Orson Welles - Star Brown

Orson Welles (1915-1985)

Orson Welles is acclaimed as a phenomenal director, actor, producer, writer and artist during the time the Star Studio system was established in Hollywood. As a visionary artist with a passion for creative control for epic films, he went against the grain of the studio system replacing that sense of stardom with something more unique and grand--his brilliant pieces of work.

As a young boy, he lost his parents but guarded over by Maurice Bernstein. He attended Todd School for Boys where he was positively influenced by his creative teacher, Roger Hill. Welles was told he was a prodigy at a young age and so he acted on that by striking out to Europe by age 15 and immersing himself in broadway acting launching an early career in the public eye. He directed the first all-black production Macbeth which was a great success. He directed a few other plays, one being The Cradle Will Rock that also met booming success. With his successful streak and still in his early 20s, Welles formed and John Houseman formed The Mercury Theatre who's first production was Shakespeare's Julius Caesar that was again met with great applause.

Like James Earl Jones, Welles projected a great, deep voice that resounded through radio. On October 30, 1938 as a Halloween prank Welles broadcasted War of the Worlds which stated martians had landed in New Jersey preparing for invasion. This spread panic amongst the listeners causing a massive reaction that is still talked about today. With his successful notoriety in radio, Welles crossed over to film where acclaimed as "one of the greatest films ever made" Citizen Kane debuted with Welles starring as Charles Foster Kane. The entire movie as an art form projected immense skill and brilliance. Even though it wasn't a successful box office hit, the film with Orson Welles' acting is still considered a great masterpiece.
He also starred in other great pieces of work like, The Magnificent Abersons in 1942 that received Oscar nominations including Best Picture for its black-and-white cinematography. He also starred in Jane Eyre (1944) with Joan Fontaine, The Lady From Shanghai with his wife Rita Hayworth, the Long, Hot Summer (1958) alongside actor Paul Newman, and The VIPS (1963) as Max Buda next to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Welles held a grandiose stage and screen presence. His acting was superb and his ability to captivate the audience was not in the sense that he was a sex symbol but as a true unique and genius artist. The fact that he was a brilliant, witty character was the drawing and appealing aspect of him as a Star. There isn't an actor I think of that could replicate his specific style. One of my favorite films he starred in is F for Fake where he plays a strong character greatly influenced by Shakespeare. He portrayed a man of intelligence, wit and a defining classical Shakespearean. Although Welles had many great successes in Hollywood, he had constantly fought over creative control over all his works. He was known to be hard to work with for his sheer brashness because not many who worked with him really understood his vision except for Gregg Toland who shot Citizen Kane. Welles was chosen to be the voice of Darth Vader, but Lucas thought his voice would be too recognizable. Welles was named #16 on the 50 Greatest Screen Legends list of the American Film Institute.

Toward the end of his career after many accomplishments and struggles for artistic freedom, Welles' career was slowly dwindling. He was obese and rather gluttonous. In a sense, his life was a reflection of the tragic Shakespearean characters like, Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Macbeth and their rise and fall from power and prestige.

"Hollywood is the only industry, even taking in soup companies, which does not have laboratories for the purpose of experimentation."