I vividly remember sitting in one of my first acting classes. After the initial greeting and overview of the course, the acting teacher handed out a play and requested we perform a character biography on one of the characters.
I was ecstatic. I’ve always heard about performing various forms of character development, and was looking forward into learning the different processes to accomplish this goal.
Creating a character biography will serve to be one of the greatest forms of character development as it creates a realistic, humanized version of a character.
We all have our history, and we all have our unique stories. It is throughout these stories our personalities, convictions, inhibitions, fears, goals, desires and aspirations are built off of.
While there are literally hundreds of different ways you can create a character biography, I have outlined several of the most important and effective means of reaching this goal.
Read the Script
While this tip may seem a little arbitrary, many actors decide to create a character biography without fully understanding and analyzing the script. The script will serve as your very basic outline for the history of your character. Look for key scenes that disclose personal information about your character. Search for suggestive dialogue or actions to give you a glimpse into the past or upbringing of your character.
If vital information is not present, then you must create a biography based off personality cues and your own imagination.
First Half of Life
When starting out, it is best to begin your character biography for the first half of the character’s life. You may separate into each year, or generalize the biography. However, no matter what, be as specific as possible – create memories from the character’s childhood. Create friends, teachers, crushes, bullies or important figures. Be as creative as possible; however, keep the creative choices within the scope of your character.
Present Life
This may be a little easier as the script will likely give you a great deal of information regarding the present situation of your character; however, the small details of your character’s life will not be as easily exposed. Describe the current living situation of your character, his best friends, his enemies and his aspirations for this time period. Again, be as specific as possible, but stay within the realm of your character and his world.
Future Goals
While this may be a little strange to be included in a biography, include an entire section regarding your characters future goals. What does he want out of life? When does he want to accomplish this? What steps will he need to take? All of these questions help form a fully functional person as each of us have our own unique goals that help guide us from day-to-day.