Marlon Brando
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Last Updated: 5/2/25
Real Name: Marlon Brando, Jr.
Born: April 3, 1924
Died: July 1, 2004 (aged 80)
Height: 5' 9"
Grade: A+
Actor/Movie Star: 50%-50%
Prime Years: 1951-54, 1961-63, 1969, 1972, 1978-79, and 1989-90
Most Famous Film: The Godfather (1972)
Most Infamous Films: Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) and The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
Masterpiece: A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), On the Waterfront (1954), and
The Godfather (1972)
Outstanding: The Wild One (1953), One-Eyed Jacks (1961), Bedtime Story (1964),
Burn! (1969), and Apocalypse Now (1979)
Honorable: The Ugly American (1963), Mutiny on the Bounty (1962),
The Nightcomers (1971), Superman (1978), Roots: The Next Generations (1979),
A Dry White Season (1989), and Don Juan DeMarco (1994)
Opinion: The most influential and the most imitated thespian of all time, Marlon Brando effected a
landmark change in acting technique which would be called The Method. As a result, at least two generations of
thespians emerged on screen, making him the godfather of actors. Think of Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, James Dean,
Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, and so on...all owe their careers to him.
Before Brando, people were either faking their emotions or not real enough; after A Streetcar Named Desire
and On the Waterfront, everything changed because he held nothing back. Marlon Brando is the only thespian
to be cited, which is nearly every time, by others in their autobiographies, and I have read a lot of them. The
two aforementioned films are I think the most of him with brilliant, powerful scenes which were done so
effortlessly. In everything Marlon Brando did, it's hard to take eyes off him. Unfortunately, his behavior and
decisions over the years grew bizarre, so I must conclude that he had to be mentally ill: OCC, narcissistic
personality disorder, and oral fixation, hence his overeating habit.
Confirmed: Nicknamed "Bud" to distinguish himself from his father. Grew up in a difficult childhood and
had to deal with his domineering, alcoholic father and alcoholic mother who taught acting and helped Henry Fonda
with his career. Had German, Dutch, English, and Irish lineage. Was a terrible student who hated logic but was
more into feelings and artistic expression. Did some theatrical acting before dropping out of high school. Went
to New York City to study under Stella Adler, learning the Stanislavski system, but she maintained that Marlon
Brando was already a polished actor and that he didn't need lessons but had to wait for the doors to open once
he stopped his boorish behavior and started to grow up. Spent all of his life refuting claims that he was taught
by Lee Strasberg but did credit Elia Kazan for helping him.
Did a lot of theater work but hated the monotony of it: the constant rehearsals and playing the same character
over and over. Made an impression in a brief failed play entitled Truckline Café because of his primal
scream. Once performed in a play with Paul Muni (A Flag Is Born). It wouldn't be until
A Streetcar Named Desire, first a theatrical play and then a movie, that he became a sensation. People
couldn't move past his animal magnetism and how he became Stanley Kowalski; Brando patterned him after Rocky
Graziano who was caught off guard when he saw him perform one evening. Brought white T-shirts back from the dead
after Clark Gable wasn't seen wearing one in It Happened One Night. Started the trend of outlaw biker
gangs, black leather clothing, and sideburns when The Wild One came out, giving a rise to the Beat
Generation.
Loathed authority and showed defiance to it at all costs. A true hellraiser in his own right who did things that
no actor would've done in fear of ruining his career. Dismissed most actors and thought little of them including
Humphrey Bogart but professed admiration for Paul Muni. A self-admitted whore of the profession who stated many
times that he appeared in films only for the money and would demand exhorbitant amounts of money. Often resorted
to cue cards by looking up, down, left, or right and once wore a earpiece to have his lines fed to him. Was
nicknamed "Mr. Mumbles" by Frank Sinatra for his inability to pronounce his lines clearly, but the truth is:
he was angry by being turned down for the part of Terry Malloy in favor of Marlon Brando in
On the Waterfront despite growing up in Hoboken, NJ.
Was a hypocrite for his lifelong interest in civil rights, most especially the American Indians, by pretending
to be a Mexican in Viva Zapata!, a Japanese in The Teahouse of the August Moon, and an
Indian in Candy. Also played Marc Antony in Julius Caesar when Shakespeare wasn't his forte and
Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls when he couldn't sing a lick. Directed only one film of his career
which is One-Eyed Jacks but got lazy in the editing room that caused Paramount to take it away from him.
Next to The Island of Dr. Moreau, Mutiny on the Bounty is the most infamous movie of Marlon
Brando's career. Enjoyed his time there so much that he married one of the natives and bought Tetiꞌaroa, a
13-islet atoll near Tahiti. His unprecedented shenanigans during the filming almost bankrupted MGM. It was also
the beginning of his shocking corpulence. Admired Charlie Chaplin a great deal but was disillusioned by how he
treated his son harshly, prompting him to say "Chaplin was probably the most sadistic man I'd ever met. He was
an egotistical tyrant and a penny-pincher." Yet when Marlon Brando pretended to rape Maria Schneider anally
with butter in Last Tango in Paris, it was his own idea that wasn't in the script.
After appearing in so many flops, Marlon Brando made the greatest comeback of anybody's career when he did
The Godfather. For the longest time, countless esteemed actors were highly jealous of Brando because of
how easy he made acting appear on screen but lamented the waste of his talent. Yet they admired him a great deal,
wishing to work with him, but only to come away disappointed by the experience. Was nominated eight times, winning
two Oscars, and still holds the record for most consecutive nominations in the Best Actor category (4). Infamously
declined the second win by sending a fake American Indian to the Oscar ceremony. The story of enraged John Wayne
being restrained by officials at that moment is factually untrue. Marlon Brando's first Oscar statue for
On the Waterfront was stolen for a while until it turned up at an auction house.
A sex addict who was bisexual. Had a major food addiction, and as a result, grew grotesquely fat while
contracting Type 2 diabetes. Had an indirect hand in the editing style of Bonnie and Clyde when Marlon
Brando told director Arthur Penn to slow down the camera during the fight scenes in The Chase. Learned
the value of lighting from Yul Brynner during the filming of Morituri which was applied a great deal for
his scenes in Apocalypse Now. While on the set for The Freshman, took advantage of the chance to
meet John Gotti secretly. Parodied his famous role of Don Corelone in The Freshman.
In 1990, after returning back to home from a restaurant one evening, Marlon Brando's drunk son, Christian, shot
Dag Drollet, the boyfriend of his half-sister Cheyenne, to death in the living room after he believed her false
claims that Dag beat her. Following afterwards was a highly publicized sentence hearing that compelled Marlon
Brando to take the stand in his defense, calling it an "accidental shooting" (Ha! Yeah, right). The son eventually
pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and served five years out of ten. The incident marked the beginning of
Marlon Brando's rapid fall. Cheyenne killed herself in 1995, and Christian passed away in 2008.
Rumors: Sexually molested Cheyenne. Was in love with Wally Cox and Richard Pryor. Died broke while
amassing a debt of $20 million due to broken marriages, lawsuits, his son's legal troubles, and costly maintenance
and failed business enterprises in regards to Tetiꞌaroa. After the trial, lived on pension, Social Security
payments, and small residuals while being hounded by bill collectors.