Speaking to actors- first name/Mr./Mrs./Ms.?

In writing a letter, Dear _____ or Dear Ms/Mr ________ is appropriate.

I think it depends on the actor. How friendly/personal they are when talking to you and if they introduce themselves to you or not.

The few times I have written letters I have always written "Dear Mr./Mrs. So-and-so. Except for one who I have come to "know" and now only address by first name.

If you are writing a letter and are not sure I would always go with just the last name "Ms./Mrs. Foster". That way you are being respectful. If she doesn't like being addressed that way she can say so.

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I always address actors Mr. or Ms. (even when I know they're married). Mrs. can be seem a little strange when the actor keeps their maiden name, so I play it safe. It's also how I address actors when I meet them.

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SDav- you are not alone.

Your last paragraph basically explains my thought.

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Ms./Mr. LAST NAME is the most respectful. They won't read into it that much, I think, so I wouldn't worry.

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I also don't address them by name at the stagedoor. When I have been with an actor one on one it has varried by actor. Howard McGillin I have always called Mr. McGillin. In person and in letters. Maybe it is an age thing, maybe it is because he is a guy, maybe because he is a friend of a friend of my fathers . . . I don't know. When I was backstage talking to Diana DeGarmo I did call her by her first name. When I spoke to Karmine Alers at the Airgo Christmas show I called her by first name. Daphne Rubin-Vega . . . the first couple of times I met her was at the stagedoor where I did not call her by name. The first e-mail I sent her I addressed her as Ms. Rubin-Vega. Then she wrote back and signed it Daphne. After that in person or in e-mail she has just been Daphne. Norm Lewis backstage at Les Mis introduced himself to me as Norm, so that is what I called him.

Now that I'm thinking back I don't think I usually address actors in person by their name but the few that I do I go by how they have introduced themselves (if at all) or how they were introduced to me. Without that to go by I think I just would judge based on personality and age.

In a letter, unless it is someone like Daphne who I am fairly familiar with, I would go by Mr/Mrs last name. First and last seems too formal and just first with someone you are unfamiliar with could come across as to personal.

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"The thing is that they want to be treated like the average joe despite their job."

Right, that's the thing. Who else do you call "Mrs./Ms./Mr.?"
Doctors? Teachers? That's about all.

I guess it's the most appropriate thing to do unless otherwise told by them but it just seems odd that you are calling them that when they are just another person in world.

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I can understand addressing them by their character name. Many of the people that go to broadway shows are tourists that don't know the actors names and thus call them by the character they played or don't really use any greeting at all and just say that they were good ect.

What? That is one of my biggest pet peeves at stage doors. They are not their characters. Their name is right there in the playbill- open it. I feel like THAT'S the most disrespectful. Unless you're 7.

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Updated On: 1/17/07 at 11:12 PM

Wait, do actors honestly answer to people when they are called by their characters name?

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Mr. Sutton Foster is Christan Borle?

Well he better deal with that cause he will be Frankie most of his career,

Darn I did it again.

I think it depends on who it is and if you've met them before.