Joseph Cotten facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Cotten
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Joseph Cotten in 1942
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| Born |
Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr.
May 15, 1905 Petersburg, Virginia, U.S.
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| Died | February 6, 1994 (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Burial place | Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1930–1981 |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Awards | Volpi Cup for Best Actor: 1949 Portrait of Jennie |
Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (born May 15, 1905 – died February 6, 1994) was a famous American actor. He starred in movies, plays, radio shows, and TV shows.
Joseph Cotten became well-known on Broadway, which is where many famous plays are performed in New York City. He was in popular plays like The Philadelphia Story (1939) and Sabrina Fair (1953).
He became famous around the world for working with director Orson Welles. They made three important films together: Citizen Kane (1941), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), and Journey into Fear (1943). Joseph Cotten not only acted in Journey into Fear but also helped write the movie!
In the 1940s, Cotten became one of Hollywood's top actors. He appeared in many classic films such as Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Gaslight (1944), Love Letters (1945), Duel in the Sun (1946), and The Third Man (1949). For his role in Portrait of Jennie (1948), he won a special award called the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. One of his last movies was Heaven's Gate (1980).
Many film experts say that Joseph Cotten was one of the best actors who never received an Academy Award nomination.
Contents
Growing Up
Joseph Cotten was born in 1905 in Petersburg, Virginia. He was the first of three boys. His father, Joseph Cheshire Cotten Sr., worked as an assistant postmaster. Joseph grew up in the Tidewater region of Virginia. He was good at acting and loved telling stories from a young age.
When he was 18, his family helped him take private acting lessons in Washington, D.C. During World War II, Cotten served in the First Motion Picture Unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces.
To earn money, Cotten played professional football on Sundays. He also worked as a lifeguard. Later, he moved to Miami and sold advertisements for The Miami Herald newspaper. He started acting at the Miami Civic Theatre and even wrote reviews of the shows for the newspaper.
Becoming an Actor
Starting on Broadway
Joseph Cotten moved to New York City to pursue acting. He worked as an assistant stage manager for a famous theater producer, David Belasco. He also filled in for other actors in plays. Cotten found it hard to get acting jobs during the Great Depression, so he also worked as a model and acted in short films for businesses. He also performed on the radio.
In 1932, Cotten made his first appearance on Broadway in a play called Absent Friends. He then appeared in other plays like Jezebel (1933).
Meeting Orson Welles
In 1934, Cotten met Orson Welles while they were both working on a radio show. Welles thought Cotten was a very funny actor. He gave Cotten a main role in his play Horse Eats Hat (1936). Cotten believed this play helped him get noticed by famous actress Katharine Hepburn.
In 1937, Cotten became one of the first members of Welles's new theater group, the Mercury Theatre. He starred in their Broadway plays like Caesar (1937). He also acted in radio dramas for Welles's radio shows.
Cotten made his first movie appearance in a short film directed by Welles called Too Much Johnson (1938). This comedy film was made to go along with a play, but the play was never finished. The film was lost for many years until it was found again in 2008.
Big Break on Broadway
In 1939, Cotten returned to Broadway in a very successful play called The Philadelphia Story. He played the role of C. K. Dexter Haven, opposite Katharine Hepburn. The play was a huge hit and ran for a long time.
When a movie version of The Philadelphia Story was planned, Cotten went to Hollywood. However, he found out that his role in the play was going to be played by Cary Grant in the movie. His agent suggested he talk to his friend Orson Welles, who was making a name for himself in Hollywood.
Hollywood Stardom
Working with Orson Welles on Citizen Kane (1941)
After Orson Welles's famous 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, he got a special deal with RKO Pictures. This deal allowed him to have full creative control over his films. Welles wanted to use the actors from his Mercury Theatre group in his movies.
In 1940, filming began on Citizen Kane. This movie tells the story of a powerful newspaper owner (played by Welles) who starts as an idealist but becomes a lonely old man. Joseph Cotten played an important role as Jedediah Leland, Kane's best friend and later a drama critic.
When Citizen Kane was released in 1941, it didn't make a lot of money at first. This was partly because a real newspaper owner, William Randolph Hearst, didn't like the movie and stopped his newspapers from advertising it. Even though it didn't do well at the box office, Citizen Kane was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won for Best Screenplay.
Citizen Kane helped start the movie careers of many Mercury Theatre actors. Joseph Cotten was the only one of them who became a major leading actor in Hollywood after this film. Critics praised his performance, and he was soon hired for other movies. He said he didn't care much about movies at first, but it was "easy to do."
More Welles Films and Other Hits
Cotten also starred in Welles's movie The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). This film was cut shorter by the studio before it was released, but critics still liked it. Cotten received good reviews for his acting, but again, he wasn't nominated for an Academy Award.
He then acted in the thriller Journey into Fear (1943), which was about Nazis. Welles and Cotten worked together to rewrite the script for this movie.
Famous director Alfred Hitchcock hired Cotten for his film Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Cotten also appeared in Hers to Hold (1943) with actress Deanna Durbin.
In 1943, Welles and Cotten created a magic and variety show called The Mercury Wonder Show for members of the U.S. armed forces. It was a big success, and over 48,000 servicemen saw the show for free.
Later in 1943, Cotten signed a long-term contract with producer David O. Selznick. Selznick loaned Cotten to other studios for big movies. He starred with Ingrid Bergman in the hit thriller Gaslight (1944). He also appeared in the wartime drama Since You Went Away (1944), which was another major success.
Cotten continued to star in popular films like I'll Be Seeing You (1945) and Love Letters (1945). In 1945, he was voted the 17th most popular star in the United States. Selznick then cast him in the epic Western Duel in the Sun (1946), which was very popular.
Cotten also starred in The Farmer's Daughter (1947) with Loretta Young. He then made Portrait of Jennie (1948) for Selznick, playing an artist who becomes fascinated by a girl who might have lived many years ago. His acting in this film earned him the International Prize for Best Actor at the 1949 Venice International Film Festival.
The Third Man (1949)
Cotten worked with Orson Welles again in the classic film The Third Man (1949). In this movie, Cotten plays a writer who travels to Vienna after World War II to meet his friend Harry Lime (played by Welles). When he arrives, he learns that Lime has supposedly died. As he tries to prove his friend was murdered, he uncovers a much darker secret.
Joseph Cotten later said, "Orson Welles lists Citizen Kane as his best film, Alfred Hitchcock opts for Shadow of a Doubt, and Sir Carol Reed chose The Third Man – and I'm in all of them."
Cotten then reunited with Hitchcock and Ingrid Bergman in Under Capricorn (1949), but this film was not a box office success.
Later Career
1950s and 1960s
In the 1950s, Joseph Cotten continued to be a busy actor. He starred in films like September Affair (1950) and Two Flags West (1950). He also appeared in Niagara (1953) with Marilyn Monroe.
In 1953, Cotten returned to Broadway in the play Sabrina Fair. This play was later made into a movie called Sabrina.
He also started working more in television. He appeared in many TV shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and General Electric Theater. In 1956, he hosted his own TV show called The Joseph Cotten Show.
Cotten made a brief appearance in Orson Welles's film Touch of Evil (1958). He also starred in the movie From the Earth to the Moon (1958), based on the famous book by Jules Verne. He had another successful run on Broadway in the play Once More, With Feeling (1958–60).
In the 1960s, Cotten continued to act in films and TV shows. He was in the horror film Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) with Bette Davis. He also took on many supporting roles in various movies and guest-starred on popular TV series like Dr. Kildare and Ironside.
1970s and Final Roles
Joseph Cotten remained active in the 1970s, appearing in many films and TV shows. He was in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), and the science fiction film Soylent Green (1973). He also appeared in TV series like The Streets of San Francisco and The Rockford Files.
Cotten once said, "I was in a lot of junk. I get nervous when I don't work." This shows he loved to keep busy acting.
His final performances included the horror film The Hearse (1980) and the movie Heaven's Gate (1980). He also appeared in several episodes of The Love Boat in 1981.
Personal Life
Joseph Cotten's first wife, Lenore Kipp, passed away in 1960. He then married British actress Patricia Medina on October 20, 1960. They lived together in Palm Springs, California, for several years. They did not have any children.
Health and Passing
In 1981, Joseph Cotten had a heart attack and then a stroke, which affected his ability to speak. He spent years in therapy to get his speech back. During this time, he often talked with his good friend Orson Welles, who was very supportive.
In 1990, Cotten had surgery for cancer. He passed away on February 6, 1994, from pneumonia, at the age of 88. He was buried in Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia.
Awards and Recognition
Joseph Cotten won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 10th Venice International Film Festival in 1949 for his role in Portrait of Jennie. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, which is a special honor for actors.
Joseph Cotten has been played by other actors in movies and TV shows. Tim Robbins played him in the 1985 TV film Malice in Wonderland. James Tupper played him in the 2008 film Me and Orson Welles, and Matthew Glave played him in the TV series Feud in 2017.
Images for kids
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Cotten in Horse Eats Hat (1936)
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Cotten and Edgar Barrier during the shooting of film sequences for the stage production Too Much Johnson (1938)
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Cotten and Katharine Hepburn on Broadway in The Philadelphia Story (1939)
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Cotten is introduced in the trailer for Citizen Kane (1941)
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Dolores Costello, Agnes Moorehead, Anne Baxter, Cotten, Tim Holt and Ray Collins in The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
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Cotten and Dolores del Río in Journey into Fear (1943)
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George (Shorty) Chirello, Cotten, assistant Eleanor Counts and Orson Welles in The Mercury Wonder Show (1943)
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Wedding of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, with best man Cotten (September 7, 1943)
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Cotten in Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
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Members of the Independent Voters Committee of the Arts and Sciences for Roosevelt visit FDR at the White House (October 1944). From left: Van Wyck Brooks, Hannah Dorner, Jo Davidson, Jan Kiepura, Cotten, Dorothy Gish, Dr. Harlow Shapley
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Cotten and Patricia Medina in 1973
See also
In Spanish: Joseph Cotten para niños
