In this article, I analyze the building process of the professional actor idea from its origin to the predominant speech of those who currently dedicate themselves to this activity. Based on the specialized literature on acting and in the light of Georg Simmel's reflections, I will present four ideal types of actor to demonstrate the changes in the notion of the actor and in its corresponding acting patterns in order to keep up with the validation of the individual along the modern period. The four ideal actor types are: the "declaimer-illustrator-actor ", the "rational-producer-actor ", the "great actor " and the "psychological-creative-actor ". In the latter type I identify Stanislavski's idea of actor - which still marks the current speech of the professional actors to a great extent - and I associate it with Simmel's conception of modern individual that would be characterized by its ambiguity.
professional actor; individual; modernity; Georg Simmel