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.
294 movies · 44 shows
Proust Palimpsesto: Pastiches e Misturas
2026·0.0
WeirdWorld
2025·10.0
Human Nature in Eleven Parts
2025·0.0
The Scorpion and the Frog
2025·5.0
Othelo The Great
2024·0.0
The Battle of Grovers Mill
2024·0.0
Aliens Uncovered: Close Encounters
2024·0.0
Jim Henson Idea Man
2024·7.9
From Introduction to Orson Welles’s Falstaff: Chimes at Midnight
2023·0.0
It's Pretty, but is it Art?
2023·0.0
Looking Back Before You Leap
2023·0.0
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
2022·7.3
American: An Odyssey to 1947
2022·0.0
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
2022·6.5
The Welles Raft
2022·0.0
My Guest is Orson Welles
2021·0.0
The Real Charlie Chaplin
2021·7.6
Tall Tales: The Ireland of Orson Welles
2021·9.0
Parkinson at 50
2021·10.0
Morceaux de Cannes
2021·2.0
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
2021·7.4
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard
2021·0.0
Hopper/Welles
2020·5.9
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind
2020·6.4
Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"
2019·0.0
The Other Side of the Wind
2018·6.7
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
2018·7.1
The Eyes of Orson Welles
2018·7.0
Jeanne Moreau: Free Spirit
2018·7.0
The Magic History of Cinema
2017·0.0
Embers & Dust
2016·6.7
Decadence and Downfall: The Shah of Iran's Ultimate Party
2016·6.7
This Is Orson Welles
2015·7.2
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
2014·6.5
Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance
2014·0.0
Too Much Johnson
2013·5.4
Jodorowsky's Dune
2013·7.8
Magic Mirror Maze
2012·0.0
The Shadow Knows
2012·0.0
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
2012·7.6
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure
2011·5.3
Jucy
2010·4.8
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2010·6.7
Orson Welles: The Paris Interview
2010·5.7
Hollywood sul Tevere
2009·0.0
Lucifer et moi
2009·7.0
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
2007·7.8
The Deep
2007·7.0
Lost in "The Thinking"
2005·7.0
Orson Welles Talks With Roger Hill
2005·0.0
Filmmakers vs. Tycoons
2005·6.8
The Other Side of Welles
2005·10.0
The Well
2005·9.0
Orson Welles Uncut
2005·0.0
The Hitch Hiker
2004·9.0
The UFO Conspiracy
2004·4.3
The Dominici Affair by Orson Welles
2003·6.5
Heart of the Festival
2002·6.5
Lost in La Mancha
2002·7.1
The Movie Movie (An Excerpt)
2002·0.0
A Huey P. Newton Story
2001·5.4
The Paranormal Peter Sellers
2001·6.0
NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3
2001·2.0
Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote
2000·6.3
Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces
2000·6.8
Moby Dick
2000·9.0
One Man Band
1999·8.0
According to Occam's Razor
1999·9.0
Hi-Fi
1999·5.0
The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
1998·6.5
It's All Brazil
1997·6.4
Who Is Henry Jaglom?
1997·6.8
Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional
1997·0.0
The Battle Over Citizen Kane
1996·7.4
Orson Welles: The One-Man Band
1995·6.6
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995·8.0
La Classe américaine
1993·7.6
It's All True
1993·7.6
Rosabella - La storia italiana di Orson Welles
1993·6.5
Working with Orson Welles
1993·5.8
Don Quixote
1992·6.2
The Complete 'Citizen Kane'
1991·0.0
Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio
1991·7.6
With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film
1990·7.0
Welles' Language
1990·7.3
Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream
1990·7.0
On the tracks of a filmmaker
1988·0.0
Someone to Love
1987·5.5
Unseen Lollo
1986·0.0
It's Not All True
1986·6.9
The Transformers: The Movie
1986·7.1
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
1986·6.2
The Dreamers
1985·5.0
Orson Welles' Magic Show
1985·7.3
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon
1984·0.0
Almonds and Raisins
1984·7.0
The Road to Bresson
1984·7.0
The Last Sailors: The Final Days of Working Sail
1984·9.0
In Our Hands
1984·9.0
The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh
1984·6.2
Where Is Parsifal?
1984·3.9
The Witching
1983·0.0
Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?
1983·5.9
The Psychic Connection
1983·0.0
King Penguin: Stranded Beyond the Falklands
1983·0.0
Orson Welles at the Cinémathèque Française
1983·10.0
Hot Money
1983·3.8
Slapstick of Another Kind
1982·3.0
Wagner e Venezia
1982·0.0
Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady
1982·6.0
The Orson Welles Story
1982·9.0
Baryshnikov in Hollywood
1982·0.0
Genocide
1982·7.5
Night of 100 Stars
1982·5.8
Doug Henning's World of Magic
1982·0.0
Butterfly
1982·4.9
Let Poland Be Poland
1982·0.0
Magic with the Stars
1982·9.0
The Quest for Fire Adventure
1982·8.0
A Gift of Harvest
1981·0.0
Brasil
1981·7.5
Search for the Titanic
1981·7.0
The New Deal for Artists
1981·0.0
History of the World: Part I
1981·6.8
Filming 'The Trial'
1981·7.4
The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
1981·7.0
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park
1980·0.0
The Secret of Nikola Tesla
1980·6.3
A Step Away
1980·7.0
The Greenstone
1980·4.3
The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis
1979·7.0
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
1979·0.0
To Try Again... and Succeed
1979·0.0
Filming Othello
1979·7.5
The Muppet Movie
1979·7.2
The Double McGuffin
1979·5.0
The Orson Welles Show
1979·8.0
The Greatest Adventure--The Story of Man's Voyage to the Moon
1979·0.0
Orson Welles at The Magic Castle
1978·0.0
The Biggest Battle
1978·4.7
The Late Great Planet Earth
1978·5.0
Mysterious Castles of Clay
1978·6.4
Tut: The Boy King
1978·0.0
Caesar's Guide to Gaming with Orson Welles
1978·0.0
It Happened One Christmas
1977·4.6
The Lions of Capitalism: Some Call It Greed
1977·8.0
The Force Beyond
1977·4.5
Hot Tomorrows
1977·7.5
The Shirley MacLaine Special: Where Do We Go from Here?
1977·6.5
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
1977·7.5
From Fiber to Fabric: Wool's a Natural
1977·0.0
Voyage of the Damned
1976·6.0
NBC: The First Fifty Years
1976·0.0
Bugs Bunny Superstar
1976·7.3
A Mother's Tale
1976·0.0
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975·6.3
Orson Welles - Das vermarktete Genie
1975·0.0
Magnificent Monsters of the Deep
1975·0.0
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
1975·6.6
Who's Out There?
1975·6.8
The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art
1974·6.4
A Legend a Lifetime: Citizen Welles
1974·8.0
And Then There Were None
1974·5.7
Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still
1974·7.2
Power and Corruption
1973·0.0
Kelly Country
1973·7.0
F for Fake
1973·7.4
The Battle of Sutjeska
1973·6.5
The Cave: a parable told by Orson Welles
1973·0.0
The Cave
1973·0.0
The Man Who Came to Dinner
1972·7.0
Treasure Island
1972·5.9
Necromancy
1972·4.5
Get to Know Your Rabbit
1972·5.0
Malpertuis
1972·6.4
Jeanne Moreau : Vive le cinéma !
1972·0.0
Future Shock
1972·4.7
Ten Days' Wonder
1971·6.2
A Safe Place
1971·5.3
Directed by John Ford
1971·7.0
Sentinels of Silence
1971·6.9
Flame of Persia
1971·0.0
Freedom River
1971·6.4
An Evening with Orson Welles: The Golden Honeymoon
1970·7.0
An Evening with Orson Welles: The Happy Prince
1970·0.0
An Evening with Orson Welles: American Heritage, Vol. I – Selections from George Ade, Thomas Wolfe, Mark Twain
1970·0.0
An Evening with Orson Welles: American Heritage, Vol. II – Clarence Darrow
1970·0.0
An Evening with Orson Welles: Two Wise Old Men – Socrates and Noah
1970·0.0
An Evening with Orson Welles: My Little Boy
1970·0.0
Is It Always Right to Be Right?
1970·6.2
Waterloo
1970·7.1
The Enemy Before Us
1970·0.0
Catch-22
1970·6.7
Start the Revolution Without Me
1970·6.0
The Kremlin Letter
1970·5.9
Upon This Rock
1970·9.0
A Horse Called Nijinsky
1970·9.5
The Merchant of Venice (Rushes)
1970·5.0
Soft Self-Portrait of Salvador Dali
1969·4.3
The Merchant of Venice
1969·8.0
Twelve Plus One
1969·5.3
The Battle of Neretva
1969·6.8
The Southern Star
1969·5.8
The Fight for Rome II - The Betrayal
1969·7.0
Tepepa
1969·6.5
To Build a Fire
1969·7.6
The Fight for Rome
1968·5.9
The Immortal Story
1968·7.1
House of Cards
1968·4.9
Around the World of Mike Todd
1968·6.3
Portrait d'Orson Welles
1968·6.9
Oedipus the King
1968·6.0
Vienna
1968·6.3
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
1967·5.4
Beggars Would Ride
1967·0.0
Disorder Is 20 Years Old
1967·7.0
Casino Royale
1967·5.3
The Sailor from Gibraltar
1967·5.8
Ten Days That Shook the World
1967·6.2
A Man for All Seasons
1966·7.3
Is Paris Burning?
1966·7.2
Orson Welles in Spain
1966·5.0
Chimes at Midnight
1965·7.2
Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees
1965·0.0
Americans on Everest
1965·0.0
Marco the Magnificent
1965·4.8
Profile No. 6: Orson Welles
1965·0.0
A King's Story
1965·6.8
The Finest Hours
1964·6.8
The V.I.P.s
1963·6.1
La ricotta
1963·7.0
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
1963·7.2
River of the Ocean
1962·8.0
The Trial
1962·7.4
Lafayette
1962·5.9
King of Kings
1961·7.1
The Tartars
1961·6.0
Austerlitz
1960·6.6
An Arabian Night
1960·0.0
Crack in the Mirror
1960·7.5
Five Columns on the Front Page: Hong Kong as seen by Orson Welles
1960·0.0
David and Goliath
1960·3.7
High Journey
1959·7.0
Ferry to Hong Kong
1959·5.6
Compulsion
1959·7.1
Lords of the Forest
1958·8.3
The Roots of Heaven
1958·6.2
The Fountain of Youth
1958·6.2
Orson Welles at Large: Portrait of Gina
1958·7.3
South Seas Adventure
1958·5.9
The Vikings
1958·7.0
The Long, Hot Summer
1958·7.0
Touch of Evil
1958·7.7
Man in the Shadow
1957·6.7
Out of Darkness
1956·0.0
Moby Dick
1956·7.1
Orson Welles and People: Camille, the Naked Lady and the Musketeers
1956·7.0
The Land of the Basques
1955·0.0
Mr. Arkadin
1955·6.8
Moby Dick—Rehearsed
1955·7.0
Napoleon
1955·6.3
Three Cases of Murder
1955·6.1
Trouble in the Glen
1954·6.2
Royal Affairs in Versailles
1953·6.7
King Lear
1953·8.0
Man, Beast and Virtue
1953·6.8
Return to Glennascaul
1953·6.5
Trent's Last Case
1952·5.5
Othello
1951·7.4
Disorder
1950·5.7
The Black Rose
1950·6.5
The Miracle of St. Anne
1950·0.0
Prince of Foxes
1949·6.3
The Third Man
1949·7.9
Black Magic
1949·6.4
Macbeth
1948·7.3
The Lady from Shanghai
1947·7.3
Duel in the Sun
1946·6.4
Battle for Survival
1946·9.0
The Stranger
1946·7.2
Tomorrow Is Forever
1946·6.3
Mexico City, Old and New
1945·0.0
Follow the Boys
1944·5.7
Know Your Ally: Britain
1944·4.6
Jane Eyre
1943·6.9
Show-Business at War
1943·7.0
Journey into Fear
1943·6.1
The Magnificent Ambersons
1942·7.3
Citizen Kane
1941·8.0
Swiss Family Robinson
1940·5.7
The Green Goddess
1939·0.0
The Spanish Earth
1937·6.6
The Hearts of Age
1934·5.4
Twelfth Night
1933·6.0