The headshot expresses the look and feel of the actor at a glance, but the actors resume sells the versatility, skillfullness, and success of an actor before he or she ever shows up to the audition. The purpose of this article is to quickly review the central purpose of an acting resume and from there discuss what should and should not go in it and why.
An acting resume should take up precisely one side of one page, and you will typically have it stapled to the back of your head shot. This single page should represent you as an artist, as an entertainer, as an employee, and as a colleague. So the main thing is to understand what auditioners want from you. What show are they putting up, and how does it compare to their previous shows? What sorts of actors do they like to use, and who do they usually cast for the role you want? Once you’ve considered what they’re looking for, the next step is to try and give them what they want. You’re an actor, so this will come pretty naturally to you.
The only thing you need to realize is that your acting resume is not an extension of you as an actor, it is an extension of the part you want to play. So, you should twist and pull at the facts of your professional life until they fit, as closely as possible, the specific audition. I would never tell you to lie; just list the parts of your acting career in an order which suits the demands of the part. This is a little bit of an extra investment in terms of time and energy, but it’s not that big an investment. Five or ten minutes for each audition could be the difference between your next big break and your next season of waiting tables.