Orson Welles
Biography
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.
Known For
Charles Foster Kane
Citizen Kane
Cardinal Wolsey
A Man for All Seasons
Narrator (voice)
The Magnificent Ambersons
Falstaff
Campanadas a medianoche
Harry Lime
The Third Man
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
Touch of Evil
Narrator
History of the World: Part I
Albert Hastler
Le Procès
Markan
12 + 1
Unicron (voice)
The Transformers: The Movie
Father Mapple
Moby Dick
Brigadier General Dreedle
Catch-22
Michael O'Hara
The Lady from Shanghai
Konsul Nordling
Paris brûle-t-il?
Prof. Charles Rankin
The Stranger
Voice on Tape
And Then There Were None
Leschenhaut
House of Cards
Colonel Haki
Journey into Fear
Long John Silver
Treasure Island
Russ Brewer
The Deep
Self - Narrator (voice)
Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees
Edward Rochester
Jane Eyre
Self
Don Quijote de Orson Welles
According to Occam's Razor
Self (archive footage)
A Linguagem de Orson Welles
Self
Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional
Le Chiffre
Casino Royale
Louis XVIII
Waterloo
Orson Welles (uncredited)
Follow the Boys
Četnik
Bitka na Neretvi
Narrator / Nag / Chuchundra (voice)
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
Macbeth
Macbeth
Judge Rauch
Butterfly
Will Varner
The Long, Hot Summer
Jonathan Wilk
Compulsion
Mr. Cato
Necromancy
Himself (Archive footage)
The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
The Vikings
Self
Vérités et Mensonges
Sir Hudson Lowe
Napoléon
Max Buda
The V.I.P.s
Self (archive footage)
American: An Odyssey to 1947
Bayan
The Black Rose
Plankett
The Southern Star
Cesare Borgia
Prince of Foxes
Falstaff
From Introduction to Orson Welles’s Falstaff: Chimes at Midnight
Gregory Arkadin
Mr. Arkadin
John Andrew MacDonald
Tomorrow Is Forever
Lord Mountdrago ("Lord Mountdrago" segment)
Three Cases of Murder
Bresnavitch
The Kremlin Letter
Self (archive footage)
Alfonso Sansone - produttore per caso
Cassavius
Malpertuis
Othello
Othello
Presenter / Narrator (voice)
The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
Benjamin Franklin
Si Versailles m'était conté
Self (archive footage)
Orson Welles: The One-Man Band
Narratore
Il grande attacco
Self (archive footage)
L’Affaire Dominici par Orson Welles
Colonel Cascorro
Tepepa
J.P. Morgan
Tajna Nikole Tesle
Aliens' Father (voice)
Slapstick of Another Kind
The Magician
A Safe Place
Parklawn Mortuary (voice)
Hot Tomorrows
Sigsbee Manderson
Trent's Last Case
Théo Van Horn
La Décade prodigieuse
Charles Clay
The Immortal Story
(archive footage)
Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"
Self
The Late Great Planet Earth
King Saul
David e Golia
José Estedes
Voyage of the Damned
Joseph Balsamo aka Count Cagliostro
Black Magic
Self
It's All True
Captain Hart
Ferry to Hong Kong
The 'Director' (segment "La ricotta")
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
Narrator
Future Shock
Mr. Delasandro
Get to Know Your Rabbit
the narrator
The Fountain of Youth
Himself (archive footage)
The Force Beyond
Narrator (voice)
The Spanish Earth
Mr. Cato
The Witching
Akerman, Marco's Teacher
La Fabuleuse Aventure de Marco Polo
Henry F. Potter
It Happened One Christmas
Host
Filming Othello
Narrator
Mysterious Castles of Clay
Jonathan Lute
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
Sanin Cejador y Mengues
Trouble in the Glen
Klingsor
Where Is Parsifal?
Self (archive footage)
Tudo é Brasil
Narrator
Return to Glennascaul
Self (archive footage)
Parkinson at 50
Self
De weg naar Bresson
Keystone Kop
Too Much Johnson
Burundai
I tartari
Narrator
Is It Always Right to Be Right?
Sheriff Paisley
Hot Money
Captain Perella, the Beast
L'uomo, la bestia e la virtù
Danny's Friend
Someone to Love
Justinian
Kampf um Rom – 1. Teil
Host
Magic with the Stars
Narrator
The Cave: a parable told by Orson Welles
King Lear
King Lear
Centinelas del Silencio
Narrator
The Greatest Adventure--The Story of Man's Voyage to the Moon
Self (Archive footage)
Orson Welles en el país de don Quijote
Narrator
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Self
Tall Tales: The Ireland of Orson Welles
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Notre Dame de la Croisette
Ele Mesmo (Imagem de Arquivo)
Othelo, O Grande
Self (archive footage)
Edge of Outside
Louis de Mozambique
The Sailor from Gibraltar
Marcus Kleek
The Dreamers
Himself
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure
Cy Sedgewick
The Roots of Heaven
Hagolin / Lamerciere
Crack in the Mirror
Narrator (voice)
To Build a Fire
Himself
Orson Welles in Spain
Virgil Renchler
Man in the Shadow
Lew Lord
The Muppet Movie
(archive footage)
Final Cut: Hölgyeim és uraim
Self (archive footage)
The Battle Over Citizen Kane
Self (archive footage)
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
General Zaroff (voice)
Looking Back Before You Leap
Narrator
Ten Days That Shook the World
Self - Filmmaker / Various Roles (archive footage)
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
Self (voiceover)
It's Pretty, but is it Art?
Narrator
فروغ جاودان
Journalist (uncredited)
The Other Side of the Wind
Self (Archive footage)
The Paranormal Peter Sellers
Narrator
A King's Story
himself
The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh
Self (archive footage)
Clint Eastwood, la dernière légende
Michelangelo (voice)
Upon This Rock
Himself - Host
Tut: The Boy King
Self
This Is Orson Welles
Death
The Hearts of Age
Self (archive footage)
Jodorowsky's Dune
Self (archive footage)
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Narrator
Twelfth Night
Self (archive footage)
The Shadow Knows
Himself
Vienna
(archive footage 1982)
Lucifer et moi
Opening Narrator
Swiss Family Robinson
Shylock
The Merchant of Venice
Orson Welles
On the tracks of a filmmaker
Host
Who's Out There?
Self (archive footage)
Jim Henson Idea Man
Radio Host (voice) (archival footage)
The Battle of Grovers Mill
English Narrator
A un solo paso
Narrator
The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working Sail
Captain Ahab / Starbuck / Ishmael (archive footage)
Moby Dick
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still
Self
Orson Welles' Magic Show
Benjamin Franklin
La Fayette
Self
Filming 'The Trial'
Narrator (voice)
The Finest Hours
Self
Portrait: Orson Welles
Narrator (voice)
Directed by John Ford
Self (archive footage)
Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream
Tiresias
Oedipus the King
Narrator (Voice)
King of Kings
The Narrator
Start the Revolution Without Me
Narrator (voice)
Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali
Justinian
Kampf um Rom II - Der Verrat
Narrator
Freedom River
Self (archive footage)
With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film
Winston Churchill / George Bernard Shaw
London
An Evening with Orson Welles: The Golden Honeymoon
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
A Huey P. Newton Story
Brunnen
Narrator
From Fiber to Fabric: Wool's a Natural
Self (archive footage)
Lost in La Mancha
Self
Show-Business at War
Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Narrator
NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Duel in the Sun
(archive footage)
Rita
Narrator
A Horse Called Nijinsky
Self
The Orson Welles Show
Self
Désordre
Narrator (voice)
The Greenstone
Self (archive footage)
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
Narrator
The Quest for Fire Adventure
Himself (Archive Footage)
Working with Orson Welles
Self (archive footage)
Cineastes contra magnats
Narrator (voice)
Bugs Bunny Superstar
Pippo
グリックの冒険
Self (archive footage)
Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces
Self - Filmmaker / Various Roles (archive footage)
The Eyes of Orson Welles
Ronald Adams
The Hitch Hiker
Winston Churchill
Sutjeska
Himself (Archive Footage)
A Jangada de Welles
Narrator
High Journey
Himself
Orson Welles: The Paris Interview
Self - Narrator
Around the World of Mike Todd
Self (archive footage)
La Classe américaine
Narrator
Battle for Survival
Himself
Orson Welles à la Cinémathèque française
Self (archive footage)
Druga strana Wellesa
Self
Hopper/Welles
Narrator
The Cave
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Jeanne Moreau, l'affranchie
Narrator
The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art
Self - Roaster (archive footage)
The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
Rosabella - La storia italiana di Orson Welles
Something Else
Narrator (voice)
Genocide
Self - Host
Orson Welles at Large: Portrait of Gina
Self - Host
Orson Welles' Sketch Book
Self - Narrator
King Penguin: Stranded Beyond the Falklands
Narrator
The Psychic Connection
Self - Narrator
Baryshnikov in Hollywood
Self
Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon
Self (archive footage)
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind
Self
Let Poland Be Poland
Self - Special Guest
Doug Henning's World of Magic
Self - Narrator
Out of Darkness
Self
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
Une légende une vie: Citizen Welles
Self
Orson Welles - Das vermarktete Genie
Robert Fulton
Austerlitz
Self
Le désordre a vingt ans
The Magic History of Cinema
Self (archive footage)
The Great Buster: A Celebration
Professor Richard Pierson / Self (voice) (archive sound)
Embers & Dust
Narrator/Bob (helpful taxi passenger)
Know Your Ally: Britain
Narrator (voice)
Les Seigneurs de la forêt
Storyteller
An Arabian Night
Narrator
Mexico City, Old and New
Narrator (English)
Der große Atlantik
Narrator
South Seas Adventure
Himself (archive footage)
Nem Tudo É Verdade
Sheridan Whiteside
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Himself
In Our Hands
Narrator
Magnificent Monsters of the Deep
Himself
Power and Corruption
Richard Wagner (voice)
Wagner e Venezia
Narrator
The Lions of Capitalism: Some Call It Greed
Narrator (voice)
To Try Again... and Succeed
Narrator (voice)
The New Deal for Artists
Narrator
The Double McGuffin
Narrator
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park
Narrator
Almonds and Raisins
Narrator
The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis
Himself (host)
Search for the Titanic
Narrator
The Enemy Before Us
Narrator
A Gift of Harvest
Narrator
Kelly Country
Self / Narrator
NBC: The First Fifty Years
Jeanne Moreau : Vive le cinéma !
Self (archive footage)
Brasil
Genghis Khan / Bayan (archive footage)
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Himself
Caesar's Guide to Gaming with Orson Welles
Himself
The Land of the Basques
Self (archive footage)
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard
Narrator
Beggars Would Ride
Self (archive footage)
Who Is Henry Jaglom?
Self
Night of 100 Stars
Magic Mirror Maze
Self
Aliens Uncovered: Close Encounters
Narrator (archive footage)
The Scorpion and the Frog
Self (archive footage)
Lost in "The Thinking"
Self - Professor in War of the Worlds Broadcast (archive sound)
Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio
Narrator "The Scorpion and the Frog" (archive footage)
Human Nature in Eleven Parts
Narrator- Self
Americans on Everest
(Self)
Orson Welles Talks With Roger Hill
Personal Info
Known For
Directing
Known Credits
267
Gender
Male
Birthday
1915-05-06
Place of Birth
Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
Also Known As
Джордж Орсон Уэллс