Where is the line drawn between acting and performance art? While this question may seem to be attempting to create a binary where one does not exist, I believe the distinction is an important one to make. There is plenty of overlap between the two and some artists and directors use both interchangeably, but that does not mean that it can not be used as a way to analyze a practice. There are several key examples that I will introduce to represent each proposed category of action allowing the examples to define each category (videos are included when available).

The actor: Meryl Streep



The actor: Charlton Heston



Between the actor and the performer: Klaus Kinski



Between the actor and the performer: Napoleon Dynamite (John Heder)



The performer: Yvonne Rainer Trio A



The performance artist: Chris Burden Through the Night Softly



Between the performance artist and the actor: Vito Acconci Theme Song




The performance director/choreographer: Merce Cunningham




The acting director: Werner Herzog



The art director: Nagi Noda