Personage is a term reserved for an individual of importance or distinction and for a character in a play or novel: "Whether one liked him or not, no one could deny that the late Charles de Gaulle of France was a personage." "Hamlet is a personage who shows both strength and weakness of purpose." Person refers to a human being, whether man, woman, or child: "Every person requires a certain amount of food." See also personality.
Dictionary of problem words and expressions. Harry Shaw. 1975.