How to Make an Acting Resume: Format, Sections, and Examples

How to make an acting resume with no experience

It’s one of the most common fears when you’re starting out: not knowing what to put when you haven’t been part of professional projects yet. The good news is that there’s always something to include, even if you’re just beginning.

Here’s what you can add without professional experience:

• Training, finished or ongoing: classes, courses, seminars, or workshops in acting, singing, dance, modeling, or related disciplines.
• Unpaid projects: school or community theater, student films, music videos, university productions. Anything that was a real artistic experience counts.
• Projects of your own: if you made acting content on your own (videos, published monologues, digital projects), that counts as experience too.
• Special skills: languages, instruments, sports, dance, or physical skills, which in some auditions decide who gets the role.

To add new lines to your resume, see how to get experience as a beginner actor.

Heads up: never invent experience you don’t have. Casting directors know the business and can check what you list. Honesty and clarity always work in your favor.

What goes on an acting resume? The 6 parts, with examples

An acting resume has six parts: your headshot, your header (name, union status, and contact or representation), your stats, your credits, your training, and your special skills. Everything fits on one page, in a clear and tidy format.

1. Your headshot, the partner of your resume

In the United States, the resume page itself carries no photo. Your headshot is a separate 8×10 picture, and the resume goes behind it: when you print, trim the resume to 8×10 and attach it to the back of the headshot, and when you submit online, you upload both together. The headshot is what lets a casting director recognize you at a glance.

• Current: it has to show how you look today. If you walk into the audition looking different from your photo, you lose trust.
• Natural and expressive: well lit, with a neutral background and an expression that shows your personality. A good photo taken at home can do the job.
• Without heavy filters: avoid filters or retouching that change how you really look.

If you don’t have one yet, see how to take your headshots at home without spending money, or read what a headshot is in our glossary.

2. Name, union status, and contact or representation

The top of the page is the header. Put your name first, large and easy to read, in the professional name you use for auditions. Right under it, add your union status: if you’re a member of a union such as SAG-AFTRA, write it there. If you aren’t a member, you can write Non-Union or leave the line off, but never claim a membership you don’t have.

Then add your contact information, so that reaching you is fast and professional:

• Representation, if you have it: the name, company, phone, and email of your talent agent or manager, in place of your own contact details. Casting will reach out to them instead of you.
• Your own phone and email, if you don’t have representation: a serious email address, ideally with your real name and no nicknames. Include the country code on your phone number if you send your resume to productions in other countries. Leave your home address off.
• Professional links: your actor Instagram, or LinkedIn if it’s active and has relevant content.
• A link to your reel: if it’s on YouTube or Drive, paste the link on the resume and check that it opens from the PDF. If you don’t have a reel yet, see how to make an acting reel even with no budget.
• If you’re a minor: the full name, phone, and email of your parent or legal guardian. You’ll find more in our guide to auditions for kids and teens.

3. Stats: height, hair, and eyes

Stats give a casting director an immediate idea of your physical type, which is key to knowing whether you fit the character. Keep them short, accurate, and honest:

• Height.
• Hair color, and whether it’s natural or dyed.
• Eye color.

Some casting calls also ask about tattoos. When they do, say how large they are and where on your body they’re in your submission.

Example of stats:

• Height: 5’8″
• Hair: Dark brown (natural)
• Eyes: Green

4. Credits: Film, Television, Theater, and Commercial

This is the heart of the page. Group your acting credits by medium under clear headings: Film, Television, Theater, and Commercial. Within each section, list the project title, your role, and the director, network, or theater. Most US acting resumes leave out years, so put your strongest and most recent credits first in each section.

Include every real acting project, paid or not, school, community, and university productions included. What matters is that they were real and that you can vouch for them if asked. They can be:

• Film: features and short films of any scale, student films included.
• Television: series, soap operas, or shows.
• Theater: professional, independent, or community plays.
• Commercial: TV, digital, or radio ads.
• Digital productions and music videos, in their own short section (for example, Web or Music Video).

For commercials, many actors write “Conflicts available upon request” instead of naming the brands, because a commercial for one brand can conflict with work for a competitor.

Example of credits:

5. Training

This part shows your path as a learner. Include everything you have studied: acting, on-camera work, scene study, improv, voice, singing, dance, movement, seminars, workshops, and any other artistic training.

For each one, list the class or specialty and the teacher or school. Put the most recent first.

Example of training:

Tip: if you’re studying right now, write “current” next to the class. It makes clear that your training is still active.

6. Special skills

Sometimes they’re what decides a casting. Some projects need someone who plays an instrument, speaks a language, or practices a sport, and if you don’t put it on your resume, casting has no way of knowing. A few examples:

• Languages and accents: fluent Spanish, intermediate Portuguese, basic French, plus the accents you can do on the spot. Always state your real level, and see our guide for bilingual actors.
• Instruments: guitar, piano, drums, violin, with your level.
• Sports and physical skills: swimming, horseback riding, martial arts, climbing, skating, skateboarding, parkour.
• Dance: ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, salsa, tango, flamenco.
• Other artistic skills: singing (with your voice type), juggling, acrobatics, contortion, magic.
• Licenses: a driver’s license for a car, a motorcycle, or professional driving.

Format and design: how to present your acting resume

With the content ready, what is left are the formatting rules. A tidy resume doesn’t guarantee you the role, but a messy one can knock you out before anyone sees how you act.

One page, no exceptions

An acting resume fits on a single page. When you print it, trim it to 8×10 inches so it matches your headshot. Casting directors go through many resumes in little time, and a two-page one risks being left half-read. If you have extra information, prioritize the most recent and most relevant.

Clean design that’s easy to read

Aim for an orderly structure, with legible fonts and no decoration that distracts. You don’t need design skills: a simple document with tables for your credits and training is enough. The design can catch the eye as long as it doesn’t overload the page, because the star is you.

PDF and JPG: the two delivery formats

When you finish, save it in two formats:

• PDF: for sending by email. It keeps the layout, it’s light, and it opens on any device.
• JPG: for sending in a text message, a direct message on social media, or on platforms that don’t accept PDF.

Then add it to the rest of your materials. In our guide to preparing your audition materials you’ll find how to name your files and how to write the submission email. If you apply through casting platforms such as Actors Access or Casting Networks, you’ll be asked for much of the same information, so keep one up-to-date master version and reuse it.

Before you send your resume: a final check

Making a professional acting resume doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Before you send it, check that it has:

• A single page, trimmed to 8×10 if you print it.
• Your name, union status (if you have one), and contact or representation at the top.
• Honest stats: height, hair, and eyes.
• Credits grouped by Film, Television, Theater, and Commercial, each with a title, a role, and a director, network, or theater.
• Training with the class and the teacher or school.
• Special skills at your real level.
• A PDF version and a JPG version, and a current headshot to go with it.

With that, your resume speaks for you before anyone sees you in person. When it’s ready, you can create your free actor profile on Casting and Acting and add it with your headshots and reel.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make an acting resume with no experience?

Include what you do have: acting classes and workshops, school or community plays, independent or university shorts, seminars, and special skills. Present it clearly and in order, without inventing or exaggerating. Every new project you do adds one more line to your resume.

How long should an acting resume be?

One page. It’s a basic rule of casting: time is short, and a resume longer than a page is rarely read in full. If you have a lot of information, prioritize the most recent and relevant, and leave out what no longer represents your current profile. If you print it, trim it to 8×10 to match your headshot.

What format should I send my acting resume in?

In two formats: PDF for email, because it keeps the layout and is light, and JPG for text messages, direct messages on social media, or platforms that don’t accept PDF. Having both ready lets you respond fast to any casting call.

Should I put a photo on my acting resume?

The page itself carries no photo. Your headshot is a separate 8×10 picture, and the resume goes behind it. Use a current headshot that shows how you look today, with a neutral background, good light, and a natural expression. A good photo taken at home can do the job, as long as it’s sharp and free of filters that change your appearance.

What do I write for union status?

If you’re a member of a union such as SAG-AFTRA, write it right under your name. If you aren’t, you can write Non-Union or leave the line off. Never list a membership you don’t have.

What special skills should I list on an acting resume?

Languages with their level, accents you can do on the spot, musical instruments, sports and physical skills (swimming, horseback riding, martial arts, skateboarding, parkour), dance styles (ballet, tap, hip-hop, flamenco), other artistic skills like singing, juggling, or acrobatics, and driver’s licenses. For each one, put your real level.

Do unpaid credits go on an acting resume?

Yes. All relevant acting experience goes on the resume, paid or unpaid. Community plays, university shorts, independent music videos, and unpaid productions are valid experience, especially when you’re starting out. What matters is that they were real and that you describe them accurately.