电影演员，是演员的一种，通常是指因演出电影而成名的电影明星，早期杰出电影演员并没有太大的知名度，也很少使用真名，于是电影片商使用了明星此字来捧红他们，创造与其他普通的电影演员不同的地位。此名词被创造出来之后，广为大众接受，在1910年的美国，第一位在Moving picture world使用电影明星此字的电影演员为Florence Lawrence。为片商IMP（Independent Moving Picture）所推出，此片商就是日后美国环球影业的前身。

电影演员通常都会加入经纪人公司旗下，依制定的合约工作，以获得保护和良好的生涯规划。好的电影演员往往必须擅长挑选片子，以及包装自己的形象以获得广告商的青睐。电影演员间也因此产生了竞争，奥斯卡金像奖，以及片酬的多寡，是电影演员所竞争的主要标准。

A movie star (also known as a film star and cinema star) is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters. The most widely known, prominent or successful actors are sometimes called “superstars” by writers and journalists. When a small number of suppliers dominate a market those suppliers become superstars. According to an online dictionary, a movie star is an actor or actress who is famous for playing leading roles in movies.