Joseph Cotten
Known for
A friend and collaborator of Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten was an American actor of serene, elegant bearing who took part in some of the masterpieces of twentieth-century cinema. Trained in Welles's Mercury Theatre, he debuted on screen with a prominent role in 'Citizen Kane'. His range reached memorable heights as the seemingly charming but truly sinister uncle of Hitchcock's 'Shadow of a Doubt', and as the naive writer of 'The Third Man'. Born in Virginia in 1905 and deceased in 1994, he embodied with naturalness ordinary men caught in mystery plots, with a humanity that always made them believable.
Joseph Cotten
73 Movies
27 Series
A friend and collaborator of Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten was an American actor of serene, elegant bearing who took part in some of the masterpieces of twentieth-century cinema. Trained in Welles's Mercury Theatre, he debuted on screen with a prominent role in 'Citizen Kane'. His range reached memorable heights as the seemingly charming but truly sinister uncle of Hitchcock's 'Shadow of a Doubt', and as the naive writer of 'The Third Man'. Born in Virginia in 1905 and deceased in 1994, he embodied with naturalness ordinary men caught in mystery plots, with a humanity that always made them believable.
Movies
Plays Jedediah Leland
Citizen Kane
1941
Plays William R. Simonson
Soylent Green
1973
Plays Henry L. Stimson
Tora! Tora! Tora!
1970
Plays Holly Martins
The Third Man
1949
Plays Brian Cameron
Gaslight
1944
Plays Nicholas St. Downs III
Airport '77
1977
Plays The Reverend Doctor
Heaven's Gate
1980
Plays Uncle Charlie
Shadow of a Doubt
1943
Plays George Loomis
Niagara
1953
Plays Jesse McCanles
Duel in the Sun
1946
Plays Dr. Vesalius
The Abominable Dr. Phibes
1971
Plays Kenneth Regan
The Oscar
1966
Plays Mr. Danner
Petulia
1968
Plays John Raymond Jr.
Half Angel
1951
Plays Eugene Morgan
The Magnificent Ambersons
1942
Plays Eben Adams
Portrait of Jennie
1948
Plays John Breckenridge
The Last Sunset
1961
Plays Sheriff Logan
White Comanche
1968
Plays Drew Bayliss
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
1964
Plays Arthur Renfrew - Secretary of State
Twilight's Last Gleaming
1977
Plays Crandall
Caravans
1978
Plays Sam Flusky
Under Capricorn
1949
Plays Prof. Ernest Marvin
Island of the Fishmen
1979
Plays Colonel Jonas
The Hellbenders
1967
Plays Capt. Craig McKenzie / Cmdr. Glenn McKenzie
Latitude Zero
1969
Plays Glenn Morley
The Farmer's Daughter
1947
Plays Baron Otto von Kleist / Alfred Becker
Baron Blood
1972
Plays Whitney 'Cam' Cameron
A Blueprint for Murder
1953
Plays Clay Tucker
Two Flags West
1950
Plays Dr. Horace Van Tilden
The Money Trap
1965
Plays Dupin
The Man with a Cloak
1951
Plays Michael Fitzpatrick
Lydia
1941
Plays Tony Willett
Since You Went Away
1944
Plays Doctor Louis Moline
Beyond the Forest
1949
Plays Walter Prichard
The Hearse
1980
Plays Detective Sam Wagner
The Killer Is Loose
1956
Plays Zachary Morgan
I'll Be Seeing You
1944
Plays Ivar Langrock
Delusion
1981
Plays George
The Scopone Game
1972
Plays Dr. Ziegler
City Beneath the Sea
1971
Plays Victor Barbicane
From the Earth to the Moon
1958
Plays George Tresvant
The Screaming Woman
1972
Plays Baron Frankenstein
Lady Frankenstein
1971
Plays Sir Arthur Dundee
The Perfect Crime
1978
Plays Harry
A Delicate Balance
1973
Plays David Lawrence
September Affair
1950
Plays Temple Cordeen
The Tramplers
1965
Plays Allen Quinton
Love Letters
1945
Plays Hawthorne
The Angel Wore Red
1960
Plays Richard Morgan
The Grasshopper
1970
TV Shows
Plays Self - Host
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
Plays Horton Paine
Aspen
1977
Plays Mr. Jack
It Takes a Thief
1968
Plays Captain Meehan
The Great Adventure
1963
Plays Arnold Buhler
77 Sunset Strip
1958
Plays Dr. George Mallinson
Checkmate
1960
Plays Lionel
Tales of the Unexpected
1979
Plays John R. James
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
Plays Weldon Rathbone
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
Plays Paul Henty
General Electric Theater
1953
Plays Dr. Benjamin Stern
Ironside
1967
Plays William Callew
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
Plays Professor Wheelwright
Bus Stop
1961
Plays Black McSween
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
Plays Nathan Tio
Cimarron Strip
1967
Plays Ben Harper
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
Plays Charles Ladovan
Dr. Kildare
1961
Plays Dick Burlingame
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959
Plays Mac McClay
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
1960
Plays Warner Jameson
The Rockford Files
1974
Plays Colonel Van Ryker
The Love Boat
1977
Plays Gregg Carey
Suspicion
1957
Plays The Envoy
Origins of the Mafia
1976
Plays Henry 'Harry' Worthington Rayner
The Name of the Game
1968
Plays Captain Dan Brady
Wagon Train
1957
Plays John Ashburn
The Ford Television Theatre
1952
Plays Jeff Wheeler
Journey to the Unknown
1968
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
The Survivor
Full Filmography
Delusion
Ivar Langrock
1981
Film
Tales of the Unexpected
Lionel · 1 episode
1980
TV
Heaven's Gate
The Reverend Doctor
1980
Film
The Hearse
Walter Prichard
1980
Film
Guyana: Crime of the Century
Richard Gable
1979
Film
Concorde Affair
Milland
1979
Film
Island of the Fishmen
Prof. Ernest Marvin
1979
Film
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
Weldon Rathbone · 1 episode
1977–1978
TV
The Perfect Crime
Sir Arthur Dundee
1978
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Joseph Cotten still alive?
Joseph Cotten passed away on February 6, 1994 at age 88.
What are the most famous roles of Joseph Cotten?
Joseph Cotten is best known for roles in Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Touch of Evil.
How many movies has Joseph Cotten been in?
Over a 57-year career (since 1937), Joseph Cotten has appeared in 73 movies and 26 TV shows.
What was Joseph Cotten's first movie?
The career of Joseph Cotten began with Seeing the World: Part One - A Visit to New York, N.Y. (1937).
What is Joseph Cotten's most recent movie or series?
Joseph Cotten's most recent release is The Complete 'Citizen Kane', which premiered on October 13, 1991.
What TV shows has Joseph Cotten appeared in?
On television, Joseph Cotten has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Love Boat, The Rockford Files, The Streets of San Francisco.
Joseph Cotten
1905-05-15 · Petersburg, Virginia, USA
Joseph Cheshire Cotten (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American actor of stage and film. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair. He is associated with Orson Welles, leading to appearances in Citizen Kane (1941), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), Journey into Fear (1943), for which Cotten was also credited with the screenplay, and The Third Man (1949). He was a star in his own right with films such as Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Love Letters (1945), Portrait of Jennie (1948), and The Third Man (1949).