Orson Welles was a person.
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 . 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 . His first film was Citizen Kane ( 1941 ) , which he co-wrote , produced , directed , and starred in as Charles Foster Kane . His distinctive directorial style featured layered and nonlinear narrative forms , uses of lighting such as chiaroscuro , unusual camera angles , sound techniques borrowed from radio , deep focus shots , and long takes . Other works of his , such as The Lady from Shanghai ( 1947 ) and F for Fake ( 1973 ) , are also well-regarded .