10 Great Movies Made By Actor-Writer-Directors

1) Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)

There are numerous great films that Orson Welles made as actor-writer-director. There’s 1947’s delirious film noir The Lady from Shanghai; the sweaty, seedy thriller Touch of Evil; the peerless black comedy The Trial; the groundbreaking, mind-bending “documentary” F for Fake; and any of the three unconventional Shakespeare films he created.

But how could any but Citizen Kane be listed as Welles’ greatest achievement, especially when the film has been so influential on so many other great filmmakers since? Today, and likely for as long as we remember him, Kane remains Welles’ defining movie as both actor and filmmaker. It’s a masterpiece, perhaps the greatest movie of all time – and just one man played a huge part in making it that way.