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Orson Welles
Actor, Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, Additional Credits
Born May 6, 1915Died October 10, 1985 (70 years)
George Orson Welles, 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.
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 & Shows on Plex
Known For
Filmography
| 2023 | Othelo, the Great · as Ele Mesmo (imagem De Arquivo) |
| 2021 | |
| 2019 | Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil" · as (archive Footage) |
| 2018 | The Other Side of the Wind · as Journalist (uncredited) |
| 2013 | Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck · as Jonathan Wilk |
| 2012 | Not Fade Away · as Police Captain Hank Quinlan In Touch Of Evil |
| 2012 | Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen · as (archive Footage) |
| 2011 | Just Henry · as Harry Lime |
| 2010 | Jucy · as Voice Of The Elephant Lamp |
| 2010 | Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff · as Genghis Khan / Bayan (archive Footage) |
| 2010 | Cinema Komunisto · as Sef |
| 2008 | Strictly Courtroom · as Jonathan Wilk |
| 2006 | Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters · as Charles Foster Kane |
| 2005 | |
| 2003 | Rita · as (archive Footage) |
| 2001 | I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary Special · as Cast |
| 2001 | NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3 · as Narrator |
| 1999 | ABC 2000: The Millennium · as Cast |
| 1998 | |
| 1997 | Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years · as Actor 'compulsion' |
| 1993 | |
| 1987 | Someone to Love · as Danny's Friend |
| 1986 | The Transformers: The Movie · as Unicron (voice) |
| 1986 | Hot Money · as Sheriff Paisley |
| 1984 | |
| 1984 | Almonds and Raisins · as Narrator |
| 1984 | Where Is Parsifal? · as Klingsor |
| 1983 | The Witching · as Mr. Cato |
| 1982 | Slapstick of Another Kind · as Aliens' Father (voice) |
| 1982 | Genocide · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1982 | The Quest for Fire Adventure · as Narrator |
| 1981 | Butterfly · as Judge Rauch |
| 1981 | Enchanted Journey · as Pippo |
| 1981 | History of the World: Part I · as Narrator |
| 1981 | Tales of the Klondike (TV Series) · as Narrator |
| 1981 | The Man Who Saw Tomorrow · as Presenter / Narrator (voice) |
| 1980 | Magnum, P.I. (TV Series) · as Robin Masters (voice) |
| 1980 | Shogun · as Narrator |
| 1980 | Shogun (TV Series) · as Narrator |
| 1980 | The Secret Life of Nikola Tesla · as J.p. Morgan |
| 1979 | The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis · as Narrator |
| 1979 | The Muppet Movie · as Lew Lord |
| 1979 | The Double McGuffin · as Narrator |
| 1978 | A Woman Called Moses (TV Series) · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1978 | Filming 'Othello' · as Host |
| 1978 | Mysterious Castles of Clay · as Narrator |
| 1978 | The Biggest Battle · as Narratore |
| 1977 | It Happened One Christmas · as Henry F. Potter |
| 1977 | Hot Tomorrows · as Parklawn Mortuary (voice) |
| 1977 | Rime of the Ancient Mariner · as Narrator |
| 1976 | The New Deal for Artists · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1976 | Voyage of the Damned · as José Estedes |
| 1975 | Bugs Bunny Superstar · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1975 | The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art · as Narrator |
| 1975 | Rikki-Tikki-Tavi · as Narrator / Nag / Chuchundra (voice) |
| 1975 | Who's Out There? · as Host |
| 1974 | Ten Little Indians · as Voice On Tape |
| 1973 | The Battle of Sutjeska · as Winston Churchill |
| 1973 | Above San Francisco · as Narrator |
| 1972 | The Man Who Came to Dinner · as Sheridan Whiteside |
| 1972 | Treasure Island · as Long John Silver |
| 1972 | Necromancy · as Mr. Cato |
| 1972 | Get to Know Your Rabbit · as Mr. Delasandro |
| 1971 | Ten Days Wonder · as Théo Van Horn |
| 1971 | A Safe Place · as The Magician |
| 1971 | Directed by John Ford · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1971 | |
| 1971 | The Legend of Doom House · as Cassavius |
| 1970 | The Deep · as Russ Brewer |
| 1970 | Start the Revolution Without Me · as The Narrator |
| 1970 | Waterloo · as Louis Xviii |
| 1970 | Catch-22 · as Brigadier General Dreedle |
| 1970 | The Kremlin Letter · as Bresnavitch |
| 1970 | A Horse Called Nijinsky · as Narrator |
| 1970 | Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1969 | Kampf um Rom II - Der Verrat · as Justinian |
| 1969 | The Battle of Neretva · as Četnik |
| 1969 | Night Gallery (TV Series) · as Narrator |
| 1969 | 12 + 1 · as Markan |
| 1969 | The Southern Star · as Plankett |
| 1969 | |
| 1969 | To Build a Fire · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1968 | The Last Roman · as Justinian |
| 1968 | House of Cards · as Leschenhaut |
| 1968 | The Name of the Game (TV Series) · as Narrator |
| 1968 | The Immortal Story · as Charles Clay |
| 1968 | Oedipus the King · as Tiresias |
| 1967 | I'll Never Forget What's'isname · as Jonathan Lute |
| 1967 | Ten Days That Shook the World · as Narrator |
| 1967 | The Sailor from Gibraltar · as Louis De Mozambique |
| 1967 | Casino Royale · as Le Chiffre |
| 1967 | Romy - Portrait eines Gesichts · as Albert Hastler - The Advocate |
| 1966 | A Man for All Seasons · as Cardinal Wolsey |
| 1966 | Is Paris Burning? · as Konsul Nordling |
| 1965 | Chimes at Midnight · as Falstaff |
| 1965 | National Geographic Specials (TV Series) · as Narrator |
| 1965 | Marco the Magnificent · as Akerman, Marco's Teacher |
| 1965 | A King's Story · as Narrator |
| 1964 | The Finest Hours · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1963 | The V.I.P.s · as Max Buda |
| 1963 | Ro.Go.Pa.G. · as The 'director' (segment "la Ricotta") |
| 1962 | The Trial · as Albert Hastler |
| 1962 | Lafayette · as Benjamin Franklin |
| 1961 | King of Kings · as Narrator (voice) (uncredited) |
| 1961 | The Tartars · as Burundai |
| 1960 | The Battle of Austerlitz · as Robert Fulton |
| 1960 | An Arabian Night · as Storyteller |
| 1960 | Crack in the Mirror · as Hagolin / Lamerciere |
| 1960 | David and Goliath · as King Saul |
| 1959 | Ferry to Hong Kong · as Captain Hart |
| 1959 | Compulsion · as Jonathan Wilk |
| 1958 | Masters of the Congo Jungle · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1958 | The Roots of Heaven · as Cy Sedgewick |
| 1958 | The Fountain of Youth · as The Narrator |
| 1958 | South Seas Adventure · as Narrator |
| 1958 | The Vikings · as Narrator (voice) (uncredited) |
| 1958 | The Long, Hot Summer · as Will Varner |
| 1958 | Touch of Evil · as Police Captain Hank Quinlan |
| 1957 | Man in the Shadow · as Virgil Renchler |
| 1956 | Moby Dick · as Father Mapple |
| 1955 | Ford Star Jubilee (TV Series) · as Oscar Jaffe |
| 1955 | Around the World with Orson Welles (TV Series) · as Host: Orson Welles |
| 1955 | Mr. Arkadin · as Gregory Arkadin |
| 1955 | Moby Dick Rehearsed · as An Actor Manager /father Mapple /ahab |
| 1955 | Napoleon · as Sir Hudson Lowe |
| 1954 | Three Cases of Murder · as Lord Mountdrago ("lord Mountdrago" Segment) |
| 1954 | Trouble in the Glen · as Sanin Cejador Y Mengues |
| 1954 | Royal Affairs in Versailles · as Benjamin Franklin |
| 1953 | L'uomo la bestia e la virtù · as Captain Perella, The Beast |
| 1952 | Return to Glennascaul · as Narrator |
| 1952 | Trent's Last Case · as Sigsbee Manderson |
| 1952 | Omnibus (TV Series) · as King Lear |
| 1951 | Hallmark Hall Of Fame (TV Series) · as Sheridan Whiteside |
| 1951 | |
| 1950 | The Black Rose · as Bayan |
| 1949 | Prince of Foxes · as Cesare Borgia |
| 1949 | The Third Man · as Harry Lime |
| 1949 | Black Magic · as Joseph Balsamo Aka Count Cagliostro |
| 1948 | Macbeth · as Macbeth |
| 1947 | The Lady from Shanghai · as Michael O'hara |
| 1946 | Duel in the Sun · as Narrator (voice) (uncredited) |
| 1946 | The Stranger · as Prof. Charles Rankin |
| 1946 | Tomorrow Is Forever · as John Andrew Macdonald |
| 1944 | Follow the Boys · as Orson Welles (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Jane Eyre · as Edward Rochester |
| 1943 | Journey Into Fear · as Colonel Haki |
| 1942 | The Magnificent Ambersons · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1941 | Citizen Kane · as Charles Foster Kane |
| 1940 | Swiss Family Robinson · as Opening Narrator |
| 1938 | Too Much Johnson · as Keystone Kop |
| 1937 | The Spanish Earth · as Narrator (voice) |
| 1934 | The Hearts of Age · as Death |
NASA: History of Exploration (TV Series) · as Host | |