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,[2] 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. 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.
Movie | Don | Don Quixote / Sancho Panza (voice) | 2025 |
Movie | Parkinson at 50 | Self (archive footage) | 2021-08-28 |
Movie | Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2021-04-23 |
Movie | Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind | Self (archive footage) | 2020-01-27 |
Movie | The Eyes of Orson Welles | Self - Filmmaker / Various Roles (archive footage) | 2018-08-17 |
Movie | Jeanne Moreau: Free Spirit | Self - Filmmaker (archive footage) | 2018-04-02 |
Movie | They'll Love Me When I'm Dead | Self (archive footage) | 2018-08-31 |
Movie | The Great Buster: A Celebration | Self (archive footage) | 2018-10-05 |
Movie | Friedkin Uncut | Self | 2018-11-05 |
Movie | The Other Side of the Wind | Journalist (uncredited) | 2018-11-02 |
Movie | A Final Cut for Orson: 40 Years in the Making | Self - Director | 2018-09-01 |
Movie | Embers & Dust | Professor Richard Pierson / Self (voice) (archive sound) | 2016-11-16 |
Movie | This Is Orson Welles | Self | 2015-05-21 |
Movie | Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles | Self - Filmmaker / Various Roles (archive footage) | 2014-12-12 |
Movie | Too Much Johnson | Keystone Kop | 2013-10-09 |
Series | Talking Pictures | Himself - Archive footage | 2013-01-05 |
Movie | Jodorowsky's Dune | Self (Archival Footage) | 2013-08-30 |
Movie | Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen | (archive footage) | 2012-02-04 |
Movie | Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff | Genghis Khan / Bayan (archive footage) | 2010-05-05 |
Movie | The Deep | as Russ Brewer | 2007-07-08 |
Movie | Edge of Outside | Self (archive footage) | 2006-06-11 |
Movie | The Well | 2005-03-11 | |
Movie | The Other Side of Welles | Self (archive footage) | 2005-06-03 |
Movie | Filmmakers vs. Tycoons | Self (archive footage) | 2005-07-17 |
Movie | The Dominici Affair by Orson Welles | Self (archive footage) | 2003-04-12 |
Movie | Rita | (archive footage) | 2003-09-09 |
Movie | Lost in La Mancha | Self (archive footage) | 2002-02-11 |
Movie | The Paranormal Peter Sellers | Self (Archive footage) | 2001-01-01 |
Movie | NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3 | Narrator | 2001-01-01 |
Movie | A Huey P. Newton Story | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2001-06-18 |
Movie | Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces | Self (archive footage) | 2000-10-24 |
Movie | Moby Dick | Captain Ahab / Starbuck / Ishmael (archive footage) | 2000-05-01 |
Movie | According to Occam's Razor | 1999-01-01 | |
Movie | Tudo é Brasil | Self (archive footage) | 1997-09-18 |
Movie | Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional | Self | 1997-01-01 |
Movie | The Battle Over Citizen Kane | Self (archive footage) | 1996-01-29 |
Movie | Orson Welles: The One-Man Band | Self (archive footage) | 1995-10-08 |
Movie | A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies | Self | 1995-05-21 |
Movie | Rosabella - La storia italiana di Orson Welles | 1993-09-08 | |
Movie | La Classe américaine | Self (archive footage) | 1993-12-31 |
Movie | It's All True | Self | 1993-10-17 |
Movie | Don Quixote | Self | 1992-04-20 |
Movie | Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream | Self (archive footage) | 1990-01-01 |
Movie | Welles' Language | Self (archive footage) | 1990-01-01 |
Series | Star Life | Self | 1990-08-04 |
Movie | With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film | Self (archive footage) | 1990-02-05 |
Movie | Someone to Love | Danny's Friend | 1987-09-11 |
Movie | It's Not All True | Himself (archive footage) | 1986-08-22 |
Movie | The Transformers: The Movie | Unicron (voice) | 1986-08-08 |
Movie | The Dreamers | Marcus Kleek | 1985-02-05 |
Movie | Orson Welles' Magic Show | Self | 1985-01-24 |
Series | Moonlighting | Unknown | 1985-03-03 |
Series | Scene of the Crime | 1985-04-14 | |
Movie | The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh | himself | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working Sail | Narrator | 1984-05-09 |
Movie | The Road to Bresson | Self | 1984-05-13 |
Movie | Where Is Parsifal? | Klingsor | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | Hot Money | Sheriff Paisley | 1983-01-01 |
Movie | Notre Dame de la Croisette | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-02-23 |
Movie | The Witching | Mr. Cato | 1983-11-25 |
Movie | Butterfly | Judge Rauch | 1982-02-05 |
Movie | Night of 100 Stars | Self | 1982-03-08 |
Movie | Slapstick (Of Another Kind) | Aliens' Father (voice) | 1982-12-09 |
Movie | Genocide | Narrator (voice) | 1982-03-14 |
Movie | The Man Who Saw Tomorrow | Presenter / Narrator (voice) | 1981-01-09 |
Movie | Filming 'The Trial' | Self | 1981-02-01 |
Movie | Brasil | Self (archive footage) | 1981-12-05 |
Movie | History of the World: Part I | Narrator | 1981-06-12 |
Movie | The Enchanted Journey | Pippo | 1981-10-10 |
Movie | The Greenstone | Narrator (voice) | 1980-01-01 |
Movie | A Step Away | English Narrator | 1980-01-02 |
Movie | The Secret Life of Nikola Tesla | J.P. Morgan | 1980-02-19 |
Series | Magnum, P.I. | Unknown | 1980-12-11 |
Series | Shogun | Narrator | 1980-09-15 |
Movie | The Greatest Adventure--The Story of Man's Voyage to the Moon | Narrator | 1979-01-02 |
Movie | The Orson Welles Show | Self | 1979-02-01 |
Movie | The Late Great Planet Earth | Self | 1979-01-01 |
Movie | The Double McGuffin | Narrator | 1979-06-01 |
Movie | Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali | Narrator | 1979-12-29 |
Movie | The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis | Narrator | 1979-12-17 |
Movie | Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years | Self | 1979-12-13 |
Movie | The Muppet Movie | Lew Lord | 1979-06-22 |
Movie | Tut: The Boy King | Himself - Host | 1978-01-01 |
Movie | Mysterious Castles of Clay | Narrator | 1978-01-01 |
Movie | The Biggest Battle | Narratore | 1978-02-07 |
Series | A Woman Called Moses | Narrator (voice) | 1978-12-11 |
Movie | Filming Othello | Host | 1978-07-10 |
Movie | From Fiber to Fabric: Wool's a Natural | Narrator | 1977-01-01 |
Movie | Hot Tomorrows | Parklawn Mortuary (voice) | 1977-04-01 |
Movie | The Rime of the Ancient Mariner | Narrator | 1977-01-01 |
Movie | The Lions of Capitalism: Some Call It Greed | Narrator | 1977-12-03 |
Movie | The Force Beyond | Himself (archive footage) | 1977-12-02 |
Movie | It Happened One Christmas | Henry F. Potter | 1977-12-11 |
Movie | Voyage of the Damned | José Estedes | 1976-12-22 |
Movie | Rikki-Tikki-Tavi | Narrator / Nag / Chuchundra (voice) | 1975-01-09 |
Movie | Who's Out There? | Host | 1975-01-01 |
Movie | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) | 1975-08-06 |
Movie | Bugs Bunny: Superstar | Narrator (voice) | 1975-12-19 |
Movie | And Then There Were None | Voice on Tape | 1974-09-24 |
Movie | The Battle of Sutjeska | Winston Churchill | 1973-07-03 |
Series | Orson Welles' Great Mysteries | Self - Host | 1973-09-01 |
Movie | F for Fake | Self | 1973-09-01 |
Series | The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts | Unknown | 1973-09-14 |
Movie | Future Shock | Narrator | 1972-02-22 |
Movie | Necromancy | Mr. Cato | 1972-09-22 |
Movie | Treasure Island | Long John Silver | 1972-10-01 |
Movie | Get to Know Your Rabbit | Mr. Delasandro | 1972-06-07 |
Movie | Malpertuis | Cassavius | 1971-01-01 |
Movie | Freedom River | Narrator | 1971-01-01 |
Movie | Centinelas del Silencio | 1971-05-01 | |
Movie | Flame of Persia | Narrator | 1971-01-02 |
Movie | London | Winston Churchill / George Bernard Shaw | 1971-12-31 |
Movie | A Safe Place | The Magician | 1971-10-01 |
Movie | Ten Days' Wonder | Théo Van Horn | 1971-12-01 |
Movie | Directed by John Ford | Narrator (voice) | 1971-09-06 |
Movie | The Kremlin Letter | Bresnavitch | 1970-02-01 |
Movie | Upon This Rock | Michelangelo (voice) | 1970-01-01 |
Movie | A Horse Called Nijinsky | Narrator | 1970-01-01 |
Movie | Start the Revolution Without Me | The Narrator | 1970-02-04 |
Series | Night Gallery | Unknown | 1970-12-16 |
Movie | An Evening with Orson Welles: The Golden Honeymoon | 1970-12-31 | |
Movie | Catch-22 | Brigadier General Dreedle | 1970-06-24 |
Movie | Is It Always Right to Be Right? | Narrator | 1970-10-31 |
Movie | Waterloo | Louis XVIII | 1970-10-26 |
Movie | Tepepa | Colonel Cascorro | 1969-01-31 |
Movie | The Fight for Rome II - The Betrayal | Justinian | 1969-02-21 |
Movie | To Build a Fire | Narrator (voice) | 1969-01-01 |
Movie | The Merchant of Venice | Shylock | 1969-12-01 |
Movie | The Southern Star | Plankett | 1969-03-04 |
Movie | Twelve Plus One | Markan | 1969-10-07 |
Movie | The Battle of Neretva | Četnik | 1969-10-07 |
Movie | Vienna | Himself | 1968-01-01 |
Movie | Portrait: Orson Welles | Self | 1968-06-01 |
Movie | Oedipus the King | Tiresias | 1968-06-01 |
Movie | The Fight for Rome | Justinian | 1968-12-17 |
Movie | The Immortal Story | Charles Clay | 1968-06-01 |
Movie | House of Cards | Leschenhaut | 1968-09-16 |
Movie | Casino Royale | Le Chiffre | 1967-04-13 |
Movie | Ten Days That Shook the World | Narrator | 1967-01-01 |
Movie | The Sailor from Gibraltar | 1967-01-01 | |
Movie | I'll Never Forget What's'isname | Jonathan Lute | 1967-12-18 |
Series | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | Unknown | 1967-09-09 |
Movie | Beggars Would Ride | Narrator | 1967-12-01 |
Movie | Orson Welles in Spain | Himself | 1966-06-01 |
Movie | A Man for All Seasons | Cardinal Wolsey | 1966-12-13 |
Movie | Is Paris Burning? | Konsul Nordling | 1966-10-26 |
Movie | A King's Story | Narrator | 1965-01-01 |
Movie | Chimes at Midnight | Falstaff | 1965-12-23 |
Movie | Marco the Magnificent | Akerman, Marco's Teacher | 1965-08-06 |
Movie | The Finest Hours | Narrator (voice) | 1964-09-29 |
Series | In the Land of Don Quixote | Himself | 1964-01-01 |
Movie | The V.I.P.s | Max Buda | 1963-09-01 |
Movie | Ro.Go.Pa.G. | The 'Director' (segment "La ricotta") | 1963-02-19 |
Movie | Lafayette | Benjamin Franklin | 1962-02-16 |
Movie | The Trial | Albert Hastler | 1962-12-21 |
Movie | The Tartars | Burundai | 1961-04-01 |
Movie | King of Kings | Narrator (Voice) | 1961-10-11 |
Movie | The Battle of Austerlitz | Robert Fulton | 1960-06-17 |
Movie | Crack in the Mirror | Hagolin / Lamerciere | 1960-05-19 |
Movie | David and Goliath | King Saul | 1960-01-22 |
Movie | Ferry to Hong Kong | Captain Hart | 1959-10-29 |
Movie | Compulsion | Jonathan Wilk | 1959-04-01 |
Movie | Touch of Evil | Police Captain Hank Quinlan | 1958-03-30 |
Movie | The Long, Hot Summer | Will Varner | 1958-05-17 |
Movie | The Roots of Heaven | Cy Sedgewick | 1958-10-15 |
Movie | The Vikings | Narrator (voice) (uncredited) | 1958-06-11 |
Movie | The Fountain of Youth | the narrator | 1958-09-16 |
Movie | Man in the Shadow | Virgil Renchler | 1957-12-12 |
Movie | Moby Dick | Father Mapple | 1956-06-27 |
Series | The Steve Allen Show | Unknown | 1956-06-24 |
Series | Around the World with Orson Welles | Host: Orson Welles | 1955-10-07 |
Movie | Three Cases of Murder | Lord Mountdrago ("Lord Mountdrago" segment) | 1955-03-15 |
Movie | Orson Welles' Sketch Book | Self - Host | 1955-04-24 |
Movie | Mr. Arkadin | Gregory Arkadin | 1955-08-09 |
Movie | Napoleon | Sir Hudson Lowe | 1955-03-25 |
Movie | Trouble in the Glen | Sanin Cejador y Mengues | 1954-06-15 |
Movie | Royal Affairs in Versailles | Benjamin Franklin | 1954-02-10 |
Movie | Return to Glennascaul: A Story That Is Told in Dublin | Narrator | 1953-02-01 |
Movie | Man, Beast and Virtue | Captain Perella, the Beast | 1953-05-09 |
Movie | King Lear | King Lear | 1953-10-18 |
Movie | The Little World of Don Camillo | Voice of Christ | 1952-03-28 |
Movie | Trent's Last Case | Sigsbee Manderson | 1952-09-22 |
Series | Omnibus | King Lear | 1952-11-09 |
Series | I Love Lucy | Unknown | 1951-10-15 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |
Movie | Othello | Othello | 1951-11-28 |
Movie | The Black Rose | Bayan | 1950-09-01 |
Movie | Disorder | Self | 1950-12-02 |
Movie | Black Magic | Joseph Balsamo aka Count Cagliostro | 1949-08-19 |
Movie | Prince of Foxes | Cesare Borgia | 1949-11-11 |
Movie | The Third Man | Harry Lime | 1949-08-31 |
Movie | Macbeth | Macbeth | 1948-10-01 |
Series | The Ed Sullivan Show | Unknown | 1948-06-20 |
Movie | The Lady from Shanghai | Michael O'Hara | 1947-12-24 |
Movie | Tomorrow Is Forever | John Andrew MacDonald | 1946-02-20 |
Movie | Duel in the Sun | Narrator (voice) (uncredited) | 1946-12-31 |
Movie | The Stranger | Prof. Charles Rankin | 1946-07-02 |
Movie | Follow the Boys | Orson Welles (uncredited) | 1944-05-05 |
Movie | Know Your Ally: Britain | Narrator/Bob (helpful taxi passenger) | 1944-01-01 |
Movie | Journey into Fear | Colonel Haki | 1943-01-07 |
Movie | Jane Eyre | Edward Rochester | 1943-12-24 |
Movie | Show-Business at War | Self | 1943-05-21 |
Movie | The Magnificent Ambersons | Narrator (voice) | 1942-07-10 |
Movie | Citizen Kane | Charles Foster Kane | 1941-04-17 |
Movie | Swiss Family Robinson | Opening Narrator | 1940-02-08 |
Movie | The Spanish Earth | Narrator (voice) | 1937-07-10 |
Movie | The Hearts of Age | Death | 1934-01-01 |