Orson Welles' career spanned the period from the mid-thirties to the late eighties in the 20th century. He began his career at the age of fifteen, starting in Ireland, making his acting debut at the Gate Theater in Dublin. At eighteen, Welles began appearing in off-Broadway productions. It was then that he also launched his radio career. By the time he was twenty, he had presented alternative interpretations of some well-known plays and films. At twenty-two he was the Mercury Theater's most notable Broadway star, and for this reason BBC radio gave him an hour a week to broadcast whatever he wanted. It was then that, at twenty-five, he broadcast War of the Worlds, which caused panic because of the “Martian invasions”. By the time he arrived in Hollywood, Welles could write, direct, cast, star in, and edit films without being bothered by the studios. It was during this time that he created Citizen Kane, the only film he completely completed. He retired from Hollywood at age thirty-three in 1948, but continued to create his own films. Welles was known for producing numerous films that spanned several musical styles; however, dramatic events, mystery/crime, love story, and film noir were his primary writing styles. His radio show called The Orson Welles Show aired poetry, history, dramatic adaptations, music, comedy, and a commentary segment. Through these expansive genres, Welles made a mark for himself. He was known for performing in theaters, receiving the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, the DW Griffiths Award, and was named number sixteen on the American Film Institute's list of the Fifty Greatest Cinema Legends. In Welles' films, famous actors like Everett Sloane and Joseph Cotton made constant appearances. His filming... middle of paper... should have opened doors and shed light on options he might never have imagined. Works Cited http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0506.html http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000080/bio http://www.popmatters.com/feature/ 175397-orson-welles-and-film-noir-style-in-the-1940s / http://www.cracked.com/funny-4387-orson-welles/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Orson_Welles http://cinearchive.org/post/40093156105/all-the-essential-documentaries-on-orson-welles http://www.ifc.com/fix/2009/11/war-of-the-welles http ://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jun/29/orson-Welles-criticism-hollywood-stars-tapes http://www.thefilmjournal.com/issue9/wellesperformance.html http://www.youtube .com/watch?v=DQCnrPr3qIA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXIr1P9Fm5A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaC3Hp36wXY http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=6dAGcorF1Vohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfNsCcOHsNI