Orson Welles, 1915-1985, was an American actor, writer, producer, and director. He was born George Orson Welles (named for his parents' friend George Ade) on May 6, 1915, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A child prodigy aided and encouraged by guardian Maurice Bernstein and teacher Roger Hill, Welles had considerable writing and acting experience before the age of twenty. Through the years this multi-talented artist acted and directed on the stage, in radio, film and television; made several recordings; authored plays, film scripts, and a newspaper column; and, as a political activist, contributed considerable energy to the 1944 presidential campaign in support of Franklin Roosevelt.