The American actor was one of the most important character actors of the 20th century. Generations of actors have taken their cues from his brooding, rebellious, inarticulate performance. Marlon Brando celebrated his breakthrough in 1947 with the Broadway production of “A Streetcar Named Desire”. As a gang leader in “Der Wilde” in 1953, he became the idol of a rebellious youth. In 1954 he received the “Oscar” for “The Fist in the Neck”. Brando became unforgettable as “Vito Corleone” in “The Godfather” and in 1972 he again received the “Oscar” for the best leading role. He was also nominated seven times for Best Actor and once for Best Supporting Actor. Meanwhile, the doyen became one of the highest-paid actors in the world. His most successful films also include “Viva Zapata”, “Julius Caesar”, “White Period of Drought” and “The Last Tango in Paris”…
Marlon Brando Jr. was born on April 3, 1924 in Omaha, Nevada, (USA) as the son of a merchant and traveling salesman.
His mother ran a theater company, where she also performed with the young Henry Fonda. Marlon Brando, who was short-tempered and wild, was already interested in acting while he was still at school. After high school, he attended Shattuck Military Academy from 1939, but had to leave without graduating in 1941 because of his rebellious behavior. From 1942 he studied acting in Erwin Piscator’s Dramatic Workshop at the “New School of Social Research”, and from 1943 he became a student of Lee Strasberg in New York. In 1947 Brando got his first role in the Broadway play “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Brando already celebrated his breakthrough as a character actor with the premiere. The play was filmed in 1951, which made Marlon Brando an international star in the leading role. In 1952, Marlon Brando starred opposite Anthony Quinn in “Viva Zapata!” finally joined the international film elite. In Cannes he was awarded “Best Actor of the Year” for his performance.
Brando received the 1953 British Film Academy Award for his portrayal as the ruler of the Roman Empire in Julius Caesar. He became the idol of the “rebellious youth” in 1954 with “Die Wilden”. In the same year, Marlon Brando received the “Oscar” for the best leading role in the film “The Fist in the Neck”. The films “The Little Tea House” and “The Young Lions” followed in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, Marlon Brando founded his own production company, with which he produced the 1962 film “Mutiny on the Bounty”, in which he also played the leading role. However, his political advocacy for ethnic minorities caused him numerous critical headlines. On October 11, 1957, he married actress Anna Kashfi, who, however, filed for divorce a year later. Brando and Kashfi fought a legal battle that lasted until 1974 over custody of their son Christian, who was born in May 1958. On June 4, 1960, Brando married Mexican-American actress Maria “Movita” Castenada, who filed for divorce in June 1967.
In 1966 he co-starred with Robert Redford in The Hunted Man. In the same year, Marlon Brando starred in The Countess of Hong Kong, directed by Charlie Chaplin. In 1971, Brando received his most popular role in Mario Puzo’s film adaptation of the novel “The Godfather”. Francis Ford Coppola’s production starring Al Pacino became part of film history. For his outstanding performance of “Don Vito Corleone” Brando was awarded the “Oscar” for the best leading role. Brando renounced the “Oscar” to demonstrate against the oppression of the last Indians living in America. Marlon Brando has made large donations to Native Americans on several occasions. In 1972 he wrote “The Last Tango in Paris”, for which he was again nominated for an “Oscar”, in 1976 “Duel on the Missouri” and in 1978 the Vietnam War epic “Apocalypse Now”. As “Colonel Kurtz”, Brando embodied a demonic military despot who built a world of sadism in the Cambodian jungle. After the movie “The Formula” in 1980, Marlon Brando withdrew to his Pacific atoll Tetiaro in the South Pacific for a few years.
It wasn’t until nine years later, in 1989, that he was back in front of the camera for a major production for “White Time of Drought”. In 1990, Brando was again nominated for an Oscar for this role. For 43 years, until his death, Brando was in a relationship with the Polynesian dancer Tarita Tumi Teriipaia. He had two children with her, Teihotu and Cheyenne. The family around Marlon Brandos made headlines when his son Christian murdered the boyfriend of his pregnant daughter Cheyenne. The incident took place at Brando’s Beverly Hills home on May 16, 1990. Cheyenne, who was shortly later diagnosed with schizophrenia, hanged herself in 1995. His late work includes the 1994 film titled Don Juan DeMarco, starring Johnny Depp and 1997’s The Brave. In 2001, Brando starred again with Robert De Niro for The Score. Brando spent his final years in complete seclusion. He was married four times and fathered seven children.
Marlon Brando passed away on July 1, 2004, at the age of 80, in Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
1951 – “A Streetcar Named Desire”.
1952 – “Viva Zapata”.
1953 – “Julius Caesar”.
1953 – “A Streetcar Named Desire”.
1953 – “The Wild One”.
1954 – “The fist in the neck”.
1959 – “One Eyed Jacks”.
1962 – “Mutiny on the Bounty”.
1969 – “Queimada”.
1972 – “The Last Tango in Paris”.
1972 – “The Godfather”.
1973 – “The Last Tango in Paris”.
1976 – “Duel on the Missouri”.
1978 – “Superman”.
1979 – “Apocalypse Now”.
1980 – “The Formula”.
1989 – “White Period of Drought”.
1989 – “Freshman”.
1992 – “Christopher Columbus”.
1994 – “Don Juan DeMarco”.
1996 – “The Island of Dr. Moreau”.
1996 – “DNA – Experiment of Madness”.
1996 – “The Brave”.
1998 – “Free Money”.
2001 – “The Score”.
What is Marlon Brando most famous for?
As organized-crime boss Don Vito Corleone, Brando created one of the most memorable—and most imitated—film characters of all time. His performance earned him another best-actor Oscar, but he refused the award in protest against the stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans throughout motion picture history.
Who did Marlon Brando leave his money to?
Legendary Oscar-winning actor Marlon Brando left the bulk of his estate (worth approximately $26 million) to his producer, other associates, and his longtime housekeeper, Angela Borlaza. Brando created a valid last will and testament.
What happened Marlon Brando?
2004: Dead at age 80. In old age, Brando suffered from diabetes, which caused his eyesight to fail, and from liver cancer. He died on July 1, 2004, of respiratory and heart ailments.
What is Marlon Brando’s most famous movie?
Across the nearly 50 films he made, Brando was nominated for eight Oscars and won two, first in 1955 for “On the Waterfront” and again in 1973 for his most famous role in “The Godfather.”
