Acting age is an age, or range of ages, that an actor lists on their résumé. It is not a claim to an actual chronological age, but a suggestion as to what age or ages the actor considers themselves capable of credibly portraying. Casting directors may also give age ranges when writing casting calls for a role.
Notable examples Stacey Dash, who played a 17-year-old in both the movie and TV versions of Clueless until the age of 32. Estelle Getty, who played the mother of Beatrice Arthur's character Dorothy Zbornak on The Golden Girls who was actually younger than Arthur. Sidney Poitier played a teenager in Blackboard Jungle when he was 28. Gabrielle Carteris played a 16- to 21-year-old on Beverly Hills, 90210 when she was ages 29 to 34. Tom Welling played a young 14- to 24-year-old Clark Kent on Smallville when he was 24 to 34 years old. Ralph Macchio played high school teenager Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid films when he was in his 20s.
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