Orson Welles, Volume 2: Hello Americans

Simon Callow

Random House, Aug 31, 2011 - Biography & Autobiography - 560 pages

The reason for the decline of Orson Welles's career is a hotly debated issue, but decline it certainly did. When Citizen Kane, his first film, opened in 1941, Welles was universally acclaimed as the most audacious filmmaker alive. But instead of marking the beginning of a triumphant career in Hollywood, the film still regularly voted the greatest ever made proved to be an exception in Welles's life and work.

In 1947 Welles left America for Europe and lived for the best part of twenty years in self-imposed exile. Welles himself famously quipped 'I started at the top and worked my way down' - the second volume of Simon Callow's compelling biography tells the story of that complex and protracted descent from grace.

About the author

Simon Callow is an actor, director and writer. He has appeared on the stage and in many films, including the hugely popular Four Weddings and a Funeral. His books include Being an Actor, Shooting the Actor, Love is Where it Falls, the first two volumes of his four-volume life of Orson Welles, his theatrical memoir My Life in Pieces, and, most recently, the highly acclaimed Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Orson Welles, Volume 2: Hello Americans; Volume 4 of Orson Welles Biographies
• Author: Simon Callow
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Random House, 2011
• ISBN: 1446484556, 9781446484555
• Length: 560 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts; History / United States / 20th Century; Performing Arts / Film / Direction & Production; Performing Arts / Individual Director; Performing Arts / Radio / General; Performing Arts / Theater / Direction & Production; Performing Arts / Theater / General