Orson Welles
Directing
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.
Media of
Orson Welles
Photos (21)
Filmography of
Orson Welles
Narrator "The Scorpion and the Frog" (archive footage)
... 2025
Narrator (archive footage)
... 2025
Ele Mesmo (Imagem de Arquivo)
... 2024
Radio Host (voice) (archival footage)
... 2024
... 2024
Self (archive footage)
... 2024
... 2023
Self (voiceover)
... 2023
General Zaroff (voice)
... 2023
Self (archive footage)
... 2022
Self (archive footage)
... 2022
Self (archive footage)
... 2022
Himself (Archive footage)
... 2022
Himself (Archive Footage)
... 2022
... 2021
Self (archive footage)
... 2021
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
... 2021
Self (archive footage)
... 2021
Self
... 2020
Self (archive footage)
... 2020
(archive footage)
... 2019
Journalist (uncredited)
... 2018
Self (archive footage)
... 2018
Self (archive footage)
... 2018
Self - Filmmaker / Various Roles (archive footage)
... 2018
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
... 2018
... 2017
Professor Richard Pierson / Self (voice) (archive sound)
... 2016
Self
... 2015
Self - Filmmaker / Various Roles (archive footage)
... 2014
Self (archive footage)
... 2014
Self (archive footage)
... 2013
... 2012
Self (archive footage)
... 2012
(archive footage)
... 2012
... 2011
Genghis Khan / Bayan (archive footage)
... 2010
... 2010
(archive footage 1982)
... 2009
Russ Brewer
... 2007
Self (archive footage)
... 2006
Self (archive footage)
... 2005
... 2005
Self (archive footage)
... 2005
Self (archive footage)
... 2005
... 2005
Ronald Adams
... 2004
Self (archive audio)
... 2004
(archive footage)
... 2003
Self (archive footage)
... 2003
Self (archive footage)
... 2002
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
... 2001
Self (Archive footage)
... 2001
Narrator
... 2001
Self (Archive footage)
... 2000
Self (archive footage)
... 2000
Captain Ahab / Starbuck / Ishmael (archive footage)
... 2000
... 1999
... 1999
Self - Roaster (archive footage)
... 1998
Self (archive footage)
... 1997
Self (archive footage)
... 1997
... 1997
Self (archive footage)
... 1996
Self (archive footage)
... 1995
Self (archive footage)
... 1993
Self
... 1993
Himself (Archive Footage)
... 1993
Self
... 1992
Self - Professor in War of the Worlds Broadcast (archive sound)
... 1991
Self (archive footage)
... 1990
Self (archive footage)
... 1990
Self (archive footage)
... 1990
Orson Welles
... 1988
Danny's Friend
... 1987
Himself (archive footage)
... 1986
Unicron (voice)
... 1986
Self (archive footage)
... 1986
Narrator
... 1985
Marcus Kleek
... 1985
... 1985
Self
... 1984
... 1984
Himself
... 1984
Klingsor
... 1984
himself
... 1984
Mr. Cato
... 1983
Narrator
... 1983
Self - Narrator
... 1983
... 1983
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
... 1983
Sheriff Paisley
... 1983
Aliens' Father (voice)
... 1982
Richard Wagner (voice)
... 1982
... 1982
Self - Narrator
... 1982
Narrator (voice)
... 1982
Self
... 1982
Self - Special Guest
... 1982
Judge Rauch
... 1982
Self
... 1982
Host
... 1982
Narrator
... 1982
Narrator
... 1981
Self (archive footage)
... 1981
Himself (host)
... 1981
Pippo
... 1981
Narrator (voice)
... 1981
Narrator
... 1981
Self
... 1981
Presenter / Narrator (voice)
... 1981
... 1980
J.P. Morgan
... 1980
English Narrator
... 1980
Narrator (voice)
... 1980
Narrator
... 1979
... 1979
Narrator (voice)
... 1979
Lew Lord
... 1979
Narrator
... 1979
... 1979
... 1979
Host
... 1978
Narratore
... 1978
... 1978
Narrator
... 1978
Himself - Host
... 1978
... 1978
Henry F. Potter
... 1977
... 1977
Himself (archive footage)
... 1977
Parklawn Mortuary (voice)
... 1977
Narrator
... 1977
... 1977
José Estedes
... 1976
Self / Narrator
... 1976
Narrator (voice)
... 1975
Self (archive footage)
... 1975
... 1975
Narrator
... 1975
Narrator / Nag / Chuchundra (voice)
... 1975
Host
... 1975
... 1974
... 1974
Voice on Tape
... 1974
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
... 1974
Himself
... 1973
Narrator
... 1973
Self
... 1973
Winston Churchill
... 1973
... 1973
Narrator
... 1973
Sheridan Whiteside
... 1972
Long John Silver
... 1972
Mr. Cato
... 1972
Mr. Delasandro
... 1972
... 1972
Narrator
... 1972
Winston Churchill / George Bernard Shaw
... 1971
Théo Van Horn
... 1971
The Magician
... 1971
Narrator (voice)
... 1971
... 1971
Cassavius
... 1971
Narrator
... 1971
Narrator
... 1971
Narrator
... 1970
Louis XVIII
... 1970
Narrator
... 1970
Brigadier General Dreedle
... 1970
The Narrator
... 1970
Bresnavitch
... 1970
Michelangelo (voice)
... 1970
Narrator
... 1970
Narrator (voice)
... 1969
Shylock
... 1969
Markan
... 1969
Četnik
... 1969
Plankett
... 1969
Justinian
... 1969
Colonel Cascorro
... 1969
Narrator (voice)
... 1969
Justinian
... 1968
Leschenhaut
... 1968
Self - Narrator
... 1968
Charles Clay
... 1968
... 1968
Tiresias
... 1968
Himself
... 1968
Jonathan Lute
... 1967
Narrator
... 1967
... 1967
Le Chiffre
... 1967
Louis de Mozambique
... 1967
Narrator
... 1967
Cardinal Wolsey
... 1966
Konsul Nordling
... 1966
Himself
... 1966
Falstaff
... 1965
Self - Narrator (voice)
... 1965
Narrator- Self
... 1965
Akerman, Marco's Teacher
... 1965
Narrator
... 1965
Narrator (voice)
... 1964
Max Buda
... 1963
The 'Director' (segment "La ricotta")
... 1963
Albert Hastler
... 1962
Narrator (English)
... 1962
Benjamin Franklin
... 1962
Narrator (Voice)
... 1961
Burundai
... 1961
Robert Fulton
... 1960
Storyteller
... 1960
Hagolin / Lamerciere
... 1960
King Saul
... 1960
Narrator
... 1959
Captain Hart
... 1959
Jonathan Wilk
... 1959
Narrator (voice)
... 1958
Cy Sedgewick
... 1958
the narrator
... 1958
Self - Host
... 1958
Narrator
... 1958
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
... 1958
Will Varner
... 1958
Police Captain Hank Quinlan
... 1958
Virgil Renchler
... 1957
Self - Narrator
... 1956
Father Mapple
... 1956
Himself
... 1955
Gregory Arkadin
... 1955
Self - Host
... 1955
Sir Hudson Lowe
... 1955
Lord Mountdrago ("Lord Mountdrago" segment)
... 1955
Sanin Cejador y Mengues
... 1954
Benjamin Franklin
... 1954
King Lear
... 1953
Captain Perella, the Beast
... 1953
Narrator
... 1953
Sigsbee Manderson
... 1952
Othello
... 1951
Self
... 1950
Bayan
... 1950
Cesare Borgia
... 1949
Harry Lime
... 1949
Joseph Balsamo aka Count Cagliostro
... 1949
Macbeth
... 1948
Michael O'Hara
... 1947
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
... 1946
Narrator
... 1946
Prof. Charles Rankin
... 1946
John Andrew MacDonald
... 1946
Narrator
... 1945
Orson Welles (uncredited)
... 1944
Narrator/Bob (helpful taxi passenger)
... 1944
Edward Rochester
... 1943
Self
... 1943
Colonel Haki
... 1943
Narrator (voice)
... 1942
Charles Foster Kane
... 1941
Opening Narrator
... 1940
Keystone Kop
... 1938
Narrator (voice)
... 1937
Death
... 1934
Narrator
... 1933