Orson Welles
Born May 06, 1915 (Age: 110)
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Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
Biography
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) 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.
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) 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.
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Filmography
Tall Tales: The Ireland of Orson Welles
2021
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as Self
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Age: 106
Parkinson at 50
2021
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 106
Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"
2019
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as (archive footage)
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Age: 103
Jodorowsky's Dune
2013
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as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
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Age: 98
Magic Mirror Maze
2012
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as
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Age: 97
The Shadow Knows
2012
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 96
Orson Welles: The Paris Interview
2010
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as Himself
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Age: 94
Hollywood sul Tevere
2009
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as
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Age: 94
Lucifer et moi
2009
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as (archive footage 1982)
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Age: 93
The Deep
2007
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as Russ Brewer
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Age: 92
Lost in "The Thinking"
2005
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 90
Orson Welles Talks With Roger Hill
2005
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as (Self)
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Age: 90
The Other Side of Welles
2005
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 90
Orson Welles Uncut
2005
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as
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Age: 89
The Hitch Hiker
2004
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as Ronald Adams
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Age: 89
Lost in La Mancha
2002
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 86
No Image
The Movie Movie (An Excerpt)
2002
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as Archival Footage
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Age: 86
The Paranormal Peter Sellers
2001
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as Self (Archive footage)
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Age: 85
Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote
2000
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as Self (Archive footage)
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Age: 85
Lon Chaney: A thousand faces
2000
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 85
Moby Dick
2000
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as Captain Ahab / Starbuck / Ishmael (archive footage)
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Age: 84
One Man Band
1999
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as Presenter / Various
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Age: 84
It's All Brazil
1997
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 82
Who Is Henry Jaglom?
1997
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 82
Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional
1997
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as Self
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Age: 81
The Battle Over Citizen Kane
1996
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 80
La Classe américaine
1993
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 78
It's All True
1993
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as Self
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Age: 78
Rosabella - La storia italiana di Orson Welles
1993
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as
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Age: 78
Working with Orson Welles
1993
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as Himself (Archive Footage)
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Age: 77
Don Quixote
1992
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as Self
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Age: 76
Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio
1991
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as Self - Professor in War of the Worlds Broadcast (archive sound)
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Age: 76
No Image
With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film
1990
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 74
Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream
1990
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 74
Welles' Language
1990
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 74
On the tracks of a filmmaker
1988
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as Orson Welles
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Age: 72
Someone to Love
1987
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as Danny's Friend
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Age: 72
The Transformers: The Movie
1986
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as Unicron (voice)
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Age: 71
The Dreamers
1985
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as Marcus Kleek
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Age: 69
Orson Welles' Magic Show
1985
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as Self
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Age: 69
The Orson Welles Story
1982
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as Self
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Age: 67
Magic with the Stars
1982
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as Self - Host
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Age: 66
A Gift of Harvest
1981
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as Narrator
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Age: 66
Brasil
1981
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 66
Search for the Titanic
1981
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as Self - Host
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Age: 66
Enchanted Journey
1981
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as Pippo
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Age: 66
The New Deal for Artists
1981
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 66
History of the World: Part I
1981
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 66
Filming 'The Trial'
1981
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as Self
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Age: 65
The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
1981
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as Presenter / Narrator (voice)
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Age: 65
No Image
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park
1980
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as Narrator
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Age: 65
The Secret of Nikola Tesla
1980
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as J.P. Morgan
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Age: 64
No Image
A Step Away
1980
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as English Narrator
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Age: 64
The Greenstone
1980
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 64
The Muppet Movie
1979
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as Lew Lord
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Age: 64
Orson Welles at The Magic Castle
1978
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as Self
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Age: 63
The Biggest Battle
1978
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as Narratore
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Age: 62
The Late Great Planet Earth
1978
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as Self
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Age: 62
Caesar's Guide to Gaming with Orson Welles
1978
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as Himself
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Age: 62
Tut: The Boy King
1978
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as Himself - Host
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Age: 62
Mysterious Castles of Clay
1978
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as Narrator
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Age: 62
No Image
The Lions of Capitalism: Some Call It Greed
1977
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as Narrator
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Age: 62
The Shirley MacLaine Special: Where Do We Go from Here?
1977
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as Self
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Age: 61
From Fiber to Fabric: Wool's a Natural
1977
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as Narrator
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Age: 61
No Image
A Mother's Tale
1976
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as Narrator
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Age: 60
No Image
Orson Welles - Das vermarktete Genie
1975
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as Self
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Age: 60
No Image
Magnificent Monsters of the Deep
1975
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as Narrator
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Age: 59
The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art
1974
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as Narrator
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Age: 59
No Image
A Legend a Lifetime: Citizen Welles
1974
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as
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Age: 59
And Then There Were None
1974
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as Voice on Tape
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Age: 59
Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still
1974
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as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
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Age: 58
No Image
Power and Corruption
1973
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as Himself
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Age: 58
No Image
Kelly Country
1973
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as Narrator
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Age: 58
F for Fake
1973
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as Self
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Age: 58
The Battle of Sutjeska
1973
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as Winston Churchill
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Age: 58
The Cave
1973
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as Narrator
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Age: 57
The Cave: a parable told by Orson Welles
1973
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as Narrator
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Age: 57
The Man Who Came to Dinner
1972
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as Sheridan Whiteside
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Age: 57
Necromancy
1972
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as Mr. Cato
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Age: 57
Get to Know Your Rabbit
1972
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as Mr. Delasandro
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Age: 57
Malpertuis
1972
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as Cassavius
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Age: 57
Jeanne Moreau : Vive le cinéma !
1972
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as Self
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Age: 56
No Image
Future Shock
1972
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as Narrator
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Age: 56
An Evening with Orson Welles: The Happy Prince
1970
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as
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Age: 55
An Evening with Orson Welles: American Heritage, Vol. II – Clarence Darrow
1970
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as
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Age: 55
An Evening with Orson Welles: Two Wise Old Men – Socrates and Noah
1970
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as
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Age: 55
An Evening with Orson Welles: My Little Boy
1970
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as
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Age: 55
An Evening with Orson Welles: American Heritage, Vol. I – Selections from George Ade, Thomas Wolfe, Mark Twain
1970
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as
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Age: 55
Waterloo
1970
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as Louis XVIII
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Age: 55
No Image
The Enemy Before Us
1970
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as Narrator
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Age: 55
Catch-22
1970
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as Brigadier General Dreedle
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Age: 55
The Merchant of Venice (Rushes)
1970
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as Shylock
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Age: 54
Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali
1969
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 54
The Merchant of Venice
1969
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as Shylock
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Age: 54
The Battle of Neretva
1969
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as Četnik
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Age: 54
Twelve Plus One
1969
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as Markan
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Age: 54
The Southern Star
1969
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as Plankett
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Age: 53
The Fight for Rome II - The Betrayal
1969
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as Justinian
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Age: 53
Tepepa
1969
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as Colonel Cascorro
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Age: 53
To Build a Fire
1969
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 53
Around the World of Mike Todd
1968
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as Self - Narrator
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Age: 53
Portrait: Orson Welles
1968
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as Self
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Age: 53
A Man for All Seasons
1966
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as Cardinal Wolsey
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Age: 51
Chimes at Midnight
1965
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as Falstaff
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Age: 50
Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees
1965
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as Self - Narrator (voice)
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Age: 50
No Image
Americans on Everest
1965
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as Narrator- Self
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Age: 50
Marco the Magnificent
1965
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as Akerman, Marco's Teacher
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Age: 50
Profile No. 6: Orson Welles
1965
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as
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Age: 50
A King's Story
1965
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as Narrator
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Age: 49
The Finest Hours
1964
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 49
The V.I.P.s
1963
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as Max Buda
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Age: 48
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
1963
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as The 'Director' (segment "La ricotta")
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Age: 47
No Image
River of the Ocean
1962
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as Narrator (English)
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Age: 47
The Trial
1962
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as Albert Hastler
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Age: 47
Lafayette
1962
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as Benjamin Franklin
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Age: 46
King of Kings
1961
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as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
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Age: 46
The Tartars
1961
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as Burundai
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Age: 45
The Battle of Austerlitz
1960
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as Robert Fulton
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Age: 45
No Image
An Arabian Night
1960
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as Storyteller
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Age: 45
Crack in the Mirror
1960
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as Hagolin / Lamerciere
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Age: 45
Five Columns on the Front Page: Hong Kong as seen by Orson Welles
1960
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as Self (narrator)
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Age: 44
David and Goliath
1960
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as King Saul
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Age: 44
High Journey
1959
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as Narrator
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Age: 44
Ferry to Hong Kong
1959
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as Captain Hart
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Age: 44
Compulsion
1959
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as Jonathan Wilk
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Age: 43
No Image
Lords of the Forest
1958
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 43
The Roots of Heaven
1958
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as Cy Sedgewick
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Age: 43
The Fountain of Youth
1958
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as the narrator
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Age: 43
Orson Welles at Large: Portrait of Gina
1958
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as Self - Host
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Age: 43
South Seas Adventure
1958
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as Narrator
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Age: 43
The Vikings
1958
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as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
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Age: 43
The Long, Hot Summer
1958
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as Will Varner
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Age: 43
Touch of Evil
1958
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as Police Captain Hank Quinlan
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Age: 42
No Image
Out of Darkness
1956
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as Self - Narrator
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Age: 41
Moby Dick
1956
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as Father Mapple
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Age: 41
No Image
Orson Welles and People: Camille, the Naked Lady and the Musketeers
1956
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as Self - Narrator (voice)
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Age: 40
The Land of the Basques
1955
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as Himself
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Age: 40
Mr. Arkadin
1955
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as Gregory Arkadin
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Age: 40
Moby Dick—Rehearsed
1955
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as An Actor Manager /Father Mapple /Ahab
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Age: 40
Orson Welles' Sketch Book
1955
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as Self - Host
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Age: 39
Napoleon
1955
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as Sir Hudson Lowe
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Age: 39
Three Cases of Murder
1955
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as Lord Mountdrago ("Lord Mountdrago" segment)
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Age: 39
Trouble in the Glen
1954
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as Sanin Cejador y Mengues
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Age: 39
Royal Affairs in Versailles
1953
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as Benjamin Franklin
•
Age: 38
King Lear
1953
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as King Lear
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Age: 38
Man, Beast and Virtue
1953
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as Captain Perella, the Beast
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Age: 38
Return to Glennascaul
1953
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as Narrator
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Age: 37
Disorder
1950
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as Self
•
Age: 35
The Black Rose
1950
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as Bayan
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Age: 35
The Miracle of St. Anne
1950
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as The Director
•
Age: 34
No Image
Mexico City, Old and New
1945
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as Narrator
•
Age: 30
The Magnificent Ambersons
1942
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as Narrator (voice)
•
Age: 27
Citizen Kane
1941
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as Charles Foster Kane
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Age: 25