Orson (George) Welles: (1915-1985) U.S. film director, actor, and producer. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, he began directing on stage at 16 and made his Broadway debut in 1934. He directed an all-black cast in Macbeth for the Federal Theater Project. In 1937 he and John Houseman formed the Mercury Theater, creating a series of radio dramas and attempting to mount Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock in the face of determined opposition, and winning notoriety with their panic-producing broadcast of War of the Worlds (1938). Welles then moved to Hollywood, where he cowrote, directed, and acted in the classic Citizen Kane (1941), noted for its innovative narrative technique and atmospheric cinematography and considered the most influential movie in film history. His other films include The Magnificent Ambersons (1943), The Stranger (1946), The Lady from Shanghai (1948), Othello (1952), The Trial (1963), Touch of Evil (1958) and Chimes at Midnight (1966). His problems with Hollywood studios curtailed future productions, and he moved to Europe. He was also notable as an actor in Jane Eyre (1944), The Third Man (1949), and Compulsion (1959).
Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.
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