Orson Welles' criticisms of fellow actors and directors found on lost tapes

He is one of cinema's giants, but Orson Welles looked down on many of his fellow actors and directors, viciously denigrating some of the biggest names of his day, previously unpublished private conversations reveal.

Laurence Olivier was "stupid", Spencer Tracy "hateful" and Charlie Chaplin "arrogant", and he could not even bear to look at Bette Davis. James Stewart was a "bad actor", Joan Fontaine had "two expressions, and that's it", and Norma Shearer was "one of the most minimally talented ladies to appear on the silver screen".

His criticisms have emerged from long-lost tapes in which he chatted unguardedly to a friend, never expecting them to be made public. He died suddenly in 1985 before he could edit them into a planned autobiography, and the tapes have been in the friend's garage until now.

As an actor, director, producer and writer, Welles's masterpieces include Citizen Kane, which remains one of cinema's most influential films. The interviews were recorded over regular lunches from 1983 with his friend, director Henry Jaglom. Welles died of a heart attack just days after their last meeting. Now the interviews are to be published on 16 July in My Lunches with Orson. The tapes were made available to film historian Peter Biskind, who told the Observer that they reveal Welles as never before – talking intimately about the highs and lows of his career and the people he knew. The subjects are wide-ranging – from politics to literature.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/jun/29/orson-welles-criticism-hollywood-stars-tapes