Joseph Cheshire Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair. He first gained worldwide fame as the star of the Orson Welles films Citizen Kane , The Magnificent Ambersons , and Journey into Fear , for which Cotten was also credited with the screenplay. He went on to star in such popular films as Shadow of a Doubt , Duel in the Sun , Love Letters , Portrait of Jennie and The Third Man . Joseph Cotten was born in the year 1905 in Petersburg, Virginia, son of Joseph... Cheshire Cotten, Sr., an assistant postmaster, and his wife Sally Willson Cotten. He worked as an advertising agent after studying acting at the Hickman School of Speech and Expression in Washington, D.C. His work as a theatre critic inspired him to become involved in theatre productions, first in Virginia, and then in New York. Cotten made his Broadway debut in 1930, and soon became friends with Orson Welles.
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| Birthdate: | May 15, 1905 |
| Birthplace: | Petersburg, Virginia |
| Date of death: | February 6, 1994 |
| Height: | 6' 2" |
| Also known as: | Joseph Cheshire Cotten, Jo |