Orson Welles

George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, screenwriter, producer, and magician widely acclaimed for his groundbreaking works in film, radio, and theater. He is recognized as the founder of modern film audio-visual language and one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in film history. At the age of 21, Welles directed a series of influential stage plays for the Federal Theater Project, including 1936's Voodoo Macbeth and 1937's The Storm. He co-founded the repertory theater Mercury Theater with John Houseman, which produced several plays on Broadway from 1937 to 1941, including a play with strong political overtones, "Caesar." In 1938, his radio anthology program "Mercury Theater in the Sky" provided an opportunity for him to enter the international stage. In the show, he used his status as director and commentator to adapt H.G. Wells's novel "Star Wars", making some listeners mistakenly believe that the earth was really invaded by Martians. This incident catapulted Wells, who was only 23 years old at the time, to fame. Welles's first feature film was "Citizen Kane", in which he served as screenwriter, producer, and director, and also starred as the protagonist Charles Foster Kane. The film has always been regarded as one of the greatest works in film history. Film critic Cecilia Egger commented in "PM Magazine": "After watching this movie, it is as if you have never really seen a movie before." In addition, his later feature films, including "The Ambersons", "Othello", "The Last Day", "The Trial" and "The Bells", etc., have received widespread praise from film critics. His unique directorial style is reflected in the layered and non-linear narrative structure, dramatic lighting arrangements, unique camera angles, sound effects techniques borrowed from broadcasting, deep focus shots, and the use of long takes. Due to the strong authorship reflected in his works, Welles has become a paradigm sample of the "ultimate auteur director" in the auteur theory. Welles was an outsider in the Hollywood studio system, fighting for artistic control with major studios in his early days and later relying largely on the support of independent investors across Europe to continue his creative career. Welles has won an Academy Award and three Grammy Awards, as well as the Golden Lion Award, the Palme d'Or, an Oscar Honorary Award,