star

1. Broadly, any well-known and idolized film, television, or stage performer; stardom refers to having the status of a star.

2. (film) Broadly an appellation given to any element of a film identified as its primary box office draw: this is usually a charismatic actor, although it can apply to directors, producers, and even special effects.

3. For Dyer, not so much a real person but a discursive construction made up of signs that communicate particular meanings to audiences: Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, and Tom Cruise are all real people of course, but we cannot be certain that their actual personalities bear any relation to their onscreen or offscreen personas, which are both heavily stage-managed and manipulated by the media.