Orson Welles
Orson Welles was born on May 6,1915 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. His parents were well to do and from the age of 6 he was considered to be a genius. Welles lost his parents at an early age, his mother died when he was eight and his father died when he was twelve. Thornton Wilder and Alexander Woollcott helped him join the theatre company of Katherine Cornell, which helped his way to form The Mercury Theatre on the Air with John Houseman. The Mercury Theater is best know for its celebrated "War of the Worlds" broadcast, which scared half the nation because of its realistic news cast approach. The the fame he received from War of the Worlds, at the age of 25, he was given a film contract at RKO Studio aPictures that included unprecedented artistic freedom His first film was "Citizen Kane" which wsa reputed to be about the life of William Randolph Hearst. Hearst did everything in his power to destroy the film, but he was unsuccessful. Welles brought many of his staff from the Mercury Theater, such as Agnes Moorehead and Joseph Cotton. He used the best in Hollywood, from writer, Joseph Mankiewicz to the great cinematographer, Gregg Toland. Citizen Kane the was awarded nine Academy Award nominations and won for best screenplay and is considered to be the best film ever made.
Orson with Joan Fontaine in "Jane Eyre".
Welles next film was "The Magnificent Ambersons," but the RKO studio decided to shoot new footage and re-edit it without Welles' participation. A dispute erupted and Welles' and seemed to set the pattern troubles in the future with directing. During this time until another film came around, Welles also appeared in some films as an actor such as, "Journey Into Fear" (1942), "Jane Eyre" (1944), and "Tomorrow Is Forever" (1946). His next directing venture was in 1946, when he made "The Stranger," with himself, Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson. This film found Welles as a curious former Nazi, with an interest in clocks. He married Rita Hayworth and then directed "The Lady From Shanghai" (1948) at Columbia Pictures. After making "Macbeth" at Republic, Welles took off for Europe, where he appeared in "The Third Man"(1949), considered one of his best acting roles. Other films directed by Welles can be seen in the Filmography section. He focused from the 1950s on, he focused on his acting career and continued to work in the theater, and wrote some unsuccessful TV pilots. He also put his unique and powerful voice to work as a narrator for films and television shows. Later in life, Welles did many other things like TV commercials. He died on October 10, 1985 of a heart attack.
Biography Courtesy: Classic Movie Favorites.
Orson with Charlton Heston in "Touch of Evil".
Crystal's Favorite Orson Welles Films:
Citizen Kane (1941) - Charles Foster Kane
Jane Eyre (1944) - Edward Rochester
The Long, Hot Summer (1958) - Will Varner
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