Orson Welles’ Surprising Pick for the Century’s Top Actor

When the silver screen first started to make waves as a proper art form, it didn’t take long for a handful of performers to become household names. Early film stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, with their knack for slapstick and physical comedy, drew on vaudeville roots but took things to a whole new level thanks to the magic of film. Their clever tricks and stunts, impossible to pull off on stage, made them legends in their own right and set the bar for generations to come.

As Hollywood grew into a global powerhouse, actors with all sorts of talents came to the fore. Some were naturals in silent films, using just their faces to tell a story, while others tried out new techniques to stand out. By the 1950s, method acting was all the rage, though not everyone was a fan—some reckoned it was a bit over the top. No matter the approach, the decades brought us a parade of unforgettable stars, from Marlon Brando and Laurence Olivier to Gena Rowlands and Daniel Day-Lewis, each leaving their own stamp on the industry.

Welles’ Unexpected Favourite

Orson Welles, best known for his work both in front of and behind the camera—especially in his landmark film Citizen Kane—was no stranger to the debate over who deserved the title of the greatest actor. But his own choice was a bit left-field. Welles was convinced that a Russian performer, better known for his booming voice than his film roles, was the true standout of the century. That man was Feodor Chaliapin.

Chaliapin, born in 1873, only made a handful of appearances on film, including a 1933 adaptation of Don Quixote. But his real passion was the stage. He was close mates with Sergei Rachmaninoff, who taught him heaps about music and helped him hone his craft. Chaliapin’s performances in opera houses around the world, especially in roles like Boris Godunov, made him a legend. Welles was so taken with him that he once told Peter Bogdanovich,

“Chaliapin, an actor whose genius was equal to his enormous stature as a personality. And believe me, Peter, that’s really saying something. He was by far the biggest actor of our century.”

Stage Presence Like No Other

Welles didn’t mince words about Chaliapin’s impact. He went on,

“No contest; nobody could make his weight. And what was he onscreen? Just marginally impressive.”

Welles, who’d played some of the most challenging roles in theatre—Lear, Richard III, Falstaff—admitted that even the best actors struggled to fully inhabit such parts.

“Those parts are too big for any actor—the very biggest never manage to completely fill them. The nearest I’ve ever seen was Chaliapin; nobody came near to him for size, for sheer density.”

Chaliapin’s ability to completely lose himself in a role, no matter how daunting, left a lasting impression on Welles. It’s not all that shocking that Welles didn’t go for a more obvious pick, especially since he wasn’t shy about his dislike for some of his Hollywood peers. He even took the mickey out of Brando, once saying he disliked the bloke’s neck,

“which is like a huge sausage, a shoe made of flesh”.