noun
- A mediocre or incompetent actor; a performer who overacts or relies on cheap theatrical tricks.
Usage: informal; dated; chiefly theatrical slang
Examples
- The critic dismissed the lead performer as a hamfatter who relied too heavily on exaggerated gestures.
- Even though he was just a hamfatter in small-town productions, he dreamed of making it to Broadway.
- The director refused to cast hamfatters in the lead roles, insisting on trained professionals.
- His hamfatter approach to Shakespeare made the audience groan rather than applaud.