---
name: "Joseph Cotten"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/joseph-cotten"
fi1m_id: "joseph-cotten"
imdb_id: "nm0001072"
tmdb_id: 7664
wikidata_id: "Q95148"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "15 May 1905"
died: "6 February 1994"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 84
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 8
updated: "2026-10-07T10:16:44.127381+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Joseph Cotten

## Identity

Joseph Cotten

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/joseph-cotten
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** joseph-cotten
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001072
- **TMDB ID:** 7664
- **Wikidata ID:** Q95148
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cotten, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q95148, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001072/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7664

Actor. Born 15 May 1905 in Petersburg, Virginia, USA. Died 6 February 1994.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 15 May 1905, Petersburg, Virginia, USA
- **Died:** 6 February 1994
- **Active:** 1941–1980
- **Also known as:** Joseph Cheshire Cotten, Jr., Joseph Cheshire Cotten
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 10: 8 acting, 2 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Orson Welles](https://film.one/person/orson-welles.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 84, as actor, over 8 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 84 (6), 1950s 84 (2), 1970s 83 (1), 1980s 79 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 87 to 85 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 4 of 7 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Mystery 5, Crime 3, Thriller 3, History 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 15 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $33m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cotten, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q95148, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001072/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7664

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Third Man*](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md) (92), [*Gaslight*](https://film.one/film/gaslight.md) (81), [*Heaven's Gate*](https://film.one/film/heavens-gate.md) (79)
- **The Criterion Channel:** [*Othello*](https://film.one/film/othello.md) (80)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Joseph Cotten

> Joseph Cotten can suggest trouble without losing his gentlemanly ease. We rate him most highly as the decent man whose judgement cannot quite be trusted, played with enough warmth that we want him to get things right.

In *The Third Man* (1949), Joseph Cotten lets Holly Martins’s confidence run ahead of his understanding. The writer’s awkwardness is funny, but Cotten gives him enough decency that we cannot simply enjoy seeing him wrong-footed. We worried about Martins because his investigation matters to him as a friend, and Cotten makes that loyalty recognisable even when his judgement falters. That is where we value Cotten most: he can let a man look mistaken without asking us to stop caring about him.

*Citizen Kane* (1941), his Hollywood debut as Jedediah Leland, began the screen partnership with Orson Welles that helps define his work. They worked together again on *The Magnificent Ambersons* (1942), with Cotten as Eugene Morgan, before reuniting in *The Third Man*. His relaxed delivery and trace of Southern inflection suit the friend or observer who need not compete for attention. The leading roles of the 1940s also found other uses for that gentlemanly manner. He was the sinister Uncle Charlie in Alfred Hitchcock’s *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943) and a romantic lead opposite Jennifer Jones in *Portrait of Jennie* (1948).

Under Carol Reed’s direction in *The Third Man*, Cotten’s uncertainty benefits from Trevor Howard’s firmness as Major Calloway. Alida Valli’s Anna Schmidt has feelings that do not exist merely to confirm Martins’s importance, while Welles gives Harry Lime the required charisma. We would give some of those relationships more space; the mystery tells us more about their purpose than their history. Cotten remains essential beside Welles’s showier performance because he makes the questions about responsibility matter to someone with a friendship to protect.

He moved towards character parts and television from the 1950s, with the later films often offering weaker scripts. Reliable acting could not make that material worth the same attention. We would not mistake his ease for a reason to watch everything he appeared in. Start with *The Third Man*, then try *Shadow of a Doubt* for a less reassuring use of those good manners.

## Biography

Joseph Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. He rose to prominence on Broadway, appearing in the original productions of *The Philadelphia Story* (1939) and *Sabrina Fair* (1953). He worked extensively with Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre, which led to film roles including Jedediah Leland in *Citizen Kane* (1941) and Holly Martins in *The Third Man* (1949).

Cotten's other notable screen credits include Eugene Morgan in *The Magnificent Ambersons* (1942), Uncle Charlie in *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943), Brian Cameron in *Gaslight* (1944) and Eben Adams in *Portrait of Jennie* (1948). He was born on 15 May 1905 in Petersburg, Virginia, and died on 6 February 1994 in Los Angeles, California.

*Sources: encyclopedia.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (10)

### Performed in (8) — the average rests on these

- *Heaven's Gate* (1980), Fi1m 79, as The Reverend Doctor — [page](https://film.one/film/heavens-gate.md)
- *The Rockford Files* (1974), Fi1m 83, as Warner Jameson — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-rockford-files.md)
- *The Third Man* (1949), Fi1m 92, as Holly Martins — [page](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md)
- *Gaslight* (1944), Fi1m 81, as Brian Cameron — [page](https://film.one/film/gaslight.md)
- *Since You Went Away* (1944), Fi1m 63, as Tony Willett — [page](https://film.one/film/since-you-went-away.md)
- *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943), Fi1m 88, as Charlie Oakley — [page](https://film.one/film/shadow-of-a-doubt.md)
- *The Magnificent Ambersons* (1942), Fi1m 89, as Eugene Morgan — [page](https://film.one/film/the-magnificent-ambersons.md)
- *Citizen Kane* (1941), Fi1m 93, as Jedediah Leland — [page](https://film.one/film/citizen-kane.md)

### Also credited (2) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Touch of Evil* (1958), Fi1m 88, as Coroner (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/touch-of-evil.md)
- *Othello* (1951), Fi1m 80, as Senator (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/othello.md)

## Complete filmography (128)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Green Fog* (2018), Actor
- *Too Much Johnson* (2013), as Augustus Billings (uncredited)
- *The Complete 'Citizen Kane'* (1991), Actor
- *Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook* (1991), as Baron Frankenstein (archive footage)
- *Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths* (1990), as (archive footage)
- *The Survivor* (1981), as Priest
- *Delusion* (1981), as Ivar Langrock
- *Heaven's Gate* (1980), as The Reverend Doctor — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/heavens-gate.md)
- *Casino* (1980), as Ed Booker
- *The Hearse* (1980), as Walter Prichard
- *Churchill and the Generals* (1979), as Gen. George C. Marshall
- *Guyana: Crime of the Century* (1979), as Richard Gable
- *Tales of the Unexpected* (1979), series, as Lionel, Edward
- *Concorde Affair* (1979), as Milland
- *Island of the Fishmen* (1979), as Prof. Ernest Marvin
- *The Perfect Crime* (1978), as Sir Arthur Dundee
- *Caravans* (1978), as Crandall
- *Last In, First Out* (1978), as Foster Johnson
- *Return to Fantasy Island* (1978), as Simon Grant
- *Aspen* (1977), series, as Horton Paine
- *The Love Boat* (1977), series, as Colonel Van Ryker
- *Airport '77* (1977), as Nicholas St. Downs III
- *Twilight's Last Gleaming* (1977), as Arthur Renfrew - Secretary of State
- *The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries* (1977), series, as Weldon Rathbone
- *Origins of the Mafia* (1976), series, as The Envoy
- *A Whisper in the Dark* (1976), as The Professor
- *Mysteries of the Gods* (1976), as Narrator
- *The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case* (1976), as Dr. Joseph Francis Condon
- *Timber Tramps* (1975), as Greedy sawmill mogul
- *Syndicate Sadists* (1975), as Paternò
- *The Rockford Files* (1974), series, as Warner Jameson — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-rockford-files.md)
- *A Delicate Balance* (1973), as Harry
- *Soylent Green* (1973), as William R. Simonson
- *The Devil's Daughter* (1973), as Judge Weatherby
- *Police Dog* (1973), as Narrator
- *The Streets of San Francisco* (1972), series, as John R. James
- *The Scopone Game* (1972), as George
- *Baron Blood* (1972), as Baron Otto von Kleist / Alfred Becker
- *Doomsday Voyage* (1972), as Captain Jason
- *The Screaming Woman* (1972), as George Tresvant
- *Lady Frankenstein* (1971), as Baron Frankenstein
- *City Beneath the Sea* (1971), as Dr. Ziegler
- *The Abominable Dr. Phibes* (1971), as Dr. Vesalius
- *Do You Take This Stranger?* (1971), as Dr. Robert Carson
- *Assault on the Wayne* (1971), as Admiral
- *Journey to Murder* (1971), as Jeff Wheeler
- *The Grasshopper* (1970), as Richard Morgan
- *Cutter's Trail* (1970), as General Spalding
- *Tora! Tora! Tora!* (1970), as Henry L. Stimson
- *The Lonely Profession* (1969), as Martin Bannister
- *Latitude Zero* (1969), as Capt. Craig McKenzie / Cmdr. Glenn McKenzie
- *Journey to the Unknown* (1968), series, as Jeff Wheeler
- *Split Second to an Epitaph* (1968), as Dr. Ben Stern
- *The Name of the Game* (1968), series, as Henry 'Harry' Worthington Rayner
- *White Comanche* (1968), as Sheriff Logan
- *Petulia* (1968), as Mr. Danner
- *Gangsters '70* (1968), as Destil
- *Alexander The Great* (1968), as Antigonus
- *It Takes a Thief* (1968), series, as Col. Heinrich, Mr. Jack
- *Jack of Diamonds* (1967), as Ace
- *Cimarron Strip* (1967), series, as Nathan Tio
- *Some May Live* (1967), as Colonel Woodward
- *Ironside* (1967), series, as Dr. Benjamin Stern
- *The Hellbenders* (1967), as Colonel Jonas
- *Brighty of the Grand Canyon* (1966), as Jim
- *The Oscar* (1966), as Kenneth Regan
- *The Tramplers* (1965), as Temple Cordeen
- *The Money Trap* (1965), as Dr. Horace Van Tilden
- *The Great Sioux Massacre* (1965), as Major Marcus A. Reno
- *Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte* (1964), as Drew Bayliss
- *Hollywood and the Stars* (1963), series, as Narrator
- *The Great Adventure* (1963), series, as Captain Meehan
- *The Virginian* (1962), series, as Judge Will McMasters, Judge Hobbs
- *Bus Stop* (1961), series, as Professor Wheelwright
- *Dr. Kildare* (1961), series, as Charles Ladovan
- *The Last Sunset* (1961), as John Breckenridge
- *The Barbara Stanwyck Show* (1960), series, as Mac McClay
- *Checkmate* (1960), series, as Dr. George Mallinson
- *The Angel Wore Red* (1960), as Hawthorne
- *The DuPont Show with June Allyson* (1959), series, as Dick Burlingame, Charles Lawrence
- *From the Earth to the Moon* (1958), as Victor Barbicane
- *77 Sunset Strip* (1958), series, as Arnold Buhler
- *Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse* (1958), series, as Black McSween
- *Touch of Evil* (1958), as Coroner (uncredited) — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/touch-of-evil.md)
- *The Edge of Innocence* (1957), as Robert Rainey
- *Suspicion* (1957), series, as Gregg Carey
- *Wagon Train* (1957), series, as Captain Dan Brady, John Augustus
- *The Halliday Brand* (1957), as Daniel Halliday
- *Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre* (1956), series, as Ben Harper
- *On Trial* (1956), series, as Edward Pritchard, Mr. Patterson, Robert Westwood, Senator George Graham Vest, Sanders, Joseph Downey, Gregg Bolton, William Seward, Ray Barnes, Clint Anderson, Reed Murrow, Reed, Frank Parsons
- *Telephone Time* (1956), series, Actor
- *The Killer Is Loose* (1956), as Detective Sam Wagner
- *The Bottom of the Bottle* (1956), as Pat 'P.M.' Martin
- *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1955), series, as William Callew, Tony Gould, Courtney Masterson
- *Special Delivery* (1955), as John Adams
- *A Blueprint for Murder* (1953), as Whitney 'Cam' Cameron
- *Egypt by Three* (1953), as Narrator
- *General Electric Theater* (1953), series, as Paul Henty, Captain, Private Harris
- *Niagara* (1953), as George Loomis
- *The Steel Trap* (1952), as Jim Osborne
- *The Ford Television Theatre* (1952), series, as John Ashburn
- *Untamed Frontier* (1952), as Kirk Denbow
- *Othello* (1951), as Senator (uncredited) — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/othello.md)
- *The Man with a Cloak* (1951), as Dupin
- *Schlitz Playhouse of Stars* (1951), series, Actor
- *Peking Express* (1951), as Michael Bachlin
- *Half Angel* (1951), as John Raymond Jr.
- *September Affair* (1950), as David Lawrence
- *Walk Softly, Stranger* (1950), as Chris Hale/Steve
- *Two Flags West* (1950), as Clay Tucker
- *Beyond the Forest* (1949), as Doctor Louis Moline
- *Under Capricorn* (1949), as Sam Flusky
- *The Third Man* (1949), as Holly Martins — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md)
- *Portrait of Jennie* (1948), as Eben Adams
- *Our American Heritage* (1947), as Narrator
- *The Farmer's Daughter* (1947), as Glenn Morley
- *Duel in the Sun* (1946), as Jesse McCanles
- *Love Letters* (1945), as Allen Quinton
- *I'll Be Seeing You* (1944), as Zachary Morgan
- *Since You Went Away* (1944), as Tony Willett — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/since-you-went-away.md)
- *Gaslight* (1944), as Brian Cameron — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/gaslight.md)
- *Hers to Hold* (1943), as Bill Morley
- *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943), as Charlie Oakley — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/shadow-of-a-doubt.md)
- *Journey into Fear* (1943), as Howard Graham · Screenplay
- *The Magnificent Ambersons* (1942), as Eugene Morgan — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/the-magnificent-ambersons.md)
- *Lydia* (1941), as Michael Fitzpatrick
- *Citizen Kane* (1941), as Jedediah Leland — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/citizen-kane.md)
- *Seeing the World: Part One - A Visit to New York, N.Y.* (1937), Actor

## Gallery

- ![Joseph Cotten](https://film.one/media/person/58998/gallery-262b09fa8ddd.jpg) Joseph Cotten — Photoplay Publishing Company; no photographer credited, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Joseph-Cotten-1942.jpg/1280px-Joseph-Cotten-1942.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rialto Theater advertisement for the American science fiction film From the Earth to the Moon (1958) - 2 Dec. 1958 Morning Call, Allentown PA](https://film.one/media/person/58998/gallery-68a2c14302e9.jpg) Rialto Theater advertisement for the American science fiction film From the Earth to the Moon (1958) - 2 Dec. 1958 Morning Call, Allentown PA — Company shown on advertisement, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/1958_-_Rialto_Theater_Ad_-_2_Dec_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Co-Ed Drive-In theater advertisement for the film-noir, thriller film, Niagara. 29 March 1953.](https://film.one/media/person/58998/gallery-0e0adfc2eb42.jpg) Co-Ed Drive-In theater advertisement for the film-noir, thriller film, Niagara. 29 March 1953. — 20th Century Fox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Co-Ed_Drive-In_Ad_-_29_March_1953%2C_Denton%2C_TX.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, and Joseph Cotten on the set of Gaslight (1944)](https://film.one/media/person/58998/gallery-ba7cbe86a315.jpg) Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, and Joseph Cotten on the set of Gaslight (1944) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Gaslight_backstage_photo.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Joseph Cotten](https://film.one/media/person/58998/gallery-6f1f207f9b08.jpg) Joseph Cotten — Image via TMDB
- ![Joseph Cotten](https://film.one/media/person/58998/gallery-5334687f0480.jpg) Joseph Cotten — Image via TMDB
- ![Joseph Cotten and Debra Paget in From the Earth to the Moon, 1958](https://film.one/media/person/58998/gallery-2397f445d7bb.jpg) Joseph Cotten and Debra Paget in From the Earth to the Moon, 1958 — RKO Pictures. Photographer not credited, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Joseph_Cotten_%26_Debra_Paget_in_%27From_the_Earth_to_the_Moon%27%2C_1958.jpg/1280px-Joseph_Cotten_%26_Debra_Paget_in_%27From_the_Earth_to_the_Moon%27%2C_1958.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Joseph Cotton & Patricia Medina (1973)](https://film.one/media/person/58998/gallery-d10ae6680ab8.jpg) Joseph Cotton & Patricia Medina (1973) — Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Joseph_Cotten_%26_Patricia_Medina.jpg/1280px-Joseph_Cotten_%26_Patricia_Medina.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/joseph-cotten