
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).

Citizen Kane
1941 · as Jedediah Leland

Soylent Green
1973 · as William R. Simonson

Heaven's Gate
1980 · as The Reverend Doctor

Tora! Tora! Tora!
1970 · as Henry L. Stimson

Gaslight
1944 · as Brian Cameron

The Third Man
1949 · as Holly Martins

Touch of Evil
1958 · as Coroner (uncredited)

Shadow of a Doubt
1943 · as Uncle Charlie

Petulia
1968 · as Mr. Danner

Niagara
1953 · as George Loomis

Airport '77
1977 · as Nicholas St. Downs III

Duel in the Sun
1946 · as Jesse McCanles

The Oscar
1966 · as Kenneth Regan

White Comanche
1968 · as Sheriff Logan

The Abominable Dr. Phibes
1971 · as Dr. Vesalius

Portrait of Jennie
1948 · as Eben Adams

Othello
1951 · as Senator (uncredited)

The Magnificent Ambersons
1942 · as Eugene Morgan