When did "actresses" become "actors"?

[BigGuynRusty]

About 1853.
Is April 2nd "JoeM Kvetch Day"?

BGnR

[JoeM]

[quote BigGuynRusty]About 1853.
Is April 2nd "JoeM Kvetch Day"?

BGnR
Why, yes it is, BGnR

[TheTominator]

Should I refer to my girlfriend as TheTominatrix?

[JoeM]

Not much clarification from wikipedia but I think this gives the gist of it:

...The words "actor" and "actress"
The word "actor" may be used to refer to a male or female performer; this was the original use of the term.[1] Some modern style guides recommend using "actor" as a gender-neutral term for both male and females, regarding "actress" as sexist.[2], although this may initially be confusing for readers. Some female performers prefer the term "actress", while others prefer "actor"....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actress

[Buzz]

[quote TheTominator]Should I refer to my girlfriend as TheTominatrix?
you don't?

[graylocks]

i majored in theater in college (70s). there was a general feeling among women then that while an actor (male) was taken seriously in the biz, actresses were not. it was a rising feminist issue about the trivialization of women in our society in general. so many of us began to simply use actor as a gender-neutral term.

i'm not saying that my school started it, just that that was a time when questions and change were in the air.

[Jem]

[quote elmo3]About the same time you stopped making the distinction between "doctor" and "female doctor".
Doctress. Hmm... I like it.

[sscutchen]

[quote Lux Interior]They would just break it down into "Best Female Actor" and "Best Male Actor".
What about those of indeterminate gender?

[Racer X]

about the same time as most of the people in the music industry stopped being musicians and singers, and became "performers"

[JoeM]

[quote Racer X]about the same time as most of the people in the music industry stopped being musicians and singers, and became "performers"
LOL!!