Editing Orson Welles (section)

=== Religious beliefs ===

When Peter Bogdanovich once asked him about his religion, Welles gruffly replied that it was none of his business, then misinformed him that he was raised [[Catholic Church|Catholic]].<ref name="Welles TIOW" />{{Rp|xxx}}<ref name="Whaley" />{{Rp|12}} Although the Welles family was no longer devout, it was fourth-generation [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]] and before that, [[Quaker]] and [[Puritan]].<ref name="Whaley">[http://www.lybrary.com/barton-whaley-m-191.html Whaley, Barton] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407122754/http://www.lybrary.com/barton-whaley-m-191.html |date=April 7, 2016 }}, ''Orson Welles: The Man Who Was Magic''. Lybrary.com, 2005,</ref>{{Rp|12}} In 1982, when interviewer [[Merv Griffin]] asked about his religious beliefs, Welles replied, "I try to be a Christian. I don't pray really, because I don't want to bore God."<ref name="Brady" />{{Rp|576}}

Near the end of his life, Welles was dining at [[Ma Maison]], his favorite restaurant in Los Angeles, when proprietor Patrick Terrail conveyed an invitation from the head of the [[Greek Orthodox Church]], who asked Welles to be his guest of honor at divine liturgy at [[Saint Sophia Cathedral, Los Angeles|Saint Sophia Cathedral]]. Welles replied, "Please tell him I really appreciate that offer, but I am an [[Atheism|atheist]]."<ref>Terrail, Patrick, ''A Taste of Hollywood: The Story of Ma Maison''. New York: Lebhar-Friedman Books, 1999. {{ISBN|978-0-86730-767-2}}</ref>{{Rp|104–105}}

"Orson never joked or teased about the religious beliefs of others", wrote biographer Barton Whaley. "He accepted it as a cultural artifact, suitable for the births, deaths, and marriages of strangers and even some friends—but without emotional or intellectual meaning for himself."<ref name="Whaley" />{{Rp|12}}