An actress is female who participates in a theatrical or film production. The term actor was originally used for both men and women, but the English term actress came into use on its own. In Europe acting was primarily left up to men, but women began appearing on the stage in the early 1600's. Asian countries like Japan have a much longer history of female performers, including accounts of all female casts.

In the United States, actresses gained popularity in the Burlesque comedy shows. These shows included slapstick comedy as well as dancing and other kinds of performing like juggling. Women often played important roles in early cinema. "The Jazz Singer" (1927) was the first American film with lines spoken by an actress. Euginie Besserer played the mother, and had 13 spoken words. World War II brought a surge of new movie genres and female leads in movies. Actresses like Vivien Leigh (Gone With the Wind) and Judy Garland (Wizard of Oz) became household names in the late '30's and early '40's.

The slow start that females on stage got has not inhibited the growth of their importance, especially in modern film. Today there are just as many leading ladies as there are leading men. Movie stars such as Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson attend the most prestigious red carpet events. Cameron Diaz was recently named the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, making $50 million dollar last year. She also came in 14th on Forbes' list of the 100 most powerful celebrities.