Orson Welles
“A prodigy who rewrote the language of film before he turned thirty and never stopped reaching.”
On Halloween eve 1938, 23-year-old Orson Welles directed and narrated a radio adaptation of 'The War of the Worlds' so realistic that some listeners believed Martians were truly invading. The notoriety made him a national sensation and brought a Hollywood contract with unprecedented creative freedom. Three years later he used it to make Citizen Kane, widely regarded as the greatest film ever made.
Boy Wonder
A prodigy in theater and radio, Welles co-founded the Mercury Theatre and became famous overnight with his 1938 'War of the Worlds' broadcast. RKO handed the 24-year-old near-total creative control, a deal unheard of for a newcomer.
Citizen Kane and After
His first film, Citizen Kane, revolutionized cinema with deep-focus photography and fractured narrative, yet clashes with the studio and press magnate William Randolph Hearst hurt its release. The Magnificent Ambersons was taken from his hands and recut, beginning a lifelong struggle for control.
The Wandering Auteur
Welles spent decades financing films through acting jobs, producing brilliant work like Touch of Evil and Chimes at Midnight on shoestring budgets. Honored with a lifetime Oscar in 1971, he remained Hollywood's great unfinished genius until his death in 1985.
Career Timeline
- 1915Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin
- 1937Founds the Mercury Theatre with John Houseman
- 1938'War of the Worlds' broadcast causes panic
- 1941Directs, co-writes and stars in Citizen Kane
- 1942The Magnificent Ambersons recut by the studio
- 1948Adapts and stars in Macbeth
- 1949Plays Harry Lime in The Third Man
- 1958Directs noir landmark Touch of Evil
- 1965Releases his Shakespeare film Chimes at Midnight
- 1971Receives an honorary Academy Award
- 1985Dies of a heart attack in Hollywood
Biggest Hits
- He was only 25 when he directed, produced, co-wrote and starred in Citizen Kane.
- His resonant voice made him a sought-after narrator and commercial spokesman late in life.
The Moment You Remember
Many recall the dying whisper of Citizen Kane, the word Rosebud that sets the whole film in motion, a mystery whose quiet solution still ranks among cinema's most famous closing images.
Portrait: Carl Van Vechten · Public domain (no known copyright restrictions, Library of Congress) · via Wikimedia Commons