The term “comedian", in the sense of “comic poet”/“comic actor”, came into use towards the end of the 16th century and entered German (Komödiant) through the English acting troupes (“Engelische Comedianten”; English comedian players) who toured Germany. In German it became the term for a professional actor, before the word Schauspieler superseded it in the 18th century (Actor).

Whereas in 16th-century Germany, theater was an exclusively amateur preserve, a profession of acting had developed in England since the 15th century. The first English comedian …