Orson Welles

Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Known Credits

313

Gender

Male

Birthday

1915-05-06

Day of death

1985-10-10 (70 years old)

Place of Birth

Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA

Orson Welles

Biography

George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio. Noted for his innovative dramatic productions as well as his distinctive voice and personality, Welles is widely acknowledged as one of the most accomplished dramatic artists of the twentieth century, especially for his significant and influential early work—despite his notoriously contentious relationship with Hollywood. His distinctive directorial style featured layered, nonlinear narrative forms, innovative uses of lighting such as chiaroscuro, unique camera angles, sound techniques borrowed from radio, deep focus shots, and long takes. Welles's long career in film is noted for his struggle for artistic control in the face of pressure from studios. Many of his films were heavily edited and others left unreleased. He has been praised as a major creative force and as "the ultimate auteur." After directing a number of high-profile theatrical productions in his early twenties, including an innovative adaptation of Macbeth and The Cradle Will Rock, Welles found national and international fame as the director and narrator of a 1938 radio adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds performed for the radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was reported to have caused widespread panic when listeners thought that an invasion by extraterrestrial beings was occurring. Although these reports of panic were mostly false and overstated, they rocketed Welles to instant notoriety. Citizen Kane (1941), his first film with RKO, in which he starred in the role of Charles Foster Kane, is often considered the greatest film ever made. Several of his other films, including The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), Touch of Evil (1958), Chimes at Midnight (1965), and F for Fake (1974), are also widely considered to be masterpieces. In 2002, he was voted the greatest film director of all time in two separate British Film Institute polls among directors and critics, and a wide survey of critical consensus, best-of lists, and historical retrospectives calls him the most acclaimed director of all time. Andrew Sarris in his influential book of film criticism The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968 included him in the "pantheon" of the 14 greatest film directors who had worked in the United States. Well known for his baritone voice, Welles was also an extremely well regarded actor and was voted number 16 in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars list of the greatest American film actors of all time. He was also a celebrated Shakespearean stage actor and an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety shows in the war years.

Known For

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • The Merv Griffin Show

    The Merv Griffin Show

  • American Experience

    American Experience

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • I Love Lucy

    I Love Lucy

  • Moonlighting

    Moonlighting

  • The Dick Cavett Show

    The Dick Cavett Show

  • What's My Line?

    What's My Line?

  • National Geographic Specials

    National Geographic Specials

  • Dinah!

    Dinah!

  • The Name of the Game

    The Name of the Game

  • The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

  • The Steve Allen Show

    The Steve Allen Show

  • Night Gallery

    Night Gallery

  • Casino Royale

    Casino Royale

  • Omnibus

    Omnibus

  • Omnibus

    Omnibus

  • Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

    Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

  • Cinépanorama

    Cinépanorama

  • Shōgun

    Shōgun

  • V.I.P. Schaukel

    V.I.P. Schaukel

  • Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

    Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

  • Citizen Kane

    Citizen Kane

  • King of Kings

    King of Kings

  • The Roots of Heaven

    The Roots of Heaven

  • The Third Man

    The Third Man

  • The Finest Hours

    The Finest Hours

  • The Man Who Saw Tomorrow

    The Man Who Saw Tomorrow

  • The Muppet Movie

    The Muppet Movie

  • Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues

    Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues

  • Waterloo

    Waterloo

  • High Journey

    High Journey

  • A Huey P. Newton Story

    A Huey P. Newton Story

  • Get to Know Your Rabbit

    Get to Know Your Rabbit

  • The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

    The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

  • Welles' Language

    Welles' Language

  • Catch-22

    Catch-22

  • Jane Eyre

    Jane Eyre

  • Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

    Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

  • The American Film Institute Salute to ...

    The American Film Institute Salute to ...

  • The Southern Star

    The Southern Star

  • Orson Welles: The One-Man Band

    Orson Welles: The One-Man Band

  • River of the Ocean

    River of the Ocean

  • Ten Days' Wonder

    Ten Days' Wonder

  • Lost in "The Thinking"

    Lost in "The Thinking"

  • The Orson Welles Story

    The Orson Welles Story

  • The Transformers: The Movie

    The Transformers: The Movie

  • The UFO Conspiracy

    The UFO Conspiracy

  • It's Not All True

    It's Not All True

  • Magic with the Stars

    Magic with the Stars

  • And Then There Were None

    And Then There Were None

  • The Eyes of Orson Welles

    The Eyes of Orson Welles

  • Survival

    Survival

  • The Black Rose

    The Black Rose

  • The Welles Raft

    The Welles Raft

  • Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen

    Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen

  • Moby Dick

    Moby Dick

  • Three Cases of Murder

    Three Cases of Murder

  • The Stranger

    The Stranger

  • Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

    Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

  • Reflets de Cannes

    Reflets de Cannes

  • Lost in La Mancha

    Lost in La Mancha

  • Genocide

    Genocide

  • The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art

    The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art

  • It's All Brazil

    It's All Brazil

  • The Other Side of the Wind

    The Other Side of the Wind

  • David and Goliath

    David and Goliath

  • Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

    Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

  • Duel in the Sun

    Duel in the Sun

  • Disorder Is 20 Years Old

    Disorder Is 20 Years Old

  • History of the World: Part I

    History of the World: Part I

  • Enchanted Journey

    Enchanted Journey

  • The Vikings

    The Vikings

  • Jodorowsky's Dune

    Jodorowsky's Dune

  • Where Is Parsifal?

    Where Is Parsifal?

  • Talking Pictures

    Talking Pictures

  • Orson Welles' Great Mysteries

    Orson Welles' Great Mysteries

  • Is Paris Burning?

    Is Paris Burning?

  • Start the Revolution Without Me

    Start the Revolution Without Me

  • Orson Welles' Magic Show

    Orson Welles' Magic Show

  • South Seas Adventure

    South Seas Adventure

  • The Lady from Shanghai

    The Lady from Shanghai

  • Marco the Magnificent

    Marco the Magnificent

  • The Shadow Knows

    The Shadow Knows

  • Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

    Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

  • Napoleon

    Napoleon

  • The Trial

    The Trial

  • The Merchant of Venice

    The Merchant of Venice

  • Tempo

    Tempo

  • Touch of Evil

    Touch of Evil

  • Embers & Dust

    Embers & Dust

  • King Lear

    King Lear

  • The Secret of Nikola Tesla

    The Secret of Nikola Tesla

  • Prince of Foxes

    Prince of Foxes

  • Compulsion

    Compulsion

  • The Tartars

    The Tartars

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • The Witching

    The Witching

  • Don Quixote

    Don Quixote

  • Parkinson at 50

    Parkinson at 50

  • The Long, Hot Summer

    The Long, Hot Summer

  • In Our Hands

    In Our Hands

  • La Classe américaine

    La Classe américaine

  • Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend

    Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend

  • Necromancy

    Necromancy

  • Malpertuis

    Malpertuis

  • Twelve Plus One

    Twelve Plus One

  • The Battle of Austerlitz

    The Battle of Austerlitz

  • The Fountain of Youth

    The Fountain of Youth

  • A Woman Called Moses

    A Woman Called Moses

  • Ferry to Hong Kong

    Ferry to Hong Kong

  • A Man for All Seasons

    A Man for All Seasons

  • Filmmakers vs. Tycoons

    Filmmakers vs. Tycoons

  • Man in the Shadow

    Man in the Shadow

  • A Step Away

    A Step Away

  • On the tracks of a filmmaker

    On the tracks of a filmmaker

  • Filming Othello

    Filming Othello

  • Disorder

    Disorder

  • The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

    The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

  • Trouble in the Glen

    Trouble in the Glen

  • Hot Money

    Hot Money

  • The Kremlin Letter

    The Kremlin Letter

  • Follow the Boys

    Follow the Boys

  • Treasure Island

    Treasure Island

  • Othello

    Othello

  • Night of 100 Stars

    Night of 100 Stars

  • Journey into Fear

    Journey into Fear

  • Butterfly

    Butterfly

  • It's All True

    It's All True

  • Almonds and Raisins

    Almonds and Raisins

  • With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film

    With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film

  • Ro.Go.Pa.G.

    Ro.Go.Pa.G.

  • Scene of the Crime

    Scene of the Crime

  • This Is Orson Welles

    This Is Orson Welles

  • The Well

    The Well

  • The Magic of David Copperfield

    The Magic of David Copperfield

  • Who Is Henry Jaglom?

    Who Is Henry Jaglom?

  • Mr. Arkadin

    Mr. Arkadin

  • Tepepa

    Tepepa

  • The Fight for Rome

    The Fight for Rome

  • The Sailor from Gibraltar

    The Sailor from Gibraltar

  • Man, Beast and Virtue

    Man, Beast and Virtue

  • Macbeth

    Macbeth

  • A Safe Place

    A Safe Place

  • Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still

    Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still

  • To Build a Fire

    To Build a Fire

  • Let Poland Be Poland

    Let Poland Be Poland

  • Who's Out There?

    Who's Out There?

  • Black Magic

    Black Magic

  • Brasil

    Brasil

  • The Other Side of Welles

    The Other Side of Welles

  • Ford Star Jubilee

    Ford Star Jubilee

  • The Immortal Story

    The Immortal Story

  • Directed by John Ford

    Directed by John Ford

  • The Double McGuffin

    The Double McGuffin

  • Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees

    Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees

  • Too Much Johnson

    Too Much Johnson

  • Chimes at Midnight

    Chimes at Midnight

  • Rosabella - La storia italiana di Orson Welles

    Rosabella - La storia italiana di Orson Welles

  • According to Occam's Razor

    According to Occam's Razor

  • The V.I.P.s

    The V.I.P.s

  • The Battle of Neretva

    The Battle of Neretva

  • Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional

    Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional

  • Working with Orson Welles

    Working with Orson Welles

  • The Battle of Sutjeska

    The Battle of Sutjeska

  • Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years

    Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years

  • Someone to Love

    Someone to Love

  • Around the World with Orson Welles

    Around the World with Orson Welles

  • Tomorrow Is Forever

    Tomorrow Is Forever

  • The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

    The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

  • Hopper/Welles

    Hopper/Welles

  • The Fight for Rome II - The Betrayal

    The Fight for Rome II - The Betrayal

  • Bugs Bunny Superstar

    Bugs Bunny Superstar

  • Swiss Family Robinson

    Swiss Family Robinson

  • Trent's Last Case

    Trent's Last Case

  • Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance

    Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance

  • In the Land of Don Quixote

    In the Land of Don Quixote

  • F for Fake

    F for Fake

  • Jeanne Moreau: Free Spirit

    Jeanne Moreau: Free Spirit

  • Hollywood and the Stars

    Hollywood and the Stars

  • Is It Always Right to Be Right?

    Is It Always Right to Be Right?

  • Voyage of the Damned

    Voyage of the Damned

  • Show-Business at War

    Show-Business at War

  • Doug Henning's World of Magic

    Doug Henning's World of Magic

  • Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

    Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

  • Know Your Ally: Britain

    Know Your Ally: Britain

  • The Battle Over Citizen Kane

    The Battle Over Citizen Kane

  • The Magnificent Ambersons

    The Magnificent Ambersons

  • London

    London

  • Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

    Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

  • Kelly Country

    Kelly Country

  • Doug Henning's World of Magic

    Doug Henning's World of Magic

  • House of Cards

    House of Cards

  • Around the World of Mike Todd

    Around the World of Mike Todd

  • Oedipus the King

    Oedipus the King

  • Upon This Rock

    Upon This Rock

  • The Biggest Battle

    The Biggest Battle

  • Lafayette

    Lafayette

  • Royal Affairs in Versailles

    Royal Affairs in Versailles

  • Ten Days That Shook the World

    Ten Days That Shook the World

  • Slapstick of Another Kind

    Slapstick of Another Kind

  • I'll Never Forget What's'isname

    I'll Never Forget What's'isname

  • Orson Welles' Sketch Book

    Orson Welles' Sketch Book

  • Colgate Theatre

    Colgate Theatre

  • The Silent Years

    The Silent Years

  • The Real Charlie Chaplin

    The Real Charlie Chaplin

  • Tales of the Klondike

    Tales of the Klondike

  • Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces

    Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces

  • Flame of Persia

    Flame of Persia

  • The Late Great Planet Earth

    The Late Great Planet Earth

  • The Enemy Before Us

    The Enemy Before Us

  • One Man Band

    One Man Band

  • It Happened One Christmas

    It Happened One Christmas

  • Future Shock

    Future Shock

  • They'll Love Me When I'm Dead

    They'll Love Me When I'm Dead

  • American: An Odyssey to 1947

    American: An Odyssey to 1947

  • Crack in the Mirror

    Crack in the Mirror

  • A Horse Called Nijinsky

    A Horse Called Nijinsky

  • Mysterious Castles of Clay

    Mysterious Castles of Clay

  • The New Deal for Artists

    The New Deal for Artists

  • A Mother's Tale

    A Mother's Tale

  • Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali

    Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali

  • The Force Beyond

    The Force Beyond

  • Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote

    Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote

  • Human Nature in Eleven Parts

    Human Nature in Eleven Parts

  • Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure

    Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure

  • From Introduction to Orson Welles’s Falstaff: Chimes at Midnight

    From Introduction to Orson Welles’s Falstaff: Chimes at Midnight

  • Orson Welles: The Paris Interview

    Orson Welles: The Paris Interview

  • Aliens Uncovered: Close Encounters

    Aliens Uncovered: Close Encounters

  • Looking Back Before You Leap

    Looking Back Before You Leap

  • Tall Tales: The Ireland of Orson Welles

    Tall Tales: The Ireland of Orson Welles

  • Wagner e Venezia

    Wagner e Venezia

  • Filming 'The Trial'

    Filming 'The Trial'

  • The Man Who Came to Dinner

    The Man Who Came to Dinner

  • Hi-Fi

    Hi-Fi

  • The Orson Welles Show

    The Orson Welles Show

  • Baryshnikov in Hollywood

    Baryshnikov in Hollywood

  • The Deep

    The Deep

  • Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream

    Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream

  • Voyage of the Brigantine Yankee

    Voyage of the Brigantine Yankee

  • Vienna

    Vienna

  • Lucifer et moi

    Lucifer et moi

  • The Road to Bresson

    The Road to Bresson

  • The Spanish Earth

    The Spanish Earth

  • A King's Story

    A King's Story

  • Orson Welles at Large: Portrait of Gina

    Orson Welles at Large: Portrait of Gina

  • Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"

    Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"

  • It's Pretty, but is it Art?

    It's Pretty, but is it Art?

  • The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh

    The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh

  • Othelo The Great

    Othelo The Great

  • Notre Dame de la Croisette

    Notre Dame de la Croisette

  • Magnificent Monsters of the Deep

    Magnificent Monsters of the Deep

  • Hot Tomorrows

    Hot Tomorrows

  • King Penguin: Stranded Beyond the Falklands

    King Penguin: Stranded Beyond the Falklands

  • The Battle of Grovers Mill

    The Battle of Grovers Mill

  • The Magic History of Cinema

    The Magic History of Cinema

  • The Scorpion and the Frog

    The Scorpion and the Frog

  • The Paranormal Peter Sellers

    The Paranormal Peter Sellers

  • Portrait: Orson Welles

    Portrait: Orson Welles

  • Sentinels of Silence

    Sentinels of Silence

  • Lords of the Forest

    Lords of the Forest

  • An Arabian Night

    An Arabian Night

  • Tut: The Boy King

    Tut: The Boy King

  • The Cave

    The Cave

  • Moby Dick

    Moby Dick

  • The Blinding of Isaac Woodard

    The Blinding of Isaac Woodard

  • Orson Welles in Spain

    Orson Welles in Spain

  • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

  • Don Quichotte

    Don Quichotte

  • The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon

    The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon

  • The Dreamers

    The Dreamers

  • The Dominici Affair by Orson Welles

    The Dominici Affair by Orson Welles

  • A Gift of Harvest

    A Gift of Harvest

  • NBC: The First Fifty Years

    NBC: The First Fifty Years

  • Twelfth Night

    Twelfth Night

  • Profile No. 6: Orson Welles

    Profile No. 6: Orson Welles

  • The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis

    The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis

  • Return to Glennascaul

    Return to Glennascaul

  • The Greenstone

    The Greenstone

  • The Cave: a parable told by Orson Welles

    The Cave: a parable told by Orson Welles

  • Jeanne Moreau : Vive le cinéma !

    Jeanne Moreau : Vive le cinéma !

  • Freedom River

    Freedom River

  • Moby Dick Rehearsed

    Moby Dick Rehearsed

  • To Try Again... and Succeed

    To Try Again... and Succeed

  • The Hearts of Age

    The Hearts of Age

  • Out of Darkness

    Out of Darkness

  • NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3

    NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3

  • Magic Mirror Maze

    Magic Mirror Maze

  • Orson Welles at the Cinémathèque Française

    Orson Welles at the Cinémathèque Française

  • The Quest for Fire Adventure

    The Quest for Fire Adventure

  • The Land of the Basques

    The Land of the Basques

  • Americans on Everest

    Americans on Everest

  • A Legend a Lifetime: Citizen Welles

    A Legend a Lifetime: Citizen Welles

  • The Hitch Hiker

    The Hitch Hiker

  • Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady

    Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady

  • The Lions of Capitalism: Some Call It Greed

    The Lions of Capitalism: Some Call It Greed

  • Mexico City, Old and New

    Mexico City, Old and New

  • Orson Welles' Sketch Book

    Orson Welles' Sketch Book

  • The Greatest Adventure--The Story of Man's Voyage to the Moon

    The Greatest Adventure--The Story of Man's Voyage to the Moon

  • Search for the Titanic

    Search for the Titanic

  • The Psychic Connection

    The Psychic Connection

  • The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working Sail

    The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working Sail

  • Power and Corruption

    Power and Corruption

  • An Evening with Orson Welles: The Golden Honeymoon

    An Evening with Orson Welles: The Golden Honeymoon

  • Orson Welles - Das vermarktete Genie

    Orson Welles - Das vermarktete Genie

  • Beggars Would Ride

    Beggars Would Ride

  • Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park

    Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park

  • From Fiber to Fabric: Wool's a Natural

    From Fiber to Fabric: Wool's a Natural

  • Something Else

    Something Else

  • Orson Welles Talks With Roger Hill

    Orson Welles Talks With Roger Hill

  • Battle for Survival

    Battle for Survival

  • Caesar's Guide to Gaming with Orson Welles

    Caesar's Guide to Gaming with Orson Welles