A fact is something that exists; it’s reality or the truth. It’s a fact that the collapse of banks is an indication of a very poor economy.
Actual is an adjective that is used to describe something as existing or being factual, such as The bank actually went bankrupt.
You may notice the repetition in the definitions, and our tendency to use the two words together, as in actual fact, is yet another redundancy in our language.
–Paul
Paul’s book–Literally, the Best Language Book Ever;
Everything Language and Grammar 