It's better to have something rather than nothing and my thing turns out to have come about with age. I have had a beard since I was 28 but with old age it turned white. Then I found that by not bushing it, it developed curls. La Scala in Milan uses extras (mimes or just extras) for non-speaking acting roles. I am usually taken for English or German. German is popular with German directors like those of Othello. English is better for English directors like that of Fidelio. Fortunately, the beard does not have to learn any lines.
Introduce Yourself : Curly white beard by Max Harris
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LOVE the pic! Welcome, Max!
Welcome to the Stage Max. Pens Up!
First costume trial. 2 weeks later they had to let it out a couple inches. Then with a ruff collar I had to trim the hair and beard so it did not all blend together. Hot heavy wool. After 2.5 hours it was wet with sweat even in good a/c..
Looks to me like you could make a little extra playing Santa as well.
Dear Max, I hope you and your beard get many roles! Your post just melted my heart. I wish you all the best! :)
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Anna, white beards seem to be the flavor of the month. The director's asst. of Otello has cast me for Handel's "Il Trionfo..." as an ANGEL. That's Dec. 2015. She said they will trim my beard (and give me wing implants). I am practicing angelic looks on my wife and dog. Just laughs and barks so far.
Bryce, my first acting work was 4 years ago as a Santa with a fake beard but really cool costume. Look at my showreel.
Great beard; mine is much shorter and not so white. I'm envious.
It's not unusual in the US for commercials, photographers and live appearances to book real bearded Santas. Google Real Beard Santas, and all types of organizations and clubs will pop up. One of my acquaintances used to tell me if you can grab a couple media spots a year doing Santa, it helps pay for doing "real art" the rest of the year. I'm sure Italy must have something similar for Santa, Father Christmas, Babbo Natale, even Father Time. Agencies often have some character actors in their stable. Something to consider. :-)
We must use what we have.
There just aren't enough good beard posts! An actor friend of mine has had his "later-in-life" career begin and take off-- and his beard has helped him get several interesting parts/roles. Best of luck, Max!
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Bryce, Italy is not quite as evolved as the US in some respects. There is a very limited market for Babbo Natale gigs. My first job was for Sky Italia that had an Xmas campaign in 2011 and used 6 guys but we all had fake beards. My costume was best: a molded leather body armor. I was on billboards, TV screens, buses. It was what got me interested in acting. I have a good agent who will send me for anything that looks likely (for their 20%).