Orson Welles
1915-05-06 ( 109 years old ) in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA

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.

Movies

Human Nature in Eleven Parts 2025-02-11
The Scorpion and the Frog 2025-01-12
Othelo The Great 2024-09-05
The Battle of Grovers Mill 2024-06-08
Aliens Uncovered: Close Encounters 2024-05-21
Jim Henson Idea Man 2024-05-18
From Introduction to Orson Welles’s Falstaff: Chimes at Midnight 2023-04-09
It's Pretty, but is it Art? 2023-03-02
Looking Back Before You Leap 2023-01-31
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend 2022-11-13
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues 2022-10-27
American: An Odyssey to 1947 2022-10-20
The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons 2022-07-01
The Welles Raft 2022-06-23
Tall Tales: The Ireland of Orson Welles 2021-10-17
Parkinson at 50 2021-08-28
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street 2021-04-23
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard 2021-03-30
Hopper/Welles 2020-09-09
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind 2020-01-27
Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil" 2019-02-21
The Other Side of the Wind 2018-11-02
The Great Buster: A Celebration 2018-10-05
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead 2018-08-31
The Eyes of Orson Welles 2018-08-17
Jeanne Moreau: Free Spirit 2018-04-02
The Magic History of Cinema 2017-08-30
Embers & Dust 2016-11-16
This Is Orson Welles 2015-05-21
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles 2014-12-12
Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance 2014-09-10
Too Much Johnson 2013-10-09
Jodorowsky's Dune 2013-08-30
Magic Mirror Maze 2012-05-10
The Shadow Knows 2012-05-04
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen 2012-02-04
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure 2011-08-26
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff 2010-05-05
Orson Welles: The Paris Interview 2010-04-01
Lucifer et moi 2009-02-04
The Deep 2007-07-08
Edge of Outside 2006-06-11
Lost in "The Thinking" 2005-10-29
Orson Welles Talks With Roger Hill 2005-08-15
Filmmakers vs. Tycoons 2005-07-17
The Other Side of Welles 2005-06-03
The Well 2005-03-11
The Hitch Hiker 2004-08-11
Rita 2003-09-09
The Dominici Affair by Orson Welles 2003-04-12
Lost in La Mancha 2002-02-11
A Huey P. Newton Story 2001-06-18
The Paranormal Peter Sellers 2001-01-01
NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3 2001-01-01
Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote 2000-11-05
Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces 2000-10-24
Moby Dick 2000-05-01
According to Occam's Razor 1999-01-01
The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts 1998-01-01
It's All Brazil 1997-09-18
Who Is Henry Jaglom? 1997-07-08
Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional 1997-01-01
The Battle Over Citizen Kane 1996-01-29
Orson Welles: The One-Man Band 1995-10-08
La Classe américaine 1993-12-31
It's All True 1993-10-17
Rosabella - La storia italiana di Orson Welles 1993-09-08
Working with Orson Welles 1993-01-01
Don Quixote 1992-04-20
Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio 1991-10-01
With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film 1990-02-05
Welles' Language 1990-01-01
Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream 1990-01-01
On the tracks of a filmmaker 1988-01-01
Someone to Love 1987-09-11
It's Not All True 1986-08-22
The Transformers: The Movie 1986-08-08
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years 1986-01-21
Almonds and Raisins 1985-08-09
The Dreamers 1985-02-05
Orson Welles' Magic Show 1985-01-24
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon 1984-12-07
The Road to Bresson 1984-05-13
The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working Sail 1984-05-09
In Our Hands 1984-02-16
Where Is Parsifal? 1984-01-01
The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh 1984-01-01
The Witching 1983-11-25
The Psychic Connection 1983-08-18
King Penguin: Stranded Beyond the Falklands 1983-06-22
Orson Welles at the Cinémathèque Française 1983-02-28
Notre Dame de la Croisette 1983-02-23
Hot Money 1983-01-01
Slapstick of Another Kind 1982-12-09
Wagner e Venezia 1982-12-03
Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady 1982-08-16
Baryshnikov in Hollywood 1982-04-21
Genocide 1982-03-14
Night of 100 Stars 1982-03-08
Doug Henning's World of Magic 1982-02-14
Butterfly 1982-02-05
Let Poland Be Poland 1982-01-31
Magic with the Stars 1982-01-17
The Quest for Fire Adventure 1982-01-01
A Gift of Harvest 1981-12-10
Brasil 1981-12-05
Search for the Titanic 1981-12-03
Enchanted Journey 1981-10-10
The New Deal for Artists 1981-07-06
History of the World: Part I 1981-06-12
Filming 'The Trial' 1981-02-01
The Man Who Saw Tomorrow 1981-01-09
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park 1980-12-10
The Secret Life of Nikola Tesla 1980-02-19
A Step Away 1980-01-02
The Greenstone 1980-01-01
The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis 1979-12-17
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years 1979-12-13
To Try Again... and Succeed 1979-12-04
The Muppet Movie 1979-06-22
The Double McGuffin 1979-06-01
The Orson Welles Show 1979-02-01
The Greatest Adventure--The Story of Man's Voyage to the Moon 1979-01-02
Filming Othello 1978-07-10
The Biggest Battle 1978-02-07
The Late Great Planet Earth 1978-01-17
Mysterious Castles of Clay 1978-01-01
Tut: The Boy King 1978-01-01
Caesar's Guide to Gaming with Orson Welles 1978-01-01
It Happened One Christmas 1977-12-11
The Lions of Capitalism: Some Call It Greed 1977-12-03
The Force Beyond 1977-12-02
Hot Tomorrows 1977-04-01
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner 1977-01-01
From Fiber to Fabric: Wool's a Natural 1977-01-01
Voyage of the Damned 1976-12-22
NBC: The First Fifty Years 1976-11-21
Bugs Bunny Superstar 1975-12-19
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? 1975-08-06
Orson Welles - Das vermarktete Genie 1975-05-11
Magnificent Monsters of the Deep 1975-04-27
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi 1975-01-09
Who's Out There? 1975-01-01
The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art 1974-12-05
A Legend a Lifetime: Citizen Welles 1974-12-01
And Then There Were None 1974-09-24
Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still 1974-04-11
Power and Corruption 1973-12-01
Kelly Country 1973-10-01
F for Fake 1973-09-01
The Battle of Sutjeska 1973-07-03
The Cave: a parable told by Orson Welles 1973-01-01
The Cave 1973-01-01
The Man Who Came to Dinner 1972-11-29
Treasure Island 1972-10-01
Necromancy 1972-09-22
Get to Know Your Rabbit 1972-06-07
Future Shock 1972-02-22
Jeanne Moreau : Vive le cinéma ! 1972-01-01
London 1971-12-31
Ten Days' Wonder 1971-12-01
A Safe Place 1971-10-01
Directed by John Ford 1971-09-06
Sentinels of Silence 1971-05-01
Malpertuis 1971-01-02
Flame of Persia 1971-01-02
Freedom River 1971-01-01
An Evening with Orson Welles: The Golden Honeymoon 1970-12-31
Is It Always Right to Be Right? 1970-10-31
Waterloo 1970-10-26
The Enemy Before Us 1970-10-16
Catch-22 1970-06-24
Start the Revolution Without Me 1970-02-04
The Kremlin Letter 1970-02-01
Upon This Rock 1970-01-01
A Horse Called Nijinsky 1970-01-01
Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali 1969-12-29
The Merchant of Venice 1969-12-01
Twelve Plus One 1969-10-07
The Battle of Neretva 1969-10-07
The Southern Star 1969-03-04
The Fight for Rome II - The Betrayal 1969-02-21
Tepepa 1969-01-31
To Build a Fire 1969-01-01
The Fight for Rome 1968-12-17
House of Cards 1968-09-16
Around the World of Mike Todd 1968-09-08
The Immortal Story 1968-06-01
Portrait: Orson Welles 1968-06-01
Oedipus the King 1968-06-01
Vienna 1968-01-01
I'll Never Forget What's'isname 1967-12-18
Beggars Would Ride 1967-12-01
Disorder Is 20 Years Old 1967-06-06
Casino Royale 1967-04-13
The Sailor from Gibraltar 1967-01-01
Ten Days That Shook the World 1967-01-01
A Man for All Seasons 1966-12-13
Is Paris Burning? 1966-10-26
Orson Welles in Spain 1966-06-01
Chimes at Midnight 1965-12-22
Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees 1965-12-22
Americans on Everest 1965-09-10
Marco the Magnificent 1965-08-06
A King's Story 1965-01-01
The Finest Hours 1964-09-29
The V.I.P.s 1963-09-01
Ro.Go.Pa.G. 1963-02-19
The Trial 1962-12-21
River of the Ocean 1962-12-09
Lafayette 1962-02-16
King of Kings 1961-10-11
The Tartars 1961-04-01
The Battle of Austerlitz 1960-06-17
An Arabian Night 1960-06-09
Crack in the Mirror 1960-05-19
David and Goliath 1960-01-22
High Journey 1959-12-31
Ferry to Hong Kong 1959-10-29
Compulsion 1959-04-01
Lords of the Forest 1958-11-21
The Roots of Heaven 1958-10-15
The Fountain of Youth 1958-09-16
Orson Welles at Large: Portrait of Gina 1958-09-01
South Seas Adventure 1958-07-16
The Vikings 1958-06-11
The Long, Hot Summer 1958-05-17
Touch of Evil 1958-03-30
Man in the Shadow 1957-12-12
Out of Darkness 1956-12-02
Moby Dick 1956-06-27
The Land of the Basques 1955-10-07
Mr. Arkadin 1955-08-09
Orson Welles' Sketch Book 1955-04-24
Napoleon 1955-03-25
Three Cases of Murder 1955-03-15
Trouble in the Glen 1954-06-15
Royal Affairs in Versailles 1954-02-10
King Lear 1953-10-18
Man, Beast and Virtue 1953-05-09
Return to Glennascaul 1953-02-01
Trent's Last Case 1952-09-22
Othello 1951-11-28
Disorder 1950-12-02
The Black Rose 1950-09-01
Prince of Foxes 1949-11-11
The Third Man 1949-08-31
Black Magic 1949-08-19
Macbeth 1948-10-01
The Lady from Shanghai 1947-12-24
Duel in the Sun 1946-12-31
Battle for Survival 1946-07-25
The Stranger 1946-07-02
Tomorrow Is Forever 1946-02-20
Mexico City, Old and New 1945-12-01
Follow the Boys 1944-05-05
Know Your Ally: Britain 1944-01-01
Jane Eyre 1943-12-24
Show-Business at War 1943-05-21
Journey into Fear 1943-01-07
The Magnificent Ambersons 1942-07-10
Citizen Kane 1941-04-17
Swiss Family Robinson 1940-02-08
The Spanish Earth 1937-07-10
The Hearts of Age 1934-01-01
Twelfth Night 1933-05-15
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