Who directed the 1941 film 'Citizen Kane'?

Orson Welles directed the 1941 film Citizen Kane.

Citizen Kane was Welles’s first feature film, and he also produced it and played its central character, Charles Foster Kane. The story follows Kane’s rise from an inherited childhood fortune to powerful newspaper publisher, then examines his private life and fading influence through investigations conducted after his death.

The production was unusually ambitious because RKO Pictures gave Welles exceptional creative control for an untested Hollywood filmmaker. He collaborated on the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz, and the film became famous for deep-focus cinematography by Gregg Toland, nonlinear storytelling, low-angle compositions, layered sound, and inventive editing. Robert Wise edited the picture, while Bernard Herrmann composed the score.

Viewers sometimes confuse directing with screenwriting or starring credits because Welles held several major roles. He was indeed the director, but the screenplay credit officially went to Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles. The character Kane is a composite rather than a direct portrait of one person, though William Randolph Hearst is the most commonly discussed real-world influence.