Joseph Cotten
| Joseph Cotten | |
|---|---|
The Joseph Cotten Show (1957)
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| Born |
Joseph Cheshire Cotten, Jr. May 15, 1905 Petersburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 1994 (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia |
| Resting place | Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1930–1981 |
| Spouse(s) | Lenore Kipp (1931–1960) Patricia Medina (1960–1994) |
| Awards |
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: 1949 Portrait of Jennie |
Joseph Cheshire Cotten, Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair. He first gained worldwide fame in the Orson Welles film Citizen Kane (1941), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), and Journey into Fear (1943), for which Cotten was also credited with the screenplay. He went on to become one of the leading Hollywood actors of the 1940s, appearing in films such as Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Love Letters (1945), Duel in the Sun (1946), Portrait of Jennie (1948), The Third Man (1949), and Niagara (1953). One of his final films was Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate (1980).
Joseph Cotten was born in 1905 in Petersburg, Virginia, the first of three sons born to Joseph Cheshire Cotten, Sr., an assistant postmaster, and Sally Willson Cotten. He grew up in the Tidewater region and showed an aptitude for drama and a gift for storytelling. In 1923, when Cotten was 18, his family arranged for him to receive private lessons at the Hickman School of Expression in Washington, D.C., and underwrote his expenses. He earned spending money playing professional football on Sundays, for $25 a quarter. After graduation, he earned enough money as a lifeguard at Wilcox Lake to pay back his family's loan, with interest.
He worked as an advertising agent, and his work as a theatre critic inspired him to become involved in theatre productions, first in Virginia, then in New York City. Cotten made his Broadway debut in 1930.
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