Crossword Genius

He paints eccentric theatrical type (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

thespian

'theatrical type' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'he paints eccentric' is the wordplay.
'eccentric' indicates anagramming the letters.
'he'+'paints'='hepaints'
'hepaints' anagrammed gives 'THESPIAN'.

(Other definitions for thespian that I've seen before include "Actor - neat hips (anag)" , "He paints (anag)" , "Actor; relating to drama" , "person in the acting business" , "A formal actor" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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