Orson Welles

Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Known Credits

318

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

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • Casino Royale

    Casino Royale

  • The Merv Griffin Show

    The Merv Griffin Show

  • I Love Lucy

    I Love Lucy

  • American Experience

    American Experience

  • Moonlighting

    Moonlighting

  • The Dick Cavett Show

    The Dick Cavett Show

  • Dinah!

    Dinah!

  • Omnibus

    Omnibus

  • Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

    Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

  • The Name of the Game

    The Name of the Game

  • What's My Line?

    What's My Line?

  • The Steve Allen Show

    The Steve Allen Show

  • Omnibus

    Omnibus

  • Night Gallery

    Night Gallery

  • The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

  • Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

    Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

  • With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film

    With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film

  • King of Kings

    King of Kings

  • Cinépanorama

    Cinépanorama

  • Survival

    Survival

  • Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

    Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

  • Citizen Kane

    Citizen Kane

  • Shōgun

    Shōgun

  • Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still

    Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still

  • The Transformers: The Movie

    The Transformers: The Movie

  • Napoleon

    Napoleon

  • Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

    Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

  • Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional

    Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional

  • The Tartars

    The Tartars

  • Man in the Shadow

    Man in the Shadow

  • Compulsion

    Compulsion

  • Reflets de Cannes

    Reflets de Cannes

  • The Trial

    The Trial

  • Waterloo

    Waterloo

  • The Battle of Austerlitz

    The Battle of Austerlitz

  • The Witching

    The Witching

  • Necromancy

    Necromancy

  • Jane Eyre

    Jane Eyre

  • American: An Odyssey to 1947

    American: An Odyssey to 1947

  • Treasure Island

    Treasure Island

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

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

  • Filming Othello

    Filming Othello

  • Embers & Dust

    Embers & Dust

  • Tepepa

    Tepepa

  • V.I.P. Schaukel

    V.I.P. Schaukel

  • History of the World: Part I

    History of the World: Part I

  • Marco the Magnificent

    Marco the Magnificent

  • Moby Dick

    Moby Dick

  • Hot Money

    Hot Money

  • Disorder

    Disorder

  • London

    London

  • Catch-22

    Catch-22

  • Othello

    Othello

  • Is It Always Right to Be Right?

    Is It Always Right to Be Right?

  • The Third Man

    The Third Man

  • The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

    The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

  • Black Magic

    Black Magic

  • Start the Revolution Without Me

    Start the Revolution Without Me

  • A Woman Called Moses

    A Woman Called Moses

  • Malpertuis

    Malpertuis

  • The Well

    The Well

  • Butterfly

    Butterfly

  • King Lear

    King Lear

  • Brasil

    Brasil

  • Is Paris Burning?

    Is Paris Burning?

  • The Long, Hot Summer

    The Long, Hot Summer

  • The Muppet Movie

    The Muppet Movie

  • And Then There Were None

    And Then There Were None

  • The Dreamers

    The Dreamers

  • Touch of Evil

    Touch of Evil

  • Hopper/Welles

    Hopper/Welles

  • The Battle of Neretva

    The Battle of Neretva

  • The American Film Institute Salute to ...

    The American Film Institute Salute to ...

  • Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

    Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

  • The Secret of Nikola Tesla

    The Secret of Nikola Tesla

  • Talking Pictures

    Talking Pictures

  • Jodorowsky's Dune

    Jodorowsky's Dune

  • Don Quixote

    Don Quixote

  • The Vikings

    The Vikings

  • F for Fake

    F for Fake

  • The Fight for Rome II - The Betrayal

    The Fight for Rome II - The Betrayal

  • A Man for All Seasons

    A Man for All Seasons

  • Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

    Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

  • Duel in the Sun

    Duel in the Sun

  • Disorder Is 20 Years Old

    Disorder Is 20 Years Old

  • Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen

    Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen

  • Voyage of the Damned

    Voyage of the Damned

  • The Deep

    The Deep

  • Journey into Fear

    Journey into Fear

  • Jim Henson Idea Man

    Jim Henson Idea Man

  • The Orson Welles Story

    The Orson Welles Story

  • Prince of Foxes

    Prince of Foxes

  • Lost in La Mancha

    Lost in La Mancha

  • Directed by John Ford

    Directed by John Ford

  • Lafayette

    Lafayette

  • The Other Side of the Wind

    The Other Side of the Wind

  • Jeanne Moreau: Free Spirit

    Jeanne Moreau: Free Spirit

  • La Classe américaine

    La Classe américaine

  • The Roots of Heaven

    The Roots of Heaven

  • It's Not All True

    It's Not All True

  • David and Goliath

    David and Goliath

  • The Kremlin Letter

    The Kremlin Letter

  • The Eyes of Orson Welles

    The Eyes of Orson Welles

  • The Magnificent Ambersons

    The Magnificent Ambersons

  • Filmmakers vs. Tycoons

    Filmmakers vs. Tycoons

  • The Man Who Saw Tomorrow

    The Man Who Saw Tomorrow

  • It's All Brazil

    It's All Brazil

  • The Fight for Rome

    The Fight for Rome

  • The Southern Star

    The Southern Star

  • The Cave

    The Cave

  • A Huey P. Newton Story

    A Huey P. Newton Story

  • The Blinding of Isaac Woodard

    The Blinding of Isaac Woodard

  • The Battle Over Citizen Kane

    The Battle Over Citizen Kane

  • Enchanted Journey

    Enchanted Journey

  • The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art

    The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art

  • National Geographic Specials

    National Geographic Specials

  • Too Much Johnson

    Too Much Johnson

  • The Black Rose

    The Black Rose

  • Orson Welles' Great Mysteries

    Orson Welles' Great Mysteries

  • The Lady from Shanghai

    The Lady from Shanghai

  • Ten Days' Wonder

    Ten Days' Wonder

  • Chimes at Midnight

    Chimes at Midnight

  • Three Cases of Murder

    Three Cases of Murder

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • House of Cards

    House of Cards

  • Twelve Plus One

    Twelve Plus One

  • Freedom River

    Freedom River

  • The Sailor from Gibraltar

    The Sailor from Gibraltar

  • The Double McGuffin

    The Double McGuffin

  • The V.I.P.s

    The V.I.P.s

  • Night of 100 Stars

    Night of 100 Stars

  • Parkinson at 50

    Parkinson at 50

  • Royal Affairs in Versailles

    Royal Affairs in Versailles

  • Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend

    Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend

  • Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues

    Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues

  • The Magic of David Copperfield

    The Magic of David Copperfield

  • It's All True

    It's All True

  • Man, Beast and Virtue

    Man, Beast and Virtue

  • Ro.Go.Pa.G.

    Ro.Go.Pa.G.

  • The Fountain of Youth

    The Fountain of Youth

  • Tomorrow Is Forever

    Tomorrow Is Forever

  • Orson Welles: The One-Man Band

    Orson Welles: The One-Man Band

  • Trouble in the Glen

    Trouble in the Glen

  • Get to Know Your Rabbit

    Get to Know Your Rabbit

  • Rosabella - La storia italiana di Orson Welles

    Rosabella - La storia italiana di Orson Welles

  • Lost in "The Thinking"

    Lost in "The Thinking"

  • This Is Orson Welles

    This Is Orson Welles

  • The Battle of Sutjeska

    The Battle of Sutjeska

  • River of the Ocean

    River of the Ocean

  • Where Is Parsifal?

    Where Is Parsifal?

  • South Seas Adventure

    South Seas Adventure

  • Orson Welles' F for Fake Trailer

    Orson Welles' F for Fake Trailer

  • A Safe Place

    A Safe Place

  • Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

    Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

  • Magic with the Stars

    Magic with the Stars

  • The New Deal for Artists

    The New Deal for Artists

  • The Enemy Before Us

    The Enemy Before Us

  • Who Is Henry Jaglom?

    Who Is Henry Jaglom?

  • Around the World of Mike Todd

    Around the World of Mike Todd

  • The Finest Hours

    The Finest Hours

  • They'll Love Me When I'm Dead

    They'll Love Me When I'm Dead

  • Ferry to Hong Kong

    Ferry to Hong Kong

  • Follow the Boys

    Follow the Boys

  • Almonds and Raisins

    Almonds and Raisins

  • Someone to Love

    Someone to Love

  • Oedipus the King

    Oedipus the King

  • On the tracks of a filmmaker

    On the tracks of a filmmaker

  • Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure

    Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure

  • The Welles Raft

    The Welles Raft

  • The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working Sail

    The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working Sail

  • The Biggest Battle

    The Biggest Battle

  • Trent's Last Case

    Trent's Last Case

  • The Quest for Fire Adventure

    The Quest for Fire Adventure

  • Working with Orson Welles

    Working with Orson Welles

  • Around the World with Orson Welles

    Around the World with Orson Welles

  • Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years

    Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years

  • Upon This Rock

    Upon This Rock

  • Wagner e Venezia

    Wagner e Venezia

  • Slapstick of Another Kind

    Slapstick of Another Kind

  • In Our Hands

    In Our Hands

  • Orson Welles: The Paris Interview

    Orson Welles: The Paris Interview

  • The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

    The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

  • Orson Welles' Magic Show

    Orson Welles' Magic Show

  • Hot Tomorrows

    Hot Tomorrows

  • Kelly Country

    Kelly Country

  • According to Occam's Razor

    According to Occam's Razor

  • A Step Away

    A Step Away

  • The Stranger

    The Stranger

  • Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote

    Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote

  • Hollywood and the Stars

    Hollywood and the Stars

  • The Cave: a parable told by Orson Welles

    The Cave: a parable told by Orson Welles

  • Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

    Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

  • I'll Never Forget What's'isname

    I'll Never Forget What's'isname

  • Ford Star Jubilee

    Ford Star Jubilee

  • The Real Charlie Chaplin

    The Real Charlie Chaplin

  • Flame of Persia

    Flame of Persia

  • Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance

    Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance

  • The Spanish Earth

    The Spanish Earth

  • Macbeth

    Macbeth

  • Scene of the Crime

    Scene of the Crime

  • The Other Side of Welles

    The Other Side of Welles

  • Doug Henning's World of Magic

    Doug Henning's World of Magic

  • The Shadow Knows

    The Shadow Knows

  • Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees

    Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees

  • Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces

    Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces

  • Show-Business at War

    Show-Business at War

  • Orson Welles at The Magic Castle

    Orson Welles at The Magic Castle

  • Tales of the Klondike

    Tales of the Klondike

  • Doug Henning's World of Magic

    Doug Henning's World of Magic

  • The Shirley MacLaine Special: Where Do We Go from Here?

    The Shirley MacLaine Special: Where Do We Go from Here?

  • The Man Who Came to Dinner

    The Man Who Came to Dinner

  • Mr. Arkadin

    Mr. Arkadin

  • The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh

    The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh

  • Swiss Family Robinson

    Swiss Family Robinson

  • Tempo

    Tempo

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

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

  • Let Poland Be Poland

    Let Poland Be Poland

  • The Immortal Story

    The Immortal Story

  • The Merchant of Venice

    The Merchant of Venice

  • It Happened One Christmas

    It Happened One Christmas

  • Who's Out There?

    Who's Out There?

  • To Try Again... and Succeed

    To Try Again... and Succeed

  • Crack in the Mirror

    Crack in the Mirror

  • The Force Beyond

    The Force Beyond

  • The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

    The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

  • Welles' Language

    Welles' Language

  • Human Nature in Eleven Parts

    Human Nature in Eleven Parts

  • The Late Great Planet Earth

    The Late Great Planet Earth

  • Voyage of the Brigantine Yankee

    Voyage of the Brigantine Yankee

  • Bugs Bunny Superstar

    Bugs Bunny Superstar

  • The Lions of Capitalism: Some Call It Greed

    The Lions of Capitalism: Some Call It Greed

  • The Orson Welles Show

    The Orson Welles Show

  • In the Land of Don Quixote

    In the Land of Don Quixote

  • The Road to Bresson

    The Road to Bresson

  • Othelo The Great

    Othelo The Great

  • Orson Welles' Sketch Book

    Orson Welles' Sketch Book

  • Notre Dame de la Croisette

    Notre Dame de la Croisette

  • Jeanne Moreau : Vive le cinéma !

    Jeanne Moreau : Vive le cinéma !

  • Lords of the Forest

    Lords of the Forest

  • The Dominici Affair by Orson Welles

    The Dominici Affair by Orson Welles

  • Aliens Uncovered: Close Encounters

    Aliens Uncovered: Close Encounters

  • Looking Back Before You Leap

    Looking Back Before You Leap

  • Future Shock

    Future Shock

  • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

  • Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali

    Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali

  • Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream

    Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream

  • To Build a Fire

    To Build a Fire

  • Twelfth Night

    Twelfth Night

  • Black Baby

    Black Baby

  • High Journey

    High Journey

  • A Horse Called Nijinsky

    A Horse Called Nijinsky

  • Genocide

    Genocide

  • From Fiber to Fabric: Wool's a Natural

    From Fiber to Fabric: Wool's a Natural

  • Return to Glennascaul

    Return to Glennascaul

  • Orson Welles in Spain

    Orson Welles in Spain

  • Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady

    Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady

  • A Mother's Tale

    A Mother's Tale

  • Orson Welles at the Cinémathèque Française

    Orson Welles at the Cinémathèque Française

  • The UFO Conspiracy

    The UFO Conspiracy

  • Sentinels of Silence

    Sentinels of Silence

  • Ten Days That Shook the World

    Ten Days That Shook the World

  • Know Your Ally: Britain

    Know Your Ally: Britain

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

    Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"

  • A King's Story

    A King's Story

  • The Hearts of Age

    The Hearts of Age

  • Moby Dick

    Moby Dick

  • The Paranormal Peter Sellers

    The Paranormal Peter Sellers

  • One Man Band

    One Man Band

  • The Greenstone

    The Greenstone

  • Vienna

    Vienna

  • The Hitch Hiker

    The Hitch Hiker

  • Lucifer et moi

    Lucifer et moi

  • Baryshnikov in Hollywood

    Baryshnikov in Hollywood

  • The Magic History of Cinema

    The Magic History of Cinema

  • The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis

    The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis

  • WeirdWorld

    WeirdWorld

  • The Psychic Connection

    The Psychic Connection

  • Mysterious Castles of Clay

    Mysterious Castles of Clay

  • Filming 'The Trial'

    Filming 'The Trial'

  • NBC: The First Fifty Years

    NBC: The First Fifty Years

  • An Arabian Night

    An Arabian Night

  • Tut: The Boy King

    Tut: The Boy King

  • Americans on Everest

    Americans on Everest

  • Tall Tales: The Ireland of Orson Welles

    Tall Tales: The Ireland of Orson Welles

  • Magic Mirror Maze

    Magic Mirror Maze

  • The Silent Years

    The Silent Years

  • NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3

    NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3

  • Moby Dick Rehearsed

    Moby Dick Rehearsed

  • Beggars Would Ride

    Beggars Would Ride

  • Colgate Theatre

    Colgate Theatre

  • Hi-Fi

    Hi-Fi

  • Portrait: Orson Welles

    Portrait: Orson Welles

  • Orson Welles at Large: Portrait of Gina

    Orson Welles at Large: Portrait of Gina

  • Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park

    Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park

  • Orson Welles - Das vermarktete Genie

    Orson Welles - Das vermarktete Genie

  • Caesar's Guide to Gaming with Orson Welles

    Caesar's Guide to Gaming with Orson Welles

  • Search for the Titanic

    Search for the Titanic

  • A Legend a Lifetime: Citizen Welles

    A Legend a Lifetime: Citizen Welles

  • The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon

    The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon

  • Magnificent Monsters of the Deep

    Magnificent Monsters of the Deep

  • Something Else

    Something Else

  • It's Pretty, but is it Art?

    It's Pretty, but is it Art?

  • Power and Corruption

    Power and Corruption

  • A Gift of Harvest

    A Gift of Harvest

  • The Battle of Grovers Mill

    The Battle of Grovers Mill

  • The Scorpion and the Frog

    The Scorpion and the Frog

  • Out of Darkness

    Out of Darkness

  • The Land of the Basques

    The Land of the Basques

  • Mexico City, Old and New

    Mexico City, Old and New

  • An Evening with Orson Welles: The Golden Honeymoon

    An Evening with Orson Welles: The Golden Honeymoon

  • Orson Welles' Sketch Book

    Orson Welles' Sketch Book

  • Orson Welles Talks With Roger Hill

    Orson Welles Talks With Roger Hill

  • Profile No. 6: Orson Welles

    Profile No. 6: Orson Welles

  • Battle for Survival

    Battle for Survival

  • King Penguin: Stranded Beyond the Falklands

    King Penguin: Stranded Beyond the Falklands