Joseph Cotten
Biography
Joseph Cotten was an American actor of film, stage, radio, and television who was born in Petersburg, Virginia. He first drew attention on Broadway, creating roles in the original runs of The Philadelphia Story (1939) and Sabrina Fair (1953). His work with Orson Welles brought him worldwide fame, most notably Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942); he also took the lead in Journey into Fear (1943) and shared its screenplay credit. During the 1940s he ranked among Hollywood's leading actors, with roles in Gaslight (1944), Duel in the Sun (1946), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), The Farmer's Daughter (1947), and Portrait of Jennie (1948), which won him the Venice festival's Best Actor prize. Later credits included The Third Man (1949), Niagara (1953), a cameo in Touch of Evil (1958), and Heaven's Gate (1980). He hosted television programs, and critics counted him among the best actors never nominated for an Academy Award.
88years old at death
- Born Petersburg
- Died Los Angeles
- Star sign: TaurusThe sign runs April 20 to May 20
- Joseph Cheshire Cotten (birth name)Also credited as Joseph Cheshire Cotten, Jr.
Movie Career
- Films
- 45
- Career span
- 77 years1941 to 2018
Genres
First and latest
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First role
Cotten's first film role came in Too Much Johnson, a Welles-directed short from 1938. It was never shown publicly and stayed lost until 2008.
A change of course
In 1956, Cotten introduced an NBC anthology series called On Trial and appeared in it now and then. Midway through its run, the show was renamed The Joseph Cotten Show: On Trial, and it lasted 41 episodes through 1959.
A role that slipped away
Cotten turned down a role in the film Harrigan's Halo to appear in the Broadway play Calculated Risk, which ran for 221 performances.
A role that slipped away
At Fox, Cotten appeared in Niagara (1953), the Marilyn Monroe film, after James Mason turned down the role in it.
Joseph Cotten movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- Citizen Kane1941 Drama, Mysteryas Jedediah Leland / Screening Room Reporter
IMDb rating 8.2497K votes
Most often with
Orson Welles directed six of these films, William Dieterle five and Robert Aldrich three. Orson Welles appears in seven of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Orson Welles's page
Agnes Moorehead's page
Jennifer Jones's page
Cecil Kellaway's page
Harry Shannon's page
Paul Stewart's page
William DieterleDirector, 5 films, 1944 to 1950
All films by William Dieterle
All films by Robert Aldrich
Also three films together2 more actors
- Ray CollinsTouch of Evil (1958), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) and Citizen Kane (1941)
- Erskine SanfordToo Much Johnson (2013), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) and Citizen Kane (1941)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Joseph Cotten's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$213 million
18 of the 45 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 45 films: 18 worldwide figure; 1 us gross only; 26 figure not found.
- 18Worldwide figure
- 1US gross only
- 26Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 91% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$91M42.8% of the total
- 2$37M17.4% of the total
- 3$23M10.9% of the total
- 4$20M9.6% of the total
- 5$8.5M4.0% of the total
- 6$4.6M2.2% of the total
- 7$4.5M2.1% of the total
- 8$4.0M1.9% of the total
$19.4 millionfrom the other 10 films with a worldwide figure, 9% of the total
Awards
Two awards and honors, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venice Film Festival | |||
| Volpi Cup for Best Actor | Won | ||
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.