# Bit part

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{{short description|Small acting role}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}

In [acting](/source/acting), a '''bit part''' is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal [actors](/source/actors) and no more than five lines of [dialogue](/source/dialogue), often referred to as a five-or-less or [under-five](/source/under-five) in the United States, or '''under sixes''' in [British](/source/United_Kingdom) television, or a '''walk-on''' part with no dialogue.

A bit part is a credited higher billing than that of an [extra](/source/Extra_(acting)) and lower than that of a [supporting actor](/source/supporting_actor). An actor who regularly performs in bit roles, either as a [hobby](/source/hobby) or to earn a living, is referred to as a '''bit player''', which is also a term to describe an aspiring actor who has not yet broken into supporting or [leading role](/source/leading_role)s.

Unlike extras, who do not typically interact with principals, actors in bit parts are sometimes listed in the [credits](/source/Motion_picture_credits). An exception to this practice is the [cameo appearance](/source/cameo_appearance), wherein a well-known actor or other [celebrity](/source/celebrity) appears in a bit part; it is common for such appearances to be uncredited.

In [MGM](/source/MGM)'s 1951 screen version of the musical ''[Show Boat](/source/Show_Boat)'', the role of the cook Queenie ([Frances E. Williams](/source/Frances_E._Williams)) was reduced from a significant [supporting role](/source/supporting_role) in the [stage version](/source/Stage_(theatre)) to a bit part in the film. Williams, whose appearance was not intended as a [cameo](/source/Cameo_appearance), was not listed at all in the credits. On the other hand, [William Warfield](/source/William_Warfield), whose role as Joe, Queenie's husband, was also drastically shortened in the film from the stage original, did receive screen credit because he sang "[Ol' Man River](/source/Ol'_Man_River)".

Bit parts are often significant in the story line and sometimes pivotal, as in [Jack Albertson](/source/Jack_Albertson)'s role as a postal worker in the 1947 [feature film](/source/feature_film) ''[Miracle on 34th&nbsp;Street](/source/Miracle_on_34th%26nbsp%3BStreet)''. Some characters with bit parts attract significant attention. [Konstantin Stanislavski](/source/Konstantin_Stanislavski) remarked that "there are no small parts, only small actors".<ref name="stanislavski quote">{{cite web|last1=Hooton|first1=Christopher|title=The actors consistently choosing the best movies|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/the-actors-consistently-choosing-the-best-movies-a7210771.html|website=[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)|access-date=18 October 2016|location=London|date=26 August 2016}}</ref>

[Dabbs Greer](/source/Dabbs_Greer), a bit actor, once said: "Every [character actor](/source/character_actor), in their own little sphere, is the lead".<ref name="dabbs greer">{{cite web|last1=Nelson|first1=Valerie J.|title=Dabbs Greer, 90; busy character actor played everyman-type roles|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-01-me-greer1-story.html|website=[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)|access-date=18 October 2016|date=1 May 2007}}</ref>

==See also==
* "[Ready When You Are, Mr. McGill](/source/Ready_When_You_Are%2C_Mr._McGill)", a television episode about a bit actor

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Film crew}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:Acting

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bit part](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_part) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_part?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.