Orson Welles was an American film director, actor, writer, and producer who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, Peabody Award, and Grammy Award as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award.
He has also received numerous honors including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1975, the British Film Institute Fellowship in 1983, and the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984. He was inducted into both the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1979, and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1988. Welles was presented with France's Legion of Honour in 1982.
Major associations
Directed Academy Award performances<br />Under Welles' direction, these actors have received Academy Award nominations for their performances in their respective roles.
Miscellaneous accolades
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Honorary awards
Special recognitions
- 1958: Although Universal Pictures did its best to prevent Touch of Evil from being selected for the 1958 Brussels World Film FestivalâÂÂpart of the Expo 58 world's fairâÂÂthe film received its European premiere and Welles was invited to attend. To his astonishment, Welles collected the two top awards. Touch of Evil received the International Critics Prize, and Welles was recognized for his body of work.
- 1998: In 1998 and 2007, the American Film Institute ranked Citizen Kane as the greatest American movie. These other Welles films were nominated for the AFI list: The Magnificent Ambersons (1942, director/producer/screenwriter); The Third Man (1949, actor); Touch of Evil (1958, actor/director/screenwriter); and A Man for All Seasons (1966, actor).
- 1999: The American Film Institute acknowledged Welles as one of the top 25 male motion picture stars of Classic Hollywood cinema in its survey, AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars.
- 2002: Welles was voted the greatest film director of all time in two British Film Institute polls, of directors and critics.
- 2002: A highly divergent genus of Hawaiian spiders Orsonwelles was named in his honor.
- 2003: A crater on Mars was named in his honor.
- 2007: A statue of Welles sculpted by Oja Kodar was installed in the city of Split, Croatia.
- 2013: On February 10, 2013, the Woodstock Opera House in Woodstock, Illinois, dedicated its stage to Welles, honoring the site of his American debut as a professional theatre director.
- 2015: Throughout 2015, numerous festivals and events observed the 100th anniversary of Welles's birth.
- 2017: A survey of critical consensus, best-of lists, and historical retrospectives finds Welles to be the second most acclaimed director of all time (behind Alfred Hitchcock).
References