Leading Lady

The expression Leading Lady ( " Leading Lady " ) referred to repertory theater of the English -speaking world, the role of the professional female lover. In addition to the leading man ( " leading man "), which is routinely used as a male lover who is the leading lady the most prominent and highest paid member of an acting ensemble.

More stock characters ( Repertoire characters) of the English stage are the male juvenile (about: Teenager lover), the female juvenile ( Ingenue, young lover ), male and female character actor and possibly a soubrette.

Film

Following this usage, the term is Leading Lady / Leading Man used in the English language has always been on film performer who hold the female and male lead. At the Academy Awards, there is therefore the award in the categories Actor / Actress in a Leading Role or Actor / Actress in a Supporting Role

The term played during the studio system in Hollywood a significant role to play the status of an actor within the studio hierarchy as accurately as possible. Usually actors were bound by long-term contracts with 5-7 years maturity to a particular studio. When the actor was not yet established, because he had acquired a name, for example, on the stage, started his career mostly in the so-called bit parts. Among small roles have been described, which included a few lines of dialogue. In order for such appearances were more than extras roles, but had so little own weight that they could be cut out at the final cut often without affecting the overall plot. Actors who were seen in bits, had no contractual entitlement to mention in the credit, so the roll-call list of contributors.

The next level in the hierarchy were the featured player. Among actors were understood who took supporting roles and were entitled to be named in the Credit. To separate not always sharp was the status of a featured player of a supporting actor who fell under the supporting player category.

The climb to the Leading Lady / Leading Man was given when the actor took over the male or female role. The status of a Leading Player was an important indication of the growing importance of the actor in the perception of fans and usually the last step in the direction of star. Although a leading player got a role of equivalent importance, but was not automatically the mention above the title or at least equal to the nominal protagonist connected. Most of the Leading Player was with the addition, that is announced to German with after the title of the film.

The prestigious status of the entry before the title remained the star or, if both roles were ( mitunger even multiple roles ) acquired by another star, the co-star reserved. The agreements with the Stars written partly in detail prior to the order in which they had to be announced in relation to their co-stars and dealt in some cases even with the size relationship in which her ​​name had to be on track. This order of billing, and consequently the ranking of Attribution, caused the legal departments of the studios mitunger real headache and even prevented the successful collaboration between two stars when they could not agree on the order of billing.

A popular compromise for such cases was the division of the billing. Most appeared then one half of the advertising and sometimes even half the rental copies with a name in the first place and the other half with the other. Examples of this were appropriate arrangements between Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers in Once Upon a Honeymoon or between William Powell and Irene Dunne in Life with Father. Another possibility, which has often been applied to an All Star Cast, was the naming of the contributors in alphabetical order. In television series, especially in the U.S., the name of the highest ranking actor appears sometimes as the last in the opening credits and is highlighted by the additional mention of his character in the series.

If an actor has been popular outside of the film, he could start by its existing market value of the entry into the film business the same as a star. As Sonja Henie in 1936 negotiated a contract with the film company 20th Century Fox, won through to get into any of her films ever under the title, and never less than Co -Starring, ie equal Designation next to a male star.

The path from bit player to stardom could run and vice versa, as in the example of Aileen Pringle or Florence Lawrence, who underwent the descent of highly paid actresses mention performing in parts that were only briefly.