The stimulation of controlled deformation in lightweight constructions by means of actuator units as an integrated part of the structure currently represents an attractive subject in engineering. A common design uses a piezoelectric film that is bonded to a shell component by an adhesive layer and induces a bending deformation in the structure. A simplified beam design has been used as a test set-up to characterize the actuator performance of a given system under practical conditions. The bimorph configuration consists of an actuator unit, the bonding adhesive and the substrate material from which the lateral bending deflection of the free end, induced by actuation of the piezoelectric film, is measured. An improved theoretical approach is presented that combines a comprehensive composite theory analysis of the bending with a detailed analytical approach for the gradual stress transfer from the edges of the piezoceramic induced by a deformational misfit between the layers. The results are validated by a finite element analysis of the system. They reveal a substantial influence of the assumptions for the transverse (width direction) state of deformation for which free bending appears to be the most realistic for the test geometry. The study is completed by an experimental analysis that investigates the influence of adhesive stiffness and layer thickness on the actuator performance of a system consisting of a steel substrate and a carbon fibre reinforced substrate and a prototypic PZT actuator module. The results are correlated to the model providing a confirmation of the essential trends.