The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word CHAPLIN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
H
A
P
L
I
N
More clues leading to the result CHAPLIN
- Film maker's place in company
- Old actor in series about political extremists
- Man batting beyond fifty, bowler went over this player's head?
- Clergyman ignored a comedian film star
- Clown takes place in company
- Place in Bond film — one of 26 22 down’s
- Old comedy star, man with short tie
- Star in silent place found in set of links
- Clergyman drops a vintage comic?
- Place in series for old movie star
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Old actor" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case old actor = chaplin.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.