thespian

From Latin Thespis, itself from the name of Thespis, an Ancient Greek actor active in the 6th century BCE, plus the suffix -ian.

The word began as the personal name of a single performer and, over time, widened into a general label for anyone who acts.

The name Thespis, from Greek Θέσπις, sits at the root of the word, though no other English cognate is given in the record.