Acteur (1989)
by Azzaro

Acteur is really a gorgeous leathery floral-chypre with a rosey temperament and a starring dominance of oakmoss, cedarwood and leather. The fragrance is bold and masculine. The beginning is decidedly sharp, citric, cool and pungent with a plain blast of bergamot, citrus, aromatic plants and spices. The initial harshness doesn't last a lot. The blooming up flowers are astringent while the woody kind of mildness is restrained throughout the development. The rosey severity, the presence of many common elements and a present final touch of liqueur remind me  vaguely some fragrances  as Zino Davidoff and Versace L'Homme which  are anyway denser, smoother and sweeter because of the usage of balsams and vanilla. I agree with Igarruda, here the rose is a sort of tea-watery rose because of the steady level of watery sharpness. The dry down is mainly moss, sharp amber and leather under my nose, it doesn't morph in to smoothness or dense (vanilla) mellifluence. Some woods set stableness and imprint mildness (here i smell a general woody kind of mildness). The touch of amber is dusty, dry, masculine and warm. The final effect is a complex brown, spicy and woodsy amber with hints of leather (the rosey leather is not starring but is notable for sure). Highly recommended.

9th January, 2012.

Acteur’s sharp citrus and vehemently aromatic top notes are not the sort of thing you smell much any more. In fact, by the time of its launch in 1989, Acteur was part of a dying breed. With Tsar, Tiffany for Men, and Montana Parfum d’Homme, Acteur was among the last in a line of bold, craggy masculines that spanned the two decades after Yatagan, Aramis, and the original Azzaro pour Homme. The future already belonged to “fresh” fragrances like Cool Water, Eternity for Men, and New West, and to the saccharine-sweet orientals presaged by Joop! Homme. Too bad, if you ask me.

Like Ténéré before it, Acteur is a dry, green, aromatic take on rose and leather, spiked with the sort of animalic notes that fell rapidly from fashion in the early 1990s. Whereas Ténéré depended on a honey note so ripe as to smell urinous for its animal warmth, Acteur leans on musks and what smells suspiciously like sage. After its crackling opening, Acteur slips into a brisk, yet dry arrangement of pungent spices, woods and floral notes, with rose, carnation, cedar, clove, and mace vying for pride of place. Extended wear reveals a warm, yet never saccharine foundation of leather and pleasantly bitter resins, with none of the powdery sweetness of commonplace amber compounds.

While no wallflower, Acteur does not have the overwhelming mass associated with the masculine “powerhouses” of the 1980s. Indeed, while bold, it’s far too poised to read as brash or crass. Projection and lasting power are admirable, with the drydown still detectable at up to six or eight hours’ wear. A fine scent, in my estimation, and well worth seeking out.

13rd December, 2011.

Acteur is a very well done masculine floral chypre. This is a spicy rose scent that lasts for a long time. Go light on the application as it is strong. A very good masculine rose scent with lots of spicy over a mossy leathery base.

24th October, 2011.

I cannot get past the absolute strong rose smell that comes from this fragrance. I see people mentioning other notes, but for me the rose is just so strong that I can't smell anything else. I might like this if the topnotes were a little less strong. I can see the attraction that some might have to it; it is indeed a different fragrance, but just not my cup of tea.

8th October, 2011.

It is like a room freshener. Very hollow in structure. The rose "vanishes" in 45-60 minutes and you're left with faint amber residue. Longevity is very poor, at least on my skin. It lasts for no more than an hour or so. I would rate Zino much higher than this. This was certainly a let off for me.

3rd October, 2011.

I HAVE REDISCOVERED THIS GEM, IT´S FANTASTIC, GREAT FRAGRANCE, DIFFERENT FROM THE FRAGRANCE MASSES, GREAT QUALITY AND VERY EXCLUSIVE. IT´S NOT EASY TO FIND.
I HAVE USED IT IN 90'S BUT NOWADAYS IT'S STILL SPECIAL. TOP NOTES REMIND ME FROG SMELL IN A GOOD WAY. (IT COULD SOUND CRAZY)...

24th May, 2011. (Last Edited: 24th September, 2011.)