Joseph Cheshire Cotten (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American stage and screen actor. He was perhaps best known for his collaborations with Orson Welles, which included Citizen Kane, The Third Man, and Journey Into Fear, which Cotten wrote, and for his work with Alfred Hitchcock. He received his start on Broadway, starring in the original productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair, and became a recognizable Hollywood star in his own right with films such as Shadow of a Doubt and Portrait of Jennie.

Before Joseph Cotten became a movie actor, he worked as an advertiser, actor at a theatre, and also as a theatre critic. He got his chance at the movies because of his friendship with Orson Welles, which lasted since their time at the Federal Theatre (1936) and at the Mercury's Company (1937); in Citizen Kane (1941), as Jed Leland. In the following years, Cotten had important characterizations like in Third Man, The (1949). Because of his age, he played later in mainly minor parts and after 1967, had various appearances in TV productions.