Who were the original actors in Shakespeare's plays?

Answer 1

Up until 1642, male ones. Since then, all kinds of actors. One of the peculiarities of Shakespeare productions is that the physical characteristics of the actors playing the parts is rarely of much significance. Racial characteristics are rarely of interest, so Denzel Washington played Don Pedro in Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing and Adrian Lester played Hamlet in the Peter Brook production. (An exception is that Americans in particular will not tolerate a white actor playing Othello or a black actress playing Desdemona) Also, it is quite acceptable still to cast men in female roles and even more so to cast females in the male roles (there are many good actresses and relatively few female roles in Shakespeare). In fact, the first Hamlet to appear on film was a woman, Sarah Bernhardt.

Answer 2

All the actors in Shakespearean days were men with effeminate men or boys playing the female roles.

Answer 3

They were all males.

Answer 4

Males.

Answer 5

Actors.