Orson Welles was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. Welles is held with high esteem as one of the most accomplished dramatic artists of the 20th century. He is known for his movie Citizen Kane, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made. His genius can be equally seen in his radio dramatisation of The War of the Worlds, based on the original story by H.G Wells who bears no relation to Orson. Welles along with his Mercury Theatre, established in the 1930's caused the United States to go into a state of panic as the public thought Martians were invading the planet. A panic which Welles would later claim was unintentional.