most celebrated during the Greek era.

During Roman times acting was performed by slaves and was generally inadequate except for comic farce and the like which during the Christian era became the only forms to be used by traveling jesters. The jesters, being mimes, acrobats, and jugglers often told stories using these skills.

In the 16th century A.D. acting once again became a respected art form. It flourished during William Shakespeare's era and by the 18th century was a profession held in high esteem.

During the 20th century acting in motion pictures and television has offered new challenges and opportunities for actors and perhaps most importantly, made available the recording of acting itself. Before, acting had been ephemeral: once the performance was over, nothing remained but the memory of it. Now performances can be saved for repeated viewing and shared over and over.