These lecture notes from the 1985 AMS Short Course examine a variety of topics from the contemporary theory of actuarial mathematics. Recent clarification in the concepts of probability and statistics has laid a much richer foundation for this theory. Other factors that have shaped the theory include the continuing advances in computer science, the flourishing mathematical theory of risk, developments in stochastic processes, and recent growth in the theory of finance. In turn, actuarial concepts have been applied to other areas such as biostatistics, demography, economic, and reliability engineering.