King Lear is a 1953 live television adaptation of the Shakespeare play staged by Peter Brook and starring Orson Welles.

[1] Preserved on kinescope, it aired October 18, 1953, as part of the CBS television series Omnibus, hosted by Alistair Cooke.

The cast includes Micheál Mac Liammóir and Alan Badel.

[4] To compensate for their absence, the role of Oswald is expanded to take Edmund's part in the play's climax, and "Poor Tom" is included not as a disguised Edgar but as an actual madman.

He was guarded by IRS agents, prohibited to leave his hotel room when not at the studio, prevented from making any purchases, and the entire sum (less expenses) he earned went to his tax bill.