Orson Welles worked on Citizen Kane.
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American mystery drama film by Orson Welles , its producer , co-screenwriter , director and star . Orson Welles . He is 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 legendary 1938 broadcast `` The War of the Worlds '' ; and in film , Citizen Kane ( 1941 ) , consistently ranked as one of the all-time greatest films . His first film was Citizen Kane ( 1941 ) , which he co-wrote , produced , directed , and starred in as Charles Foster Kane . Welles followed up Citizen Kane with 12 other feature films , the most acclaimed of which include The Magnificent Ambersons ( 1942 ) , Touch of Evil ( 1958 ) , and Chimes at Midnight ( 1966 ) .