actor vs performing artist

actor and performing artist both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
actor	Yes	No	No	No
performing artist	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, performing artist is a hypernym of actor; that is, performing artist is a word with a broader meaning than actor:

actor: a theatrical performer
performing artist: an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience

Other hypernyms of actor include performer.

actor (noun)	performing artist (noun)
a theatrical performer	an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience
a person who acts and gets things done