Orson Welles

Welles, Orson (1915–85), U.S. actor, director, and producer. In 1938 his realistic radio production of H.G. Well's War of the Worlds caused thousands of listeners to panic, fearing the account of the alien attack was a genuine news report. His first motion picture, of which he was director, cowriter, and star, was Citizen Kane (1940), loosely modeled on the life of newspaper magnate William R. Hearst. Innovative camera work and film editing continued to characterize his work in such films as The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), Macbeth (1948), and Touch of Evil (1962).