George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer who is internationally recognised for his groundbreaking work in radio, theatre and film. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time[1]
His first film, Citizen Kane (1941), is regularly regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Welles co-wrote (with Tom Mankiewicz's uncle Herman Mankiewicz), produced, directed and starred as the title character, Charles Foster Kane. He directed twelve other feature films, the most acclaimed of which are The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), Touch of Evil (1958), The Trial (1962), Chimes at Midnight (1966) and F for Fake (1973).[2][3] His distinctive directing style is characterised by layered and non-linear narrative forms, the use of lighting such as chiaroscuro, unusual camera angles, sound techniques borrowed from radio, deep shots and long takes. He has been called "the ultimate auteur". Welles was an outsider to the studio system and fought to retain creative control of his projects, first with the major Hollywood studios and then with various independent financiers in Europe, where he spent most of his career.
In the James Bond franchise, Welles played the antagonist Le Chiffre in the parody film Casino Royale (1967) alongside Peter Sellers and David Niven.
Trivia[]
- Orson Welles did the narration for the 1974's film adaptation of And Then There Were None which stars Gert Fröbe and Adolfo Celi.
- In addition to playing Le Chiffre, Orson Welles was considered by producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli to play the cult villain Auric Goldfinger in the film of the same name but his financial demands were too high.[4]
External Links[]
- Orson Welles at the Internet Movie Database.
- Orson Welles on Wikipedia
References[]
- ↑ "Orson Welles is Dead at 70; Innovator of Film and Stage", The New York Times, October 11, 1985.
- ↑ List-o-Mania, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love American Movies. Jonathan Rosenbaum (June 25, 1998).
- ↑ Great Movie: Chimes at Midnight. Roger Ebert (June 4, 2006).
- ↑ Bray, Christopher (2010). Sean Connery; The Measure of a Man. London: Faber and Faber, p.104. ISBN 978-0-571-23807-1.