Orson Welles: Difference between revisions
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'''George Orson Welles''' ([[May 6]], [[1915]] – [[October 10]], [[1985]]), actor and director, was born in Kenosha, [[Wisconsin]] and lived a fairly eventful life. In [[1938]], he convinced a bunch of rubes that [[Martian]]s were invading the [[Earth]] with his ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'' radio show. In 1941, Welles directed and starred in an obscure movie about {{w|Citizen Kane|some guy who wants a sled}}; in 1979, he played a highly memorable role in ''{{w|The Muppet Movie}}'', where he gave Kermit the Frog his big [[Hollywood]] break. | '''George Orson Welles''' ([[May 6]], [[1915]] – [[October 10]], [[1985]]), actor and director, was born in Kenosha, [[Wisconsin]] and lived a fairly eventful life. In [[1938]], he convinced a bunch of rubes that [[Martian]]s were invading the [[Earth]] with his ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'' radio show. In 1941, Welles directed and starred in an obscure movie about {{w|Citizen Kane|some guy who wants a sled}}; in 1979, he played a highly memorable role in ''{{w|The Muppet Movie}}'', where he gave Kermit the Frog his big [[Hollywood]] break. | ||
It wasn't until 1985 that Orson Welles finally fulfilled his true destiny by playing the planet-gobbling [[Unicron]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. Sadly, Mr. Welles died only a | It wasn't until 1985 that Orson Welles finally fulfilled his true destiny by playing the planet-gobbling [[Unicron]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. Sadly, Mr. Welles died only a month after recording his lines, and the film's [[1986]] release marks one of his last acting roles. | ||
{{quote|You know what I did this morning? I played the voice of a toy. Some terrible robot toys [[TakaraTomy|from Japan]] that change from one thing to another. The Japanese have funded a [[The Transformers: The Movie|full-length animated cartoon]] about the doings of these toys, which is all bad outer-space stuff. I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and I tear myself apart on the screen.|Orson Welles, on his final film performance<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=KlqsYy512WIC&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Orson Wells: A Biography"] by Barbara Leaming; page 522 (Limelight Edition, 1995)</ref>}} | {{quote|You know what I did this morning? I played the voice of a toy. Some terrible robot toys [[TakaraTomy|from Japan]] that change from one thing to another. The Japanese have funded a [[The Transformers: The Movie|full-length animated cartoon]] about the doings of these toys, which is all bad outer-space stuff. I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and I tear myself apart on the screen.|Orson Welles, on his final film performance<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=KlqsYy512WIC&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Orson Wells: A Biography"] by Barbara Leaming; page 522 (Limelight Edition, 1995)</ref>}} | ||
Latest revision as of 07:11, 15 February 2026
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985), actor and director, was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin and lived a fairly eventful life. In 1938, he convinced a bunch of rubes that Martians were invading the Earth with his The War of the Worlds radio show. In 1941, Welles directed and starred in an obscure movie about [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Citizen Kane|{{#if:some guy who wants a sled|some guy who wants a sled|Citizen Kane}}]]; in 1979, he played a highly memorable role in [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}The Muppet Movie|{{#if:||The Muppet Movie}}]], where he gave Kermit the Frog his big Hollywood break.
It wasn't until 1985 that Orson Welles finally fulfilled his true destiny by playing the planet-gobbling Unicron in The Transformers: The Movie. Sadly, Mr. Welles died only a month after recording his lines, and the film's 1986 release marks one of his last acting roles.
You know what I did this morning? I played the voice of a toy. Some terrible robot toys from Japan that change from one thing to another. The Japanese have funded a full-length animated cartoon about the doings of these toys, which is all bad outer-space stuff. I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and I tear myself apart on the screen.{{#if:|{{{quote2}}}}}{{#if:|{{{2}}}{{#if:|, {{{3}}}|}}|}}
The irony of [Welles] playing a planet-sized eating machine wasn't lost on anyone.{{#if:|{{{quote2}}}}}{{#if:Michael McConnohie<ref>Cybertron Chronicle interview with Michael McConnohie</ref>|Michael McConnohie<ref>Cybertron Chronicle interview with Michael McConnohie</ref>{{#if:|, {{{3}}}|}}|}}
Voice roles
[edit]The Transformers: The Movie
[edit]Fiction
[edit]2005 IDW continuity
[edit]After viewing Starscream: The Movie and learning that Thundercracker had written, directed and starred in the film, J.J. Hackensack described the Seeker as a "Cybertronian Orson Welles", a real triple threat. Misunderstanding, Thundercracker assumed the human was referring to Blitzwing. Starscream: The Movie
Notes
[edit]- Apparently, Mr. Welles was tough to work with. He insisted his recording be a closed session with only the director and engineer, didn't take voice direction very well, and his first viewing of the script was on the day he came in to record his lines.
- Then again, Michael Bell joked that Wally Burr was so hard to work with that it contributed to Welles's death.
- In the interviews for its 20th anniversary release, 86 Movie director Nelson Shin claimed Welles was in incredibly poor health at the time he arrived to record his dialogue, mentioning he was so heavyset he required a wheelchair to move. Shin also detailed Welles' recordings as labored and barely usable, requiring a great deal of post-recording modification to use for Unicron's lines.
- As a long time fan of the actor, Maurice LaMarche is famous for his spot-on vocal impersonation of Welles. In the Rescue Bots episodes "The Alien Invasion of Griffin Rock" and "Ghost in the Machine", he even parodies Welles' narration from the radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds.
References
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