matinée idol

noun

1. a male actor, usually a leading man, idolized especially by female audiences.

matinée idol

noun

1. (esp in the 1930s and 1940s) an actor popular as a romantic figure among women

Word History and Origins

Origin of matinée idol¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Everyone knows that his cultivated image of a wealthy playboy who wined and dined beautiful women like he was some kind of matinee idol is another one of his lies.

From Salon

Indeed, Sessa has the appeal of an actor from that earlier era, when performers made their names with presence, chops and attitude more than matinee idol looks.

From Los Angeles Times

There was a stiffness to Mr. Belafonte’s early, untrained movie performances, and he admitted he was self-conscious in matinee idol roles.

From Washington Post

His movie stardom was short-lived, though, and it was his friendly rival Sidney Poitier, not Mr. Belafonte, who became the first bona fide Black matinee idol.

From New York Times

Former matinee idol Brendan Fraser, with the lead actor win for his wrenching turn as a morbidly obese man in “The Whale,” reached the climax of a his own comeback story.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• leading man