He first gained worldwide fame in three Orson Welles films: "Citizen Kane" (1941), "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942), and "Journey into Fear" (1943), for which Cotten was also credited with the screenplay. He went on to become one of the leading Hollywood actors of the 1940s, appearing in films such as "Shadow of a Doubt" (1943), "Gaslight" (1944), "Love Letters" (1945), "Duel in the Sun" (1946), "Portrait of Jennie" (1948), "The Third Man" (1949) and "Niagara" (1953). One of his final films was Michael Cimino's "Heaven's Gate" (1980).