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George Orson Welles (; May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, writer, and producer who worked in theatre, radio, and film. He is best remembered for his innovative work in all three: in theatre, most notably ''Caesar'' (1937), a Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Julius Caesar''; in radio, the 1938 broadcast "The War of the Worlds", one of the most famous in the history of radio; and in film, ''Citizen Kane'' (1941), consistently ranked as one of the all-time greatest films. Welles directed a number of high-profile stage productions for the Federal Theatre Project in his early twenties, including an innovative adaptation of ''Macbeth'' with an entirely African American cast, and the political musical ''The Cradle Will Rock''. In 1937 he and John Houseman founded the Mercury Theatre, an independent repertory theatre company that presented an acclaimed series of productions on Broadway through 1941. Welles found national and international fame as the director and narrator of a 1938 radio adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel ''The War of the Worlds'' performed for his radio anthology series ''The Mercury Theatre on the Air''. It reportedly caused widespread panic when listeners thought that an invasion by extraterrestrial beings was occurring. Although some contemporary sources claim these reports of panic were mostly false and overstated, they rocketed Welles to notoriety. His first film was ''Citizen Kane'' (1941), which he co-wrote, produced, directed, and starred in as Charles Foster Kane. Welles was an outsider to the studio system and directed only 13 full-length films in his career. Because of this, he struggled for creative control from the major film studios, and his films were either heavily edited or remained unreleased. His distinctive directorial style featured layered and nonlinear narrative forms, innovative uses of lighting such as chiaroscuro, unusual camera angles, sound techniques borrowed from radio, deep focus shots, and long takes. He has been praised as a major creative force and as "the ultimate auteur".〔Rosenbaum, Jonathan, ''(Discovering Orson Welles )''. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 2007 ISBN 0-520-25123-7〕 Welles followed up ''Citizen Kane'' with critically acclaimed films including ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' in 1942 and ''Touch of Evil'' in 1958. Although these three are his most acclaimed films, critics have argued other works of his, such as ''The Lady from Shanghai'' (1947) and ''Chimes at Midnight'' (1966), are underappreciated. In 2002, Welles was voted the greatest film director of all time in two British Film Institute polls among directors and critics, and a wide survey of critical consensus, best-of lists, and historical retrospectives calls him the most acclaimed director of all time.〔("TSPDT – The 1,000 Greatest Films: The Top 250 Directors" ). They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? Theyshootpictures.com. January 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2015.〕 Well known for his baritone voice,〔Christey, Jaime N. 〕 Welles was a well-regarded actor in radio and film, a celebrated Shakespearean stage actor, and an accomplished magician noted for presenting troop variety shows in the war years. ==Early life== George Orson Welles was born May 6, 1915, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, son of Richard Head Welles (b. Richard Hodgdon Wells, November 12, 1872, near St. Joseph, Missouri; d. December 28, 1930, Chicago, Illinois)〔〔Ancestry.com, ''Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index 1916–1947'' (online ), Provo, Utah. Ancestry.com Operations 2011. Retrieved 2014-09-29.〕 and Beatrice Ives Welles (b. September 1, 1881, Springfield, Illinois; d. May 10, 1924, Chicago).〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Green Ridge Cemetery Photo Gallery )〕 He was named after his paternal great-grandfather, influential Kenosha attorney Orson S. Head, and his brother George Head.〔Higham, Charles, ''Orson Welles: The Rise and Fall of an American Genius''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985 ISBN 0-312-31280-6〕 Despite his family's affluence, Welles encountered hardship in childhood. His parents separated and moved to Chicago in 1919. His father, who made a fortune as the inventor of a popular bicycle lamp,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Orson Welles Biography )〕 became an alcoholic and stopped working. Welles's mother, a pianist, played during lectures by Dudley Crafts Watson at the Art Institute of Chicago to support her son and herself; the oldest Welles boy, "Dickie," was institutionalized at an early age because he had learning difficulties. Beatrice died of hepatitis in a Chicago hospital〔 May 10, 1924, aged 42, just after Welles's ninth birthday.〔 The Gordon String Quartet, which had made its first appearance at her home in 1921, played at Beatrice's funeral.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Chicago Musicians Mourn Passing of Mrs. Welles )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Gordon Collection of String Music )〕 After his mother's death Welles ceased pursuing music. It was decided that he would spend the summer with the Watson family at a private art colony in Wyoming, New York, established by Lydia Avery Coonley Ward.〔 There he played and became friends with the children of the Aga Khan, including the 12-year-old Prince Aly Khan. Then, in what Welles later described as "a hectic period" in his life, he lived in a Chicago apartment with both his father and Dr. Maurice Bernstein, a Chicago physician who had been a close friend of both his parents. Welles briefly attended public school〔Tarbox, Todd, ''Orson Welles and Roger Hill: A Friendship in Three Acts''. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media, 2013, ISBN 1-59393-260-X.〕 before his alcoholic father left business altogether and took him along on his travels to Jamaica and the Far East. When they returned they settled in a hotel in Grand Detour, Illinois, that was owned by his father. When the hotel burned down Welles and his father took to the road again.〔 "During the three years that Orson lived with his father, some observers wondered who took care of whom", wrote biographer Frank Brady.〔 "In some ways, he was never really a young boy, you know," said Roger Hill, who became Welles's teacher and lifelong friend.〔 Welles briefly attended public school in Madison, Wisconsin, enrolled in the fourth grade.〔 On September 15, 1926, he entered the Todd Seminary for Boys,〔 an expensive independent school in Woodstock, Illinois, that his older brother, Richard Ives Welles, had attended ten years before but was expelled for misbehavior.〔 At Todd School Welles came under the influence of Roger Hill, a teacher who was later Todd's headmaster. Hill provided Welles with an ''ad hoc'' educational environment that proved invaluable to his creative experience, allowing Welles to concentrate on subjects that interested him. Welles performed and staged theatrical experiments and productions there. "Todd provided Welles with many valuable experiences", wrote critic Richard France. "He was able to explore and experiment in an atmosphere of acceptance and encouragement. In addition to a theater the school's own radio station was at his disposal."〔 Welles's first radio performance was on the Todd station, an adaptation of ''Sherlock Holmes'' that he also wrote.〔Heyer, Paul, ''The Medium and the Magician: Orson Welles, the Radio Years 1934–1952''. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005 ISBN 0-7425-3797-8〕 On December 28, 1930, when Welles was 15, his father died at the age of 58, alone in a hotel in Chicago. His will left it to Orson to name his guardian. When Roger Hill declined, Welles chose Maurice Bernstein.〔 Following graduation from Todd in May 1931,〔 Welles was awarded a scholarship to Harvard University, while his mentor Roger Hill advocated he attend Cornell College in Iowa. Rather than enrolling, he chose travel. He studied for a few weeks at the Art Institute of Chicago〔Hill, Roger, (''One Man's Time and Chance, a Memoir of Eighty Years 1895 to 1975'' ). Privately printed, 1977. Woodstock Public Library collection, digitized by Illinois State Library.〕 with Boris Anisfeld, who encouraged him to pursue painting.〔 Welles would occasionally return to Woodstock, the place he eventually named when he was asked in a 1960 interview, "Where is home?" Welles replied, "I suppose it's Woodstock, Illinois, if it's anywhere. I went to school there for four years. If I try to think of a home, it's that."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Close Up: Orson Welles, part 1 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Orson Welles」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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