‘Whatever happened to Orson Welles?’ Actor, writer and classical music enthusiast, Simon Callow, may just have the answer - he will be kick-starting Watford Big Word Fest this week at the Colosseum with a talk about his latest book on enigmatic American actor, director and writer Orson Welles, titled One Man Band.

Simon, who has starred in films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Amadeus and Ace Ventura, says: “I have spent 35 years writing books about Orson Welles. He was an extraordinary man and I spent a lot of time with him - I was closer to him than you are to your best friend. That’s what I convey in my book and that’s what I am going to be talking about.”

The 66-year-old, who lives in Islington, explains that he has always loved books and particularly enjoys doing voiceovers. He has recorded books from Dickensian classics to Roald Dahl and has a deep love for literature.

“Charles Dickens’ The Mudfog Papers was the first novel I read. At the time I had chicken pox and it was given to me to read as a way of distracting myself and stopping me from scratching,” says Simon, who is currently reading the novel Submission by French author Michel Houellebecq.

“I greatly admire the work of Christopher Isherwood,” he goes on to say, “he wrote Goodbye to Berlin and Mr Norris Changes Trains.

"He was an English author, who lived in Berlin while Hitler was coming to power and that’s what he wrote about. I really like his prose and style - it’s crystal clear.

“I spoke to him once about my book, Being an Actor. After he died, I met his wife and when I introduced myself, she said ‘I know who you are’ and explained that just before he died, he had been reading my book for the second time.”

Simon, who was born in Streatham, London, had his first introduction into the acting world through a fan letter he wrote to Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre. It secured him a role in the box office and seeing the actors at work, Simon decided on a career in the theatre. “So I went to uni,” he tells me, “and it was purely just to act but I realised how bad I was so I left and went to drama school.”

Simon made his theatre debut in Edinburgh in 1973 where he appeared in The Thrie Estates, before going on to perform in various shows and in the West End.

But it was his performance as Mozart in the 1979 original stage production of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at the National, which saw his popularity as an actor surge. It was also the performance that led to his first film role.

Notable film performances followed in Room With A View, Maurice and Shakespeare in Love. He also appeared in several sitcoms including Chance in Million and Little Napoleons.

Since then, Simon, who has a passion for listening to classical music and going to art galleries, has worked with a range a-list actors and directors. “Maggie Smith is one of the greatest people I have worked with,” he says. “She is an incredible artist and actor. She is also very inspiring - she works on herself and her performance very hard, until she finds what she wants.

“Paul Newman is also an incredible actor and Jim Carey is hilarious. I worked with him on Ace Ventura and he just tries to make everything funny. He once put asparagus up each nostril - he’s completely insane,” he laughs. “But if I could still work with anyone, it would be director Jamie Lloyd, his work is fantastic and inspiring, especially some of the work he has produced with James McAvoy.”

Simon Callow will be at the Watford Colosseum, Tuesday, March 8, 7.30pm. Details: 01923 571102.