10 Actors Who Still Haven't Outdone Their Debut Performances

6. Orson Welles - Citizen Kane

It's astounding to think that Citizen Kane, considered by many to be the greatest film ever made, was Orson Welles' directorial and acting debut. After a tremendously well-received production of Julius Caesar on Broadway, Welles caught the attention of Hollywood. The young prodigy of Mercury Theatre, Welles had almost unlimited control over the production during an era when many directors were under the thumb of the studio to which they owed allegiance. His film-making techniques were detailed and groundbreaking, his performance as Charles Foster Kane a towering portrayal of a media magnate from the optimism of youth to the embittered loneliness of old age. Although the film was technologically innovative, it wasn't a box office hit, and Welles was kept on a much tighter leash for all the rest of his films. His creative genius stifled, his later films show flashes of brilliance but suffered from an editing style that went against Welles' vision. It is unfortunately the legacy of Orson Welles that his first film was doomed to be his best, and all that untapped potential would go to waste.