Born: May 6, 1915 – Died: October 10, 1985
Orson Welles, a name that resonates with the dramatic flair of the Golden Age of Hollywood, was a man of exceptional talent whose impact on cinema remains indelible. Born on May 6, 1915, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to an inventive father, Richard Head Welles, and a musically gifted mother, Beatrice Ives Welles, he was introduced to the arts at a tender age. This multifaceted artist, who was to become a titan of the film industry, began life with creativity infused in his veins.
Early Life and Career
Welles's childhood was a patchwork of personal loss and artistic discovery. After the death of his mother in 1924 and his father in 1930, he found a guardian in Dr. Maurice Bernstein. He attended the Todd School in Woodstock, Illinois, graduating in 1931. Spurning higher education, Welles embarked on a journey of artistic exploration that took him across Europe.
His break into the industry came with his New York stage debut as Tybalt in 1934. But it was the 1941 film "Citizen Kane" that rocketed him to stardom, with its innovative storytelling and cinematography that still influences filmmakers today. Despite the commercial challenges that many of his subsequent films faced, Welles garnered considerable recognition, including an Oscar, and praise for his work, which solidified his legendary status.
Personal facets of Welles's life were as compelling as his professional ones. His marriages, children, and a variety of interests outside of film, including magic and painting, painted a picture of a complex individual. Controversies were part of his narrative, but so were his contributions outside of entertainment, engaging in various philanthropic efforts.
Orson Welles is remembered not just for the roles he played on screen but for the way he reshaped the film industry. His bold vision and refusal to compromise his artistic integrity made him a symbol of the auteur filmmaker. His innovative techniques and masterful storytelling secure his place as a titan of cinema, whose influence is as potent today as it was during the height of his Hollywood career.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Chimes at Midnight | Sir John Falstaff |
| 1999 | One Man Band (Short) | Presenter | Winston Churchill | One-Man Band ... |
| 1987 | Someone to Love | Danny's Friend |
| 1986 | Hot Money | Sheriff Paisley |
| 1986 | The Transformers: The Movie | Unicron (voice) |
| 1985 | Moonlighting (TV Series) | Orson Welles |
| 1981–1984 | Magnum, P.I. (TV Series) | Robin Masters (voice) |
| 1984 | Where Is Parsifal? | Klingsor |
| 1983 | Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? | Orson Welles (uncredited) |
| 1982 | Slapstick of Another Kind | Aliens' Father (voice, uncredited) |
| 1982 | Wagner e Venezia (TV Movie) | Richard Wagner (voice) |
| 1981 | Butterfly | Judge Rauch |
| 1981 | The Enchanted Journey | Pippo (English version, voice) |
| 1981 | Tales of the Klondike (TV Mini Series) | Narrator |
| 1981 | History of the World: Part I | Narrator (voice) |
| 1981 | The Man Who Saw Tomorrow | Narrator |
| 1980 | The Greenstone Narrated by Orson Welles (Short) | Narrator (voice) |
| 1980 | Shogun (TV Mini Series) | Narrator (voice) |
| 1980 | Shogun (TV Movie) | Narrator (voice) |
| 1980 | The Secret Life of Nikola Tesla | J.P. Morgan |
| 1979 | To Try Again... and Succeed (Short) | Narrator (voice) |
| 1979 | The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis | Video | Narrator |
| 1979 | The Double McGuffin | Narrator (voice) |
| 1979 | The Muppet Movie | Lew Lord |
| 1978 | A Woman Called Moses (TV Mini Series) | Narrator (voice) |
| 1978 | The Biggest Battle | Narrator (voice, uncredited) |
| 1977 | Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Short) | Narrator (voice) |
| 1977 | It Happened One Christmas (TV Movie) | Henry F. Potter |
| 1977 | Hot Tomorrows | Parklawn Mortuary (voice) |
| 1976 | Voyage of the Damned | Jose Estedes |
| 1975 | Rikki-Tikki-Tavi | TV Short | Narrator (voice) |
| 1974 | Ten Little Indians | U. N. Owen | and the voice of (voice) |
| 1973 | The Cave: a parable told by Orson Welles (Short) | Narrator |
| 1973 | The Battle of Sutjeska | Winston Churchill |
| 1972 | The Man Who Came to Dinner (TV Movie) | Sheridan Whiteside |
| 1972 | Treasure Island | Long John Silver |
| 1972 | An Evening with Orson Welles: The Golden Honeymoon | Video | Narrator |
| 1972 | Get to Know Your Rabbit | Mr. Delasandro |
| 1972 | Necromancy | Mr. Cato |
| 1971 | The Legend of Doom House | Cassavius |
| 1971 | Freedom River (Short) | Narrator (voice) |
| 1971 | Ten Days Wonder | Théo Van Horn - un multimillionnaire qui vit en despote dans sa maison |
| 1971 | Night Gallery (TV Series) | Narrator (segment "Silent Snow, Secret Snow") (voice) |
| 1971 | A Safe Place | The Magician |
| 1970 | The Deep | Russ Brewer |
| 1970 | Is It Always Right to Be Right? (Short) | Narrator (voice) |
| 1970 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (TV Series) | Guest Performer |
| 1970 | Waterloo | Louis XVIII |
| 1970 | The Name of the Game (TV Series) | Narrator |
| 1970 | Upon This Rock (TV Movie) | Michelangelo (voice) |
| 1970 | Catch-22 | General Dreedle |
| 1970 | Start the Revolution Without Me | The Narrator |
| 1970 | The Kremlin Letter | Bresnavitch |
| 1969 | To Build a Fire | Narrator (voice) |
| 1969 | The Merchant of Venice | TV Short | Shylock |
| 1969 | 12 + 1 | Maurice Markau |
| 1969 | The Battle of Neretva | Senator |
| 1969 | Kampf um Rom II - Der Verrat | Justinian |
| 1969 | The Southern Star | Plankett |
| 1969 | Tepepa | Colonel Cascorro |
| 1968 | The Last Roman | Emperor Justinian |
| 1968 | House of Cards | Leschenhaut |
| 1968 | Oedipus the King | Tiresias |
| 1968 | The Immortal Story (TV Movie) | Mr. Charles Clay |
| 1967 | I'll Never Forget What's'isname | Jonathan Lute |
| 1967 | The Sailor from Gibraltar | Louis de Mozambique |
| 1967 | Casino Royale | Le Chiffre |
| 1966 | *A Man For All Seasons* | Cardinal Wolsey |
| 1966 | Is Paris Burning? | Consul Raoul Nordling |
| 1965 | La isla del tesoro (Short) | Long John Silver |
| 1965 | Treasure Island (Short) | Long John Silver |
| 1965 | Chimes at Midnight | Falstaff |
| 1965 | Marco the Magnificent | Akerman, Marco's Tutor |
| 1965 | A King's Story | Narrator (voice) |
| 1964 | The Finest Hours | Narrator (voice) |
| 1963 | The V.I.P.s | Max Buda |
| 1963 | La ricotta (Short) | The 'Director' |
| 1963 | Ro.Go.Pa.G. | The 'Director' (segment "La ricotta") |
| 1962 | The Trial | Albert Hastler - The Advocate | Narrator |
| 1962 | Lafayette | Benjamin Franklin |
| 1961 | King of Kings | Narrator (voice, uncredited) |
| 1961 | The Tartars | Burundai |
| 1960 | The Battle of Austerlitz | Robert Fulton |
| 1960 | An Arabian Night (TV Movie) | Storyteller |
| 1960 | Crack in the Mirror | Hagolin | Lamerciere |
| 1960 | David and Goliath | King Saul |
| 1959 | High Journey (Short) | Narrator (voice) |
| 1959 | Ferry to Hong Kong | Captain Hart |
| 1959 | Compulsion | Jonathan Wilk |
| 1958 | Masters of the Congo Jungle | Narrator, English Language Version (voice) |
| 1958 | The Roots of Heaven | Cy Sedgewick |
| 1958 | Colgate Theatre (TV Series) | Host | Narrator |
| 1958 | South Seas Adventure | Supplemental Narrator (voice) |
| 1958 | The Vikings | Narrator (voice, uncredited) |
| 1958 | Touch of Evil | Police Captain Hank Quinlan |
| 1958 | The Long, Hot Summer | Will Varner |
| 1957 | Man in the Shadow | Virgil Renchler |
| 1956 | I Love Lucy (TV Series) | Orson Welles |
| 1956 | Moby Dick | Father Mapple |
| 1956 | Ford Star Jubilee (TV Series) | Oscar Jaffe |
| 1955 | Moby Dick Rehearsed (TV Movie) | An Actor Manager | Father Mapple | Ahab |
| 1955 | Confidential Report | Gregory Arkadin |
| 1955 | Napoleon | Sir Hudson Lowe |
| 1954 | Three Cases of Murder | Lord Mountdrago ("Lord Mountdrago" segment) |
| 1954 | Trouble in the Glen | Sanin Cejador y Mengues |
| 1954 | Royal Affairs in Versailles | Franklin |
| 1953 | Omnibus (TV Series) | King Lear (segment) |
| 1953 | L'uomo la bestia e la virtù | Captain Perella - the Beast |
| 1952 | Return to Glennascaul (Short) | Narrator | Orson Welles |
| 1952 | Trent's Last Case | Sigsbee Manderson |
| 1952 | The Little World of Don Camillo | Narrator (voice) |
| 1951 | Othello | Othello |
| 1950 | The Black Rose | Bayan |
| 1949 | Prince of Foxes | Cesare Borgia |
| 1949 | *The Third Man* | Harry Lime |
| 1949 | Black Magic | Joseph Balsamo aka Count Cagliostro |
| 1948 | Macbeth | Macbeth |
| 1947 | The Lady from Shanghai | Michael O'Hara |
| 1946 | Duel in the Sun | Narrator (voice, uncredited) |
| 1946 | The Stranger | Prof. Charles Rankin |
| 1946 | Tomorrow Is Forever | John Andrew MacDonald | Erik Kessler |
| 1944 | Follow the Boys | Orson Welles (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Jane Eyre | Edward Rochester |
| 1943 | Journey Into Fear | Colonel Haki |
| 1942 | The Magnificent Ambersons | Narrator (voice) |
| 1941 | *Citizen Kane* | Kane |
| 1940 | Swiss Family Robinson | Opening Narrator (uncredited) |
| 1939 | The Green Goddess (Short) | Rajah | Narrator |
| 1938 | Too Much Johnson | Keystone Kop |
| 1934 | The Hearts of Age (Short) | Death |
| 1933 | Twelfth Night (Short) | Unknown |