Question 1

True or false: Orson Welles finished his final film, The Other Side of the Wind, before he died.

Accepted Answer

False. It was incomplete at his death in 1985 and was only released in 2018 after a crowdfunding effort by Netflix.

Question 2

True or false: Orson Welles co-wrote the screenplay for The Third Man.

Accepted Answer

False. The screenplay was written by Graham Greene. Welles improvised some dialogue but did not co-write it.

Question 3

True or false: The War of the Worlds radio broadcast caused nationwide panic because Welles intended to deceive listeners.

Accepted Answer

False. Welles and his team thought the fictional news format was obvious. The panic was exaggerated by newspapers seeking to discredit radio.

Question 4

True or false: Orson Welles was only 25 when he directed and starred in Citizen Kane.

Accepted Answer

True. Welles was 25 at the film's release, making him the youngest person to direct a major studio film at the time.

Question 5

True or false: Welles directed a documentary about the making of a famous painting by Pablo Picasso.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1956, he directed 'The Mystery of Picasso,' a film showing the artist creating works in real time.

Question 6

True or false: Welles never won a competitive Academy Award for his work in film.

Accepted Answer

True. Despite multiple nominations, he only received an honorary Oscar in 1971. He never won a competitive one.

Question 7

True or false: Welles was originally cast as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars.

Accepted Answer

False. James Earl Jones provided the voice. Welles was considered but deemed too recognizable for the role.

Question 8

True or false: Welles once worked as a magician and performed on stage as a child.

Accepted Answer

True. As a teenager, he toured with a magic act and even performed at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933.

Orson Welles Trivia Questions