---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I learned then that an actor must always…"
description: "\"I learned then that an actor must always be himself, and must not be influenced by the people with whom he works.\" — Lorne Greene"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/lorne-greene-5780_actor_i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always_2952648.jpg"
---

#  I learned then that an actor must always be himself, and…

![“I learned then that an actor must always be himself, and must not be influenced by the people with whom he works.” quote by Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/lorne-greene-5780_actor_i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always_2952648.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/lorne-greene-5780_actor_i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always_2952648.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/lorne-greene-5780_actor_i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always_2952648.jpg)

> “I learned then that an actor must always be himself, and must not be influenced by the people with whom he works.”

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

An actor should stay authentic and not let colleagues shape his performance.

**In simple terms:** Stay true to yourself, not others.

Key Takeaway

Maintain personal integrity on stage.

Themes

authenticity self‑identity professionalism

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- theatre auditions
- film sets
- collaborative projects

Key Concepts

method acting personal integrity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you preserve your voice in a group?
- When does collaboration become compromise?

A Different Perspective

Peers may unintentionally pressure conformity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Influenced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-influenced-4458183/) [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Influenced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influenced/) [Influenced People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influenced-people-293583/) [Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned/) [Learned Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned-actor-512213/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Must](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/must/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/)

## Related quotes

> [I really do think that if you're doing your job right, you're never gonna be what the other actor was, but you can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liev-schreiber/i-really-do-think-that-if-you-re-doing-your-job-right-you-re-never/)

[Liev Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liev-schreiber/)

> [An actor should never be influenced by the surroundings, because you have to submit completely, and trust me, it's not a good feeling when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-kapoor/an-actor-should-never-be-influenced-by-the-surroundings-because-you/)

[Arjun Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-kapoor/)

> [Little did I know how much the Runaways had influenced so many people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherie-currie/little-did-i-know-how-much-the-runaways-had-influenced-so-many-people/)

[Cherie Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherie-currie/)

> [I'm more influenced by people's attitudes and spirits than by their particular style. Whether it's Elsie de Wolfe or Pauline de Rothschild, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-moss/i-m-more-influenced-by-people-s-attitudes-and-spirits-than-by-their/)

[Charlotte Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-moss/)

> [One of my biggest problems is that I'm always so influenced by what other people are thinking about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/one-of-my-biggest-problems-is-that-i-m-always-so-influenced-by-what/)

[Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/)

> [Everything I learned as an actor, I have basically applied to writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/everything-i-learned-as-an-actor-i-have-basically-applied-to-writing/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [As a director, I've been able to combine with what I've learned as an actor and as a producer: it melds quite nicely into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/griffin-dunne/as-a-director-i-ve-been-able-to-combine-with-what-i-ve-learned-as-an/)

[Griffin Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/griffin-dunne/)

> [One thing I've learned as an actor as well as a producer is to trust my own instinct. When I first started acting I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/one-thing-i-ve-learned-as-an-actor-as-well-as-a-producer-is-to-trust/)

[Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/)

> [I was fortunate as a young actor, to go straight to the RSC, where I learned that being an actor can bring with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-kingsley/i-was-fortunate-as-a-young-actor-to-go-straight-to-the-rsc-where-i/)

[Ben Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-kingsley/)

> [I learned so much about being an actor by being a director. More than I ever thought I would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lowell/i-learned-so-much-about-being-an-actor-by-being-a-director-more-than/)

[Chris Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lowell/)

> [I have to say that one person I learned from the most as an actor in my life is Emmy Rossum. She is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-kenney/i-have-to-say-that-one-person-i-learned-from-the-most-as-an-actor-in/)

[Emma Kenney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-kenney/)

> [One of the greatest things I've learned, as an actor, was how to talk to actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-balfour/one-of-the-greatest-things-i-ve-learned-as-an-actor-was-how-to-talk/)

[Eric Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-balfour/)

> [I don't know how to play myself. I'm not interested enough in myself. That's just not how I was educated. That's not how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stoll/i-don-t-know-how-to-play-myself-i-m-not-interested-enough-in-myself/)

[Corey Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stoll/)

> [I also have learned as an actor, this ties in the principles of improv, sometimes someone gives a piece of instruction and my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/i-also-have-learned-as-an-actor-this-ties-in-the-principles-of-improv/)

[Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/)

> [I've learned that, as an actor, I have a responsibility to my audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-martin/i-ve-learned-that-as-an-actor-i-have-a-responsibility-to-my-audience/)

[Coco Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-martin/)

## More by Lorne Greene

> [I feel energetic when I'm working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-feel-energetic-when-i-m-working/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [The Cartwrights happen to be a family that other families want to be like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/the-cartwrights-happen-to-be-a-family-that-other-families-want-to-be/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [I think the hearing loss started with 'Bonanza.' Sometimes the director would put us in a box canyon and have us fire our guns.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-think-the-hearing-loss-started-with-bonanza-sometimes-the-director/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [If I were following trends, I would never have done 'Ringo.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/if-i-were-following-trends-i-would-never-have-done-ringo/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Ben Cartwright was patterned after my father, who never saw 'Bonanza.' In that sense, my father will live for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/ben-cartwright-was-patterned-after-my-father-who-never-saw-bonanza-in/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [A diversity of interests keep me very much alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/a-diversity-of-interests-keep-me-very-much-alive/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [I left Canada in 1953 because I could find nothing very satisfying about delivering commercial pitches on camera. I felt the whole atmosphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-left-canada-in-1953-because-i-could-find-nothing-very-satisfying/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [In my youth I wanted to be a concert violinist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/in-my-youth-i-wanted-to-be-a-concert-violinist/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [That's the joy of acting, to bring something to it. That's what makes acting exciting. Just saying lines is not terribly exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/that-s-the-joy-of-acting-to-bring-something-to-it-that-s-what-makes/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [When I was 16, I discovered wildlife. My father took me to a place called Algonquin Park in Northern Ontario - it has some 1,600 lakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/when-i-was-16-i-discovered-wildlife-my-father-took-me-to-a-place/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [I lived with my 'Bonanza' family for 14 years. On 'Battlestar,' we jumped right in and got to know each other later. That's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-lived-with-my-bonanza-family-for-14-years-on-battlestar-we-jumped/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Getting old doesn't frighten me. But I've got to take care of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/getting-old-doesn-t-frighten-me-but-i-ve-got-to-take-care-of-myself/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [People go to see Shakespeare plays over and over, not because the story is new, but because they want to see how a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/people-go-to-see-shakespeare-plays-over-and-over-not-because-the/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [We're long on conversation in our house. Therefore, I don't like going to restaurants too much. There are too many distractions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/we-re-long-on-conversation-in-our-house-therefore-i-don-t-like-going/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [I played Big Brother in a Studio One presentation of '1984,' and that should have marked me as a villain to American producers. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-played-big-brother-in-a-studio-one-presentation-of-1984-and-that/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

[Explore all 100 Lorne Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

## More Actor quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/)

[Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/)

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

> [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/)

[Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/)

> [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/)

[Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/)

> [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/)

[Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/)

[Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

> [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/)

[Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/)

[Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

[Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I learned then that an actor must always be himself, and must not be influenced by the people with whom he works.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lorne Greene"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always-be-himself-and-must-not-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always-be-himself-and-must-not-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/lorne-greene-5780_actor_i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always_2952648.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/lorne-greene-5780_actor_i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always_2952648.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/lorne-greene-5780_actor_i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always_2952648.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I learned then that an actor must always be himself, and must not be influenced by the people with whom he…” — Lorne Greene",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Lorne Greene",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I learned then that an actor...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always-be-himself-and-must-not-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-learned-then-that-an-actor-must-always-be-himself-and-must-not-be/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
