TopTenREVIEWS presents the film career and movie reviews of Orson Welles.
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Birthdate: May 6, 1915
Death date: October 10, 1985
Orson Welles
ACTOR RANKINGS:
CAREER SPAN
Decade
Movie Score
# Movies
1930s
No Reviews
2
1940s
2.9138
14
1950s
2.9469
17
1960s
2.0789
19
1970s
2.1270
17
1980s
0.8606
8
1990s
0.0058
2
Ratings and rankings are based on all available critic reviews & awards.
Overall Actor Score: 
2.6947
2.6947
Orson Welles Movie Rankings
1
4.0000Newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane dies alone in his extravagant mansion, speaking a single word: "Rosebud". A reporter tries to piece together the puzzle of Kane's life by contacting old acquaintances and find the meaning of his dying word. ...more about Citizen Kane
Actor Awards
- Academy Awards, USA - Best Actor in a Leading Role
DVD from $11.49
(13 sellers)
2
3.7039Novelist Holly Martins goes to post-war Vienna on the invite of his friend, Harry Lime, who promises him a job. When Martins arrives, he discovers his friend is dead. Slowly Martins learns his friend was a thief, liar and murderer; and may still be alive. ...more about Third Man
DVD from $23.99
(13 sellers)
3
3.6103A Mexican government investigator and his young American wife put their honeymoon on hold in an American border town when they become embroiled in a frame-up planned by the town's chief investigator. ...more about Touch of Evil
DVD from $8.89
(11 sellers)
4
3.3504
The last documentary film by Orson Welles called “F for Fake” is about the trickery, fraud and lies of the famous art forger Elmyr de Hory and his biographer Clifford Irving, who also wrote a fake biography of Howard Hughes. ...more about F for Fake
DVD from $23.99
(12 sellers)
5
3.3201
Convinced by a big time Hollywood agent named Dom DeLuise that he belongs on the big screen entertaining millions, Kermit the Frog decides to head to Hollywood to become a star. ...more about Muppet Movie
DVD from $13.99
(10 sellers)
6
3.0573
Henry VIII wants to divorce his wife, and seeks the approval of the aristocracy. ...more about Man for All Seasons
DVD from $7.25
(13 sellers)
7
2.9527
Michael O'Hara, against his better judgement, hires on as a crew member of Arthur Bannister's yacht, sailing to San Francisco. They pick up Grisby, Bannister's law partner, en route. ...more about Lady from Shanghai
DVD from $13.34
(11 sellers)
8
2.8962
Based very closely on the Loeb-Leopold murder case, the second half of the movie is primarily taken from defense attorney Clarence Darrow's actual courtroom presentation. ...more about Compulsion
DVD from $6.88
(11 sellers)
9
2.8917
Guy Stratten gets the order from Mr. Arkadin, to find out everything about his past, because he lost his memory. ...more about Mr. Arkadin
DVD from $6.49
(10 sellers)
10
2.8625
A bombardier in World War II tries desperately to escape the insanity of the war. However, sometimes insanity is the only sane way cope with a crazy situation. Catch-22 is a parody of a "military mentality" and of a bureaucratic society in general. ...more about Catch-22
DVD from $3.90
(11 sellers)
11
2.8368
Wilson of the War Crimes Commission is seeking Franz Kindler, mastermind of the Holocaust, who has effectively erased his identity. ...more about Stranger
DVD from $1.99
(13 sellers)
12
2.7835
Ben Quick arrives in Frenchman's Bend, MS after being kicked out of another town for allegedly burning a barn for revenge. Will Varner owns just about everything in Frenchman's Bend and he hires Ben to work in his store. ...more about Long
DVD from $9.99
(11 sellers)
13
2.7711
When her father is hanged for shooting his wife and her lover, half-breed Pearl Chevez goes to live with distant relatives in Texas. ...more about Duel in the Sun
DVD from $5.79
(11 sellers)
14
2.7545
Durante il periodo delle Repubbliche Marinare, in Italia, Otello, detto "il moro di Venezia", viene inviato dal doge a difendere la roccaforte di Cipro dai musulmani, dopo il suo matrimonio con la bella e nobile Desdemona. ...more about Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice
- Not Available on DVD
15
2.6323
A US Navy engineer, returning to the US with his wife from a conference, finds himself pursued by Nazi agents, who are out to kill him. ...more about Journey Into Fear
- Not Available on DVD
16
2.6186
Small, plain and poor, Jane Eyre comes to Thornfield Hall as governess to the young ward of Edward Rochester. Denied love all her life, Jane can't help but be attracted to the intelligent, vibrant, energetic Mr. Rochester, a man twice her age. ...more about Jane Eyre
DVD from $9.99
(13 sellers)
17
2.5920
In fog-dripping, barren and sometimes macabre settings, 11th-century Scottish nobleman Macbeth is led by an evil prophecy and his ruthless yet desirable wife to the treasonous act that makes him king. ...more about Macbeth
- Not Available on DVD
18
2.5464
This classic story by Herman Melville revolves around Captain Ahab and his obsession with a huge whale, Moby Dick. The whale caused the loss of Ahab's leg years before, leaving Ahab to stomp the boards of his ship on a peg leg. ...more about Moby Dick
DVD from $6.62
(12 sellers)
19
2.4770
Three stories of murder and the supernatural. In the first, a museum worker is introduced to a world behind the pictures he sees every day. Second, when two lifelong friends fall in love with the same woman and she is killed, they are obvious suspects. ...more about Three Cases of Murder
- Not Available on DVD
20
2.4474
Sir James Bond, a spy from the old school (a good spy is a pure spy) is called back to service by the death of "M" and the imminent collapse of civilization. ...more about Casino Royale
DVD from $7.99
(4 sellers)
21
2.1925
937 Jewish Germans are offered safe haven in Havana, Cuba, in 1939. They depart Hamburg in high spirits, looking forward to their new life. ...more about Voyage of the Damned
- Not Available on DVD
22
2.0076
A young businessman (Tom Smothers) goes to a magic expert (Orson Welles) to learn hardness and skill with his cynical and greedy collaborators. ...more about Get to Know Your Rabbit
- Not Available on DVD
23
1.9860
The Portuguese colony of Macao in the 19th century. Mr. Clay is a very rich merchant and the subject of town gossip. He has spent many years in China and is now quite old. ...more about Immortal Story
- Not Available on DVD
24
1.9634
Elizabeth and John say good-bye as John leaves to go to war. When the war ends, Elizabeth receives a telegram that her husband has been killed in action. She finds comfort in Harry and they marry. ...more about Tomorrow Is Forever
- Not Available on DVD
25
1.9346
In effect, modern cow town Spurline is run by Virgil Renchler, owner of the Golden Empire Ranch. One night, two of Virgil's henchmen go a little too far and beat a "bracero" ranch hand to death. ...more about Man in the Shadow
- Not Available on DVD
26
1.7953
An account of the adventures of two sets of identical twins, badly scrambled at birth, on the eve of the French Revolution. One set is haughty and aristocratic, the other poor and somewhat dim. ...more about Start the Revolution Without Me
DVD from $13.79
(8 sellers)
27
1.7820
Another of Napoleon's adventures in this epic reconstruction of the battle of Austerlitz, where he had the greatest victory of his career, over the Russians. ...more about The Battle of Austerlitz
- Not Available on DVD
28
1.7063
In the time of the crusades, a Saxon youth is forced to run away from England. He goes with his loyal retainer who brings along a British long bow. The two go all the way to China where they become involved in intrigues in the court of Kubla Kahn. ...more about Black Rose
DVD from $10.91
(12 sellers)
29
1.5994
Advertising golden boy Andrew Quint is fed up with his fabulously successful life. In very dramatic fashion, he quits his job to return to writing for a small literary magazine. ...more about I'll Never Forget What's'isname
- Not Available on DVD
30
1.5305
Orson Welles plays the head of a witches' coven in the town of Lilith, where he needs the powers of Pamela Franklin to raise his son from the dead. ...more about Necromancy
- Not Available on DVD
31
1.5113
A Hollywood film director assembles a group of friends and strangers for a social gathering on Valentines Day in a deserted movie theater where he interviews each one on their opinions on love and loneliness. ...more about Someone to Love
DVD from $8.97
(7 sellers)
32
1.4291
Orson Welles, as judge Rauch, holds a lengthy trial against Jess Tyler, a caretaker deserted by his wife ten years before, who's accused of improper relations with his daughter Kady. ...more about Butterfly
Actor Awards
- Golden Globes, USA - Best Motion Picture Actor in a Supporting Role
- Razzie Awards - Worst Supporting Actor
- Not Available on DVD
34
1.3569
Noah vive da sola a New York e ricorda la sua infanzia e le persone che ha conosciuto durante la sua vita, mentre cercava il proprio "safe place". ...more about Safe Place
- Not Available on DVD
37
1.0921
A network of older spies from the West recruits a young intelligence officer with a photographic memory to accompany them on a mission inside Russia. ...more about Kremlin Letter
- Not Available on DVD
38
1.0008
"Il vero cineasta colui che sa dominare le catastrofi !". Partendo da questa affermazione, Orson Welles spiega le ragioni, i tempi ed i modi della realizzazione di uno dei suoi capolavori, l'OTHELLO, appunto. ...more about Filming 'Othello'
- Not Available on DVD
39
Mario, a young philanderer, receives 13 antique chairs in a bad state by inheritance and decides to sell off them to get some money. Afterwards he gets to know that one of them contains documents worth a lot of money. ...more about 12 + 1
- Not Available on DVD
42
Giuseppe Balsamo detto Cagliostro (Orson Welles), zingaro e mago, vuole vendicarsi del visconte di Montagne, che ha torturato, in passato, lui e la sua famiglia. Usando i suoi poteri ipnotici, Cagliostro spinge il visconte al suicidio. ...more about Black Magic
- Not Available on DVD
43
Three performers for six roles: this is the game of the film. A melodrama about two love triangles. In the first, Hagalin is killed by his mistress and her lover. ...more about Crack in the Mirror
- Not Available on DVD
45
Orson Welles plays the role of Akerman, a venetian savant, in this all star production of Marco Polo's adventures. Young Marco travels to China to help Kublai Khan fight against rebels, headed by his own son, with a new invention: gunpowder. ...more about Marco the Magnificent
- Not Available on DVD
46
Mark Conrad, a habitual drunk and troublemaker with a shady past, is expelled by Hong Kong police after one too many bar fights. He's sent to Macao on the Fa Tsan, a ferry owned by Captain Hart. ...more about Ferry to Hong Kong
- Not Available on DVD
48
During World War II, all the studios put out "all-star" vehicles which featured virtually every star on the lot--often playing themselves--in musical numbers and comedy skits, and were meant as morale-boosters to both the troops overseas and the ...more about Follow the Boys
- Not Available on DVD
49
Uno strano personaggio, con il volto che sembra una maschera, scende una scalinata pi e pi volte, con un sorriso beffardo: la morte che sta andando incontro ad una vecchia signora che si dondola su di una campana. ...more about Hearts of Age
DVD from $10.99
(5 sellers)
50
Leschenhaut and Morillon are trying to organize a plot to overthrow the French government and set up a new fascist organization. ...more about House of Cards
DVD from $6.67
(15 sellers)
52
Cethegus, capo della nobilt romana, viaggia verso Bisanzio per raggiungere Giustiniano, in attesa di marciare contro i Goti, guidati da Narses. ...more about Kampf um Rom I
- Not Available on DVD
56
Hosted by Orson Welles, this documentary utilizes a grab bag of dramatized scenes, stock footage, TV news clips and interviews to ask: Did 16th century French astrologer and physician Nostradamus actually predict such events as the fall of King Louis ...more about Man Who Saw Tomorrow
- Not Available on DVD
57
Eight directors and eighteen former Wampas stars act as judges in choosing 1941's crop of future stars, several of whom were never seen again. Reviewers at the time agreed that Joan Leslie was the most promising of the lot. ...more about Meet the Stars #2: Baby Stars
- Not Available on DVD
58
Orson Welles Hudson Lowe in questa mega produzione cinematografica che racconta scorci ed episodi della vita di Napoleone. ...more about Napoleon
DVD from $4.98
(2 sellers)
60
This classic (Greek) tale tells how a noble youth accidentally marries his own mother, kills his own father (deliberately) and ends up paying a terrible price for invoking the wrath of the Gods. ...more about Oedipus the King
- Not Available on DVD
61
In this sprawling, star-laden film, we see the struggles of various French resistance factions to regain control of Paris near the end of World War II. ...more about Is Paris Burning?
DVD from $7.18
(11 sellers)
62
In 1500, Duke Cesare Borgia hopes to marry his sister (widowed by poison) to the heir apparent of Ferrara, which impedes his conquest of central Italy. ...more about Prince of Foxes
DVD from $11.23
(11 sellers)
63
Orson Welles, taking a break from the filming of "Othello", is driving in the Irish countryside one night when he offers a ride to a man with car trouble. The man relates a strange event that happened to him at the same location. ...more about Return to Glennascaul
- Not Available on DVD
64
In Fort Lamy, French Equitorial Africa, idealist Morel (Trevor Howard)launches a one-man campaign to preserve the African elephant from extinction, which he sees as the last remaining "roots of Heaven. ...more about Roots of Heaven
- Not Available on DVD
65
Alan, after quarreling with his girlfriend Sheila, becomes to be intrigued by Anna, a mysterious widow who's searching a sailor known many years before. ...more about Sailor from Gibraltar
- Not Available on DVD
67
Witty narration follows the history of Versailles Palace; founded by Louis XIII, enlarged by autocratic Louis XIV, whose personal affairs and amours, and those of his two successors, are followed in more detail to the start of the Revolution, after which ...more about Affairs in Versailles
- Not Available on DVD
68
Plankett (Orson Welles) coinvolto nella ricerca di un indigeno africano che lavora nella miniera di diamanti di propriet di Kramer e che accusato di aver rubato un diamante di grande valore. ...more about Southern Star
- Not Available on DVD
70
Burundai, comandante dei Tartari, prende il posto del fratello Togrul, ucciso durante la battaglia contro gli Slavi, a causa del rifiuto del comandante vichingo Oleg di unirsi a loro. ...more about Tartari
- Not Available on DVD
72
Based upon the story by R. L. Stevenson, the film shows Orson Welles as Long John Silver, pirate chief, who would like to find hidden treasure. ...more about Treasure Island
- Not Available on DVD
73
Il detective Philip Trent chiamato ad indagare sulla morte del miliardario Sigsbee Manderson (Orson Welles), partendo dal verdetto di presunto suicidio. ...more about Trent's Last Case
- Not Available on DVD
74
Major Jim "Lance" Lansing (Forrest Tucker), an American ex-pilot of the U.S. ...more about Trouble in the Glen
- Not Available on DVD
76
After defeating France and imprisoning Napoleon on Elba, ending two decades of war, Europe is shocked to find Napoleon has escaped and has caused the French Army to defect from the King back to him. ...more about Waterloo
- Not Available on DVD
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