Orson Welles

Born: 6 May 1915 Birthplace: Kenosha, Wisconsin Death: 9 October 1985 (Heart attack) Best Known As: The man who made Citizen Kane Name at birth: George Orson Welles Orson Welles started on the stage at an early age, and by his early 20s had formed The Mercury Theater, a live theater (and later radio) production group, with John Houseman. On Halloween of 1938, Welles directed a radio version of the H. G. Wells story "The War of The Worlds" that unintentionally fooled many people into thinking that Martians had invaded Earth. Welles became nationally famous, and at age 25 was brought to Hollywood by RKO Studios to make movies. His first feature, Citizen Kane (1941), thought to be an indictment of publisher William Randolph Hearst, is considered one of the best films ever made. The flamboyant and ambitious Welles went on to make other movies, including The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Lady From Shanghai (1948) and Touch of Evil (1958), but he eventually became notorious for having difficulty finishing projects. Welles also acted in dozens of movies, including The Third Man (1949) and The Muppet Movie (1979). In his later years he worked mostly in television and as a narrator. The Mercury Theater's radio productions were known as the Mercury Theater on the Air... The actors (and sometimes the group itself) were called the Mercury Players.