Orson Welles

Orson Welles Movies and TV Shows

George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985), best known as Orson Welles, 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,[2] 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. 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.

Personal info

  • Gender: Male
  • Date of birth: 5/6/1915 (109 years old)
  • Place of birth: Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
  • nationality: American
  • height: 1.85 m
  • Net worth: $20,000,000
Year
Genre
IMDB
TMDB
Available on the following streaming services in the United States
2021

Documentary

Family

8.0
68%
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind
IMDB 7.1
TMDB 62%
role:
Self (archive footage)
2020

Documentary

7.1
62%
Halston
IMDB 7.1
TMDB 58%
role:
Theme Song Performance
2019

Documentary

7.1
58%
The Other Side of the Wind
IMDB 6.7
TMDB 67%
role:
Editor & 3 more
2018

Drama

6.7
67%
The Great Buster: A Celebration
IMDB 7.5
TMDB 72%
role:
Self (archive footage)
2018

Documentary

7.5
72%
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
IMDB 7.4
TMDB 73%
role:
Self (archive footage) & 1 more
2018

Documentary

7.4
73%
The Eyes of Orson Welles
IMDB 6.7
TMDB 76%
role:
Self - Filmmaker / Various Roles (archive footage) & 1 more
2018

Documentary

6.7
76%
Passage to Mars
IMDB 4.5
TMDB 43%
role:
Theme Song Performance
2016

Adventure

Documentary

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

4.5
43%
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
IMDB 6.9
TMDB 69%
role:
Self - Filmmaker / Various Roles (archive footage) & 1 more
2014

Documentary

6.9
69%
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
IMDB 7.6
TMDB 71%
role:
Genghis Khan / Bayan (archive footage)
2010

Documentary

7.6
71%
The Hitchhiker
IMDB 3.6
TMDB 51%
role:
Original Concept
2007

Horror

Thriller

3.6
51%
Lost in La Mancha
IMDB 7.3
TMDB 71%
role:
Himself (archive footage)
2002

Documentary

7.3
71%
2001

Comedy

Horror

5.9
65%
La Classe américaine
IMDB 7.9
TMDB 77%
role:
Self (archive footage)
Not available
1993

Comedy

TV Movie

7.9
77%
Not available
Waxwork
IMDB 6.1
TMDB 61%
role:
Thanks
1988

Comedy

Horror

6.1
61%
The Transformers: The Movie
IMDB 7.2
TMDB 71%
role:
Unicron (voice)
1986

Action

Adventure

Animation

Family

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.2
71%
1981

Comedy

6.8
68%
Shōgun
IMDB 8.1
TMDB 76%
role:
Narrator
Not available
1980

Action

Adventure

Drama

8.1
76%
Not available
The Muppet Movie
IMDB 7.6
TMDB 72%
role:
Lew Lord
1979

Adventure

Comedy

Family

Music

7.6
72%
And Then There Were None
IMDB 5.7
TMDB 58%
role:
Voice on Tape
1974

Crime

Drama

Mystery

5.7
58%
F for Fake
IMDB 7.7
TMDB 75%
role:
Writer & 3 more
1973

Documentary

7.7
75%
Waterloo
IMDB 7.3
TMDB 71%
role:
Louis XVIII
1970

Action

Drama

History

War & Politics

7.3
71%
Catch-22
IMDB 7.1
TMDB 67%
role:
Brigadier General Dreedle
1970

Comedy

Drama

War & Politics

7.1
67%
Casino Royale
IMDB 5.0
TMDB 54%
role:
Le Chiffre
1967

Action

Adventure

Comedy

5.0
54%
A Man for All Seasons
IMDB 7.7
TMDB 74%
role:
Cardinal Wolsey
1966

Drama

History

7.7
74%
Is Paris Burning?
IMDB 6.8
TMDB 73%
role:
Konsul Nordling
1966

Drama

History

War & Politics

6.8
73%
1966

Drama

Family

6.2
73%
Chimes at Midnight
IMDB 7.6
TMDB 72%
role:
Costume Design & 3 more
1965

Comedy

Drama

History

7.6
72%
Ro.Go.Pa.G.
IMDB 6.9
TMDB 72%
role:
The 'Director' (segment "La ricotta")
1963

Comedy

Drama

6.9
72%
The Trial
IMDB 7.6
TMDB 75%
role:
Editor & 3 more
1962

Crime

Drama

7.6
75%
King of Kings
IMDB 7.0
TMDB 71%
role:
Narrator (Voice)
1961

Drama

History

7.0
71%
Compulsion
IMDB 7.4
TMDB 71%
role:
Jonathan Wilk
1959

Crime

Drama

7.4
71%
The Vikings
IMDB 7.0
TMDB 71%
role:
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1958

Action

Adventure

History

7.0
71%
The Long, Hot Summer
IMDB 7.3
TMDB 71%
role:
Will Varner
1958

Drama

Romance

7.3
71%
Touch of Evil
IMDB 8.0
TMDB 78%
role:
Director & 2 more
1958

Crime

Thriller

8.0
78%
Moby Dick
IMDB 7.3
TMDB 70%
role:
Father Mapple
1956

Adventure

Drama

7.3
70%
Mr. Arkadin
IMDB 7.1
TMDB 71%
role:
Story & 8 more
1955

Crime

Drama

Mystery

Thriller

7.1
71%
Trent's Last Case
IMDB 6.0
TMDB 54%
role:
Sigsbee Manderson
1952

Mystery

6.0
54%
Don Camillo
IMDB 7.6
TMDB 77%
role:
Voice of Christ
1952

Comedy

7.6
77%
Othello
IMDB 7.5
TMDB 74%
role:
Producer & 3 more
1951

Drama

Romance

7.5
74%
The Third Man
IMDB 8.1
TMDB 80%
role:
Harry Lime
1949

Mystery

Thriller

8.1
80%
Macbeth
IMDB 7.4
TMDB 74%
role:
Set Designer & 5 more
1948

Drama

7.4
74%
The Lady from Shanghai
IMDB 7.5
TMDB 74%
role:
Producer & 3 more
1947

Crime

Drama

Mystery

Thriller

7.5
74%
Monsieur Verdoux
IMDB 7.8
TMDB 79%
role:
Original Concept
1947

Comedy

Crime

7.8
79%
Duel in the Sun
IMDB 6.7
TMDB 65%
role:
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1946

Drama

Romance

Western

6.7
65%
The Stranger
IMDB 7.3
TMDB 73%
role:
Co-Writer & 2 more
1946

Crime

Drama

Mystery

Thriller

7.3
73%
Jane Eyre
IMDB 7.5
TMDB 68%
role:
Associate Producer & 1 more
1943

Drama

Romance

7.5
68%
Journey into Fear
IMDB 6.5
TMDB 62%
role:
Producer & 3 more
1943

Drama

Mystery

Thriller

6.5
62%
The Magnificent Ambersons
IMDB 7.6
TMDB 73%
role:
Producer & 4 more
1942

Drama

Romance

7.6
73%
Citizen Kane
IMDB 8.3
TMDB 80%
role:
Director & 3 more
1941

Drama

Mystery

8.3
80%

FAQs

Some movies or TV shows available in the United States starring or involving Orson Welles are, for example, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind and Halston.
The streaming services with the largest selection are Prime Video, Amazon and iTunes.