personage

personage
    n 1: another word for person; a person not meriting
         identification; "a strange personage appeared at the door"
    2: a person whose actions and opinions strongly influence the
       course of events [syn: {important person}, {influential
       person}, {personage}]
    

Personage \Per"son*age\ (p[~e]r"s[u^]n*[asl]j: 48), n. [F.
   personnage.]
   1. Form, appearance, or belongings of a person; the external
      appearance, stature, figure, air, and the like, of a
      person. "In personage stately." --Hayward.
      [1913 Webster]

            The damsel well did view his personage. --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Character assumed or represented. "The actors and
      personages of this fable." --Broome. "Disguised in a false
      personage." --Addison.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A notable or distinguished person; a conspicuous or
      peculiar character; as, an illustrious personage; a comely
      personage of stature tall. --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]
    

147 Moby Thesaurus words for "personage":
      Adamite, Establishment, VIP, actor, antagonist, antihero, baron,
      being, big gun, big man, big name, big noise, big shot, big wheel,
      bigwig, bit, bit part, body, brass, brass hat, cast, cat,
      celebrity, chap, character, chief, constellation, creature, cue,
      customer, cynosure, dean, dignitary, dignity, doyen, doyenne, duck,
      earthling, elder, eminence, fat part, father, feeder, fellow,
      figure, folk hero, galaxy, great man, groundling, guy, hand, head,
      headliner, heavy, hero, heroine, high priest, homo, hotshot, human,
      human being, idol, immortal, important person, individual, ingenue,
      interests, joker, kingfish, kingpin, lead, lead role, leader,
      leading lady, leading man, leading woman, life, lines, lion,
      living soul, lords of creation, luminaries, luminary, magnate, man,
      man of mark, master, master spirit, mogul, mortal, nabob, name,
      nose, notability, notable, one, panjandrum, part, party, person,
      person of note, person of renown, personality, piece,
      pillar of society, pleiad, pop hero, popular hero, popular idol,
      power, power elite, principal, protagonist, public figure, role,
      ruling circle, sachem, senior, side, single, social lion, somebody,
      someone, something, soubrette, soul, star, straight part, superior,
      superstar, supporting character, supporting role, tellurian,
      terran, the great, the top, title role, top brass, top dog,
      top people, tycoon, very important person, villain, walk-on,
      walking part, worldling, worthy