Orson Welles

the Oscar-winning prodigy who panicked millions with a radio tale of invaders from Mars and created the film classic "Citizen Kane," a man of genius and vision. I stunned the film world in 1941 at age 25 with my first venture in cinema, "Citizen Kane."Directed, wrote and starred in "Citizen Kane," winning an Oscar for writing. Also was nominated for directing and acting Oscars. "On seeing it for the first time," critic Penelope Houston wrote, "one got a conviction that if the cinema could do that, it could do anything." Born May 6, 1915 in Kenosha, WisconsinI exhibited my precocity at an early age: reading at two, playing the violin for Stravinsky and Pavel at seven, playing Shakespear in modern dress at ten. By sixteen I was acting in Dublin. In 1937 I founded The Mercury Theatre with John Houseman. The late Francois Truffant paid tribute to me several years ago, saying that, "Citizen Kane" inspired more filmmakers of my generation than any other film. Other credits: more than 60 films over 45 years included the classic "Othello", "The Magnificent Ambrose", "The Third Man", "A Touch of Evil", "The Lady From Shanghai", and "Falstaff." Long time associate John Huston remembers me as "highly receptive, full of good will, completely lacking in jealousy and truly professional." "I take my hat off to him, as well I might ... he described me once as a renaissance prince — Orson," Huston said yesterday, "is a King."