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Joseph Cotten
★ Acting

Joseph Cotten

1905 – 1994 · Petersburg, Virginia, USA · Active 1937–2018

Joseph Cotten, born in 1905, was a prominent American actor whose career spanned several decades. Known for his collaboration with Orson Welles, he delivered memorable performances in Citizen Kane (1941) and The Third Man (1949), both pivotal films in the landscape of American cinema. Cotten also appeared in The Hellbenders (1967) and Petulia (1968), where his versatility shone through in various genres, from noir to drama. His contributions to cult and classic cinema continue to resonate with audiences today.

▶ Watch on SassyFlix 16 films available
A Whisper in the Dark

A Whisper in the Dark

1976 ★ 5.7
as The Professor

In a Venetian villa, a child claims to be dating a peer who doesn't actually exist. The family initially believes it to be a harmless childish fantasy, but some worrying phenomena, apparently inexplicable, will make them turn to a psychoanalyst who will die mysteriously, deepening the mystery.

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Career Highlights Top 6 by popularity · TMDB

Filmography

165 credits
2010s 1 credit
2018
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead as Self (archive footage)
Movie ★ 7.1
2000s 1 credit
1990s 2 credits
1991
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook as Baron Frankenstein (archive footage)
Movie ★ 6.3
1990
Movie ★ 5.7
1980s 5 credits
1981
The Survivor as Priest
Movie ★ 5.2
1981
Delusion as Ivar Langrock
Movie ★ 4.5
1980
Heaven's Gate as The Reverend Doctor
Movie ★ 6.7
1980
The Hearse as Walter Prichard
Movie ★ 5.2
1980
Casino as Ed Booker
Movie ★ 10.0
1970s 45 credits
1979
Island of the Fishmen as Prof. Ernest Marvin
Movie ★ 5.7
1979
Movie ★ 5.0
1979
Movie ★ 6.5
1979
Churchill and the Generals as Gen. George C. Marshall
Movie ★ 9.0
1979
TV ★ 6.8
1979
TV ★ 6.8
1978
Caravans as Crandall
Movie ★ 5.6
1978
The Perfect Crime as Sir Arthur Dundee
Movie ★ 5.2
1978
Last In, First Out as Foster Johnson
Movie ★ 4.5
1978
Movie ★ 6.0
1977
Airport '77 as Nicholas St. Downs III
Movie ★ 5.6
1977
Twilight's Last Gleaming as Arthur Renfrew - Secretary of State
Movie ★ 6.4
1977
TV ★ 7.1
1977
Aspen as Horton Paine
TV ★ 8.0
1977
The Love Boat as Colonel Van Ryker
TV ★ 6.3
1976
Movie ★ 5.9
1976
The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case as Dr. Joseph Francis Condon
Movie ★ 6.5
1976
Movie ★ 5.7
1976
Expedition to Ararat as Self - Host - Narrator
Movie
1976
TV ★ 8.0
1975
Movie ★ 6.0
1975
Timber Tramps as Greedy sawmill mogul
Movie ★ 9.0
1974
The Rockford Files as Warner Jameson
TV ★ 7.6
1973
Soylent Green as William R. Simonson
Movie ★ 6.9
1973
F for Fake as Self
Movie ★ 7.4
1973
Movie ★ 6.2
1973
The Devil's Daughter as Judge Weatherby
Movie ★ 6.6
1973
Police Dog as Narrator
Movie
1972
Baron Blood as Baron Otto von Kleist / Alfred Becker
Movie ★ 6.1
1972
Movie ★ 7.4
1972
The Screaming Woman as George Tresvant
Movie ★ 6.8
1972
Doomsday Voyage as Captain Jason
Movie ★ 10.0
1972
TV ★ 7.0
1971
Lady Frankenstein as Baron Frankenstein
Movie ★ 5.5
1971
Movie ★ 7.0
1971
City Beneath the Sea as Dr. Ziegler
Movie ★ 4.5
1971
Movie ★ 4.3
1971
Do You Take This Stranger? as Dr. Robert Carson
Movie ★ 6.0
1971
Journey to Murder as Jeff Wheeler
Movie ★ 7.0
1971
TV ★ 7.7
1970
Tora! Tora! Tora! as Henry L. Stimson
Movie ★ 7.2
1970
The Grasshopper as Richard Morgan
Movie ★ 5.0
1970
Cutter's Trail as General Spalding
Movie ★ 8.0
1960s 37 credits
1969
Latitude Zero as Capt. Craig McKenzie / Cmdr. Glenn McKenzie
Movie ★ 5.9
1969
The Lonely Profession as Martin Bannister
Movie ★ 7.0
1968
White Comanche as Sheriff Logan
Movie ★ 4.9
1968
Movie ★ 7.3
1968
Movie ★ 5.8
1968
Petulia as Mr. Danner
Movie ★ 6.0
1968
Movie ★ 9.0
1968
Movie
1968
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In as Self (uncredited)
TV ★ 6.7
1968
It Takes a Thief as Col. Heinrich
TV ★ 7.2
1968
It Takes a Thief as Mr. Jack
TV ★ 7.2
1968
The Name of the Game as Henry 'Harry' Worthington Rayner
TV ★ 7.0
1968
Journey to the Unknown as Jeff Wheeler
TV ★ 7.0
1967
The Hellbenders as Colonel Jonas
Movie ★ 6.5
1967
Movie ★ 5.0
1967
Some May Live as Colonel Woodward
Movie ★ 4.3
1967
Lionpower from MGM as Self - Ace of Diamonds (archive footage) (uncredited)
Movie ★ 6.3
1967
Ironside as Dr. Benjamin Stern
TV ★ 6.9
1967
Cimarron Strip as Nathan Tio
TV ★ 5.7
1966
The Oscar as Kenneth Regan
Movie ★ 5.0
1966
Movie ★ 6.7
1965
The Money Trap as Dr. Horace Van Tilden
Movie ★ 5.1
1965
The Tramplers as Temple Cordeen
Movie ★ 6.4
1965
The Great Sioux Massacre as Major Marcus A. Reno
Movie ★ 4.5
1964
Movie ★ 7.3
1963
The Great Adventure as Captain Meehan
TV ★ 10.0
1963
TV ★ 7.5
1962
The Virginian as Judge Will McMasters
TV ★ 6.5
1962
The Virginian as Judge Hobbs
TV ★ 6.5
1961
The Last Sunset as John Breckenridge
Movie ★ 6.8
1961
Hollywood: The Selznick Years as Self (uncredited)
Movie ★ 4.4
1961
Bus Stop as Professor Wheelwright
TV ★ 10.0
1961
Dr. Kildare as Charles Ladovan
TV ★ 5.7
1960
Movie ★ 5.0
1960
Checkmate as Dr. George Mallinson
TV ★ 4.8
1960
TV ★ 6.4
1950s 54 credits
1959
TV ★ 6.8
1959
TV ★ 6.8
1958
Touch of Evil as Coroner (uncredited)
Movie ★ 7.7
1958
From the Earth to the Moon as Victor Barbicane
Movie ★ 5.3
1958
77 Sunset Strip as Arnold Buhler
TV ★ 7.1
1958
TV ★ 6.3
1958
TV ★ 5.4
1957
The Halliday Brand as Daniel Halliday
Movie ★ 6.2
1957
The Edge of Innocence as Robert Rainey
Movie
1957
Suspicion as Gregg Carey
TV ★ 6.2
1957
Wagon Train as Captain Dan Brady
TV ★ 6.6
1957
Wagon Train as John Augustus
TV ★ 6.6
1956
The Killer Is Loose as Detective Sam Wagner
Movie ★ 6.7
1956
The Bottom of the Bottle as Pat 'P.M.' Martin
Movie ★ 5.7
1956
TV ★ 6.2
1956
TV ★ 6.5
1956
On Trial as Edward Pritchard
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Mr. Patterson
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Robert Westwood
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Senator George Graham Vest
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Sanders
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Joseph Downey
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Gregg Bolton
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as William Seward
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Ray Barnes
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Clint Anderson
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Reed Murrow
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Reed
TV ★ 5.0
1956
On Trial as Frank Parsons
TV ★ 5.0
1955
Special Delivery as John Adams
Movie ★ 9.0
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents as William Callew
TV ★ 7.8
1955
TV ★ 7.8
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Courtney Masterson
TV ★ 7.8
1955
TV ★ 6.0
1953
A Blueprint for Murder as Whitney 'Cam' Cameron
Movie ★ 6.2
1953
Niagara as George Loomis
Movie ★ 6.8
1953
Egypt by Three as Narrator
Movie ★ 7.0
1953
TV ★ 6.8
1953
Letter to Loretta as Self - Guest Host
TV ★ 6.6
1953
TV ★ 6.8
1953
General Electric Theater as Private Harris
TV ★ 6.8
1952
The Steel Trap as Jim Osborne
Movie ★ 6.6
1952
Untamed Frontier as Kirk Denbow
Movie ★ 7.3
1952
TV ★ 7.8
1951
Movie ★ 6.8
1951
Half Angel as John Raymond Jr.
Movie ★ 6.2
1951
Peking Express as Michael Bachlin
Movie ★ 7.5
1951
Othello as Senator (uncredited)
Movie ★ 7.4
1950
September Affair as David Lawrence
Movie ★ 6.0
1950
Walk Softly, Stranger as Chris Hale/Steve
Movie ★ 5.1
1950
Two Flags West as Col. Clay Tucker
Movie ★ 6.3
1950
What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest
TV ★ 7.0
1940s 17 credits
1949
The Third Man as Holly Martins
Movie ★ 7.9
1949
Under Capricorn as Sam Flusky
Movie ★ 6.0
1949
Beyond the Forest as Doctor Louis Moline
Movie ★ 6.7
1948
Portrait of Jennie as Eben Adams
Movie ★ 7.2
1947
The Farmer's Daughter as Glenn Morley
Movie ★ 7.1
1947
Movie
1946
Duel in the Sun as Jesse McCanles
Movie ★ 6.4
1945
Love Letters as Allen Quinton
Movie ★ 6.6
1944
I'll Be Seeing You as Zachary Morgan
Movie ★ 6.9
1944
Gaslight as Brian Cameron
Movie ★ 7.5
1944
Since You Went Away as Lieutenant Tony Willett
Movie ★ 6.6
1943
Journey into Fear as Howard Graham
Movie ★ 6.1
1943
Shadow of a Doubt as Uncle Charlie
Movie ★ 7.5
1943
Hers to Hold as Bill Morley
Movie ★ 7.0
1942
Movie ★ 7.3
1941
Citizen Kane as Jedediah Leland
Movie ★ 8.0
1941
Lydia as Michael Fitzpatrick
Movie ★ 6.5
1930s 2 credits
1938
Too Much Johnson as Augustus Billings
Movie ★ 5.4
Crew Credits
1940s 1 credit
1943
Movie ★ 6.1