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  • BIRTH 06/05/1915
  • DEATH 10/10/1985
  • Country United States
  • SHOWS 9
  • MOVIES 72
  • SHOWRUNNER 2
  • DIRECTOR 15
  • SCRIPT 19
  • PRODUCTION 8

Orson Welles

George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985), best known as Orson Welles, 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.

Orson Welles

Shows (9)

Moonlighting
Moonlighting
Orson Welles
Shogun
Shogun
Narrator
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
Orson Welles
Night Gallery
Night Gallery
Narrator
Ford Star Jubilee
Ford Star Jubilee
Oscar Jaffe
The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game
Narrator
Hallmark Hall Of Fame
Hallmark Hall Of Fame
Sheridan Whiteside
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries
Self - Host
Around the World with Orson Welles
Around the World with Orson Welles
Host: Orson Welles

Movies (72)

Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Charles Foster Kane
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
Jodorowsky's Dune
Jodorowsky's Dune
Self (archive footage)
Casino Royale
Casino Royale
Le Chiffre
The Third Man
The Third Man
Harry Lime
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
Unicron (voice)
Le Procès
Le Procès
Albert Hastler
History of the World: Part I
History of the World: Part I
Narrator
The Lady from Shanghai
The Lady from Shanghai
Michael O'Hara
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
Lew Lord
Waterloo
Waterloo
Louis XVIII
Moby Dick
Moby Dick
Father Mapple
And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None
Voice on Tape
Man in the Shadow
Man in the Shadow
Virgil Renchler
Catch-22
Catch-22
Brigadier General Dreedle
Clint Eastwood, la dernière légende
Clint Eastwood, la dernière légende
Self (archive footage)
A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons
Cardinal Wolsey
Jim Henson Idea Man
Jim Henson Idea Man
Self (archive footage)
La Fayette
La Fayette
Benjamin Franklin
The Vikings
The Vikings
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Magnificent Ambersons
Narrator (voice)
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
Narrator / Nag / Chuchundra (voice)
'F for Fake' Trailer
'F for Fake' Trailer
Self
Il grande attacco
Il grande attacco
Narratore
Vérités et Mensonges
Vérités et Mensonges
Self
Kampf um Rom – 1. Teil
Kampf um Rom – 1. Teil
Justinian
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese…
Self
Kampf um Rom II - Der Verrat
Kampf um Rom II - Der Verrat
Justinian
Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Long John Silver
Malpertuis
Malpertuis
Cassavius
Compulsion
Compulsion
Jonathan Wilk
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Edward Rochester
Lost in La Mancha
Lost in La Mancha
Self (archive footage)
Austerlitz
Austerlitz
Robert Fulton
The Roots of Heaven
The Roots of Heaven
Cy Sedgewick
Tepepa
Tepepa
Colonel Cascorro
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
The 'Director' (segment "La ricotta")
Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces
Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces
Self (archive footage)
Jeanne Moreau, l'affranchie
Jeanne Moreau, l'affranchie
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
La Fabuleuse Aventure de Marco Polo
La Fabuleuse Aventure de Marco Polo
Akerman, Marco's Teacher
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure
Himself
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard
Self (archive footage)
Swiss Family Robinson
Swiss Family Robinson
Opening Narrator
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Self (archive footage)
David e Golia
David e Golia
King Saul
Butterfly
Butterfly
Judge Rauch
Mr. Arkadin
Mr. Arkadin
Gregory Arkadin
Campanadas a medianoche
Campanadas a medianoche
Falstaff
London
London
Winston Churchill / George Bernard Shaw
La Décade prodigieuse
La Décade prodigieuse
Théo Van Horn
Someone to Love
Someone to Love
Danny's Friend
The Long, Hot Summer
The Long, Hot Summer
Will Varner
The Immortal Story
The Immortal Story
Charles Clay
A un solo paso
A un solo paso
English Narrator
Don Quijote de Orson Welles
Don Quijote de Orson Welles
Self
The Great Buster: A Celebration
The Great Buster: A Celebration
Self (archive footage)
Bitka na Neretvi
Bitka na Neretvi
Četnik
Orson Welles: The One-Man Band
Orson Welles: The One-Man Band
Self (archive footage)
Aliens Uncovered: Close Encounters
Aliens Uncovered: Close Encounters
Self
12 + 1
12 + 1
Markan
The Black Rose
The Black Rose
Bayan
House of Cards
House of Cards
Leschenhaut
Start the Revolution Without Me
Start the Revolution Without Me
The Narrator
Bugs Bunny Superstar
Bugs Bunny Superstar
Narrator (voice)
Tut: The Boy King
Tut: The Boy King
Himself - Host
The V.I.P.s
The V.I.P.s
Max Buda
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
Self (archive footage)
Othello
Othello
Othello
The Stranger
The Stranger
Prof. Charles Rankin
The Kremlin Letter
The Kremlin Letter
Bresnavitch
Macbeth
Macbeth
Macbeth
The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working Sail
The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working…
Narrator

Showrunner (2)

Around the World with Orson Welles
Around the World with Orson Welles
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries

Director (15)

Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil
Le Procès
Le Procès
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Magnificent Ambersons
Vérités et Mensonges
Vérités et Mensonges
'F for Fake' Trailer
'F for Fake' Trailer
The Stranger
The Stranger
Mr. Arkadin
Mr. Arkadin
Othello
Othello
Macbeth
Macbeth
Don Quijote de Orson Welles
Don Quijote de Orson Welles
The Other Side of the Wind
The Other Side of the Wind
The Immortal Story
The Immortal Story
Campanadas a medianoche
Campanadas a medianoche
London
London

Script (19)

Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil
Le Procès
Le Procès
The Lady from Shanghai
The Lady from Shanghai
Monsieur Verdoux
Monsieur Verdoux
'F for Fake' Trailer
'F for Fake' Trailer
Vérités et Mensonges
Vérités et Mensonges
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Magnificent Ambersons
Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Macbeth
Macbeth
Othello
Othello
Mr. Arkadin
Mr. Arkadin
Don Quijote de Orson Welles
Don Quijote de Orson Welles
The Other Side of the Wind
The Other Side of the Wind
The Immortal Story
The Immortal Story
The Big Brass Ring
The Big Brass Ring
Campanadas a medianoche
Campanadas a medianoche
London
London
Portrait d'un assassin
Portrait d'un assassin

Production (8)

Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
The Lady from Shanghai
The Lady from Shanghai
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Magnificent Ambersons
'F for Fake' Trailer
'F for Fake' Trailer
Mr. Arkadin
Mr. Arkadin
Othello
Othello
Macbeth
Macbeth
Don Quijote de Orson Welles
Don Quijote de Orson Welles