Marlon Brando, born in 1924, is considered by some as the greatest actor of all time. He revolutionized acting with his natural and realistic performances, setting the benchmark for American actors. Despite his disdain for acting, he continued to act in films until his death in 2004. Brando had a troubled childhood and attended Shattuck Military Academy before enrolling in Erwin Piscaror’s Dramatic Workshop in New York. His big break came with A Streetcar Named Desire, earning him his first of eight Academy Award nominations. Brando faced personal problems, including the imprisonment of his son and the suicide of his daughter. He was heavily involved in civil rights marches and Native American Indian rights. Brando is a true icon of cinema history.
No other actor since Marlon Brando has had such an influence on the acting world or on subsequent generations of actors. He is seen by some as the greatest actor of all time. Though he professed a disdain for acting in later life, Brando would continue to act in films until his death. Marlon Brando was born in 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska. A troubled child with an alcoholic and overbearing father, his acting skills emerged early on to combat loneliness.
Brando attended Shattuck Military Academy, as did his father. Eventually he was expelled for misconduct. The biggest prank of him was to steal the Academy bell from the bell tower and bury it. In 1943 Brando arrived in New York and enrolled in Erwin Piscaror’s Dramatic Workshop. He was mentored by Stella Adler, who taught him Stanislavsky’s method acting.
Marlon Brando’s big break came with the Broadway show, A Streetcar Named Desire. Brando earned rave reviews as the brutish Stanley Kowalski and reprized the role in the film version by Elia Kazan. Brando has been praised for his realistic and natural acting. He would set the benchmark for any American actor following him. The Streetcar would give Marlon Brando the first of his eight Academy Award nominations.
Many films followed, including On the Waterfront in 1954, which some say was his best acting performance. The film earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. While most people agree that he revolutionized acting, Brando has had his fair share of turkeys and flops. For years into his career, he was virtually unemployed. The Godfather, in 1972, was hailed as his return, but true to Brandos’ wayward form, he turned down the Oscar he won for the role.
In 1978, Marlon Brando was paid US$3.7 million for what amounted to just 20 minutes of screen time in Superman. Brando’s weight was becoming a problem for directors. Overeating had caused his weight to swell. In Apocalypse Now, director Francis Ford Coppola shot Brando in the shadows to disguise the weight he’d gained.
In his personal life, Marlon Brando was faced with, but not always overcome, many problems. His eldest son Christian was jailed for 10 years for the murder of his half-sister Cheyenne’s boyfriend. Cheyenne then committed suicide at just 25 years old. Brando was naturally devastated by these events and became a virtual recluse. He stayed on his private Polynesian atoll, known as Tetiaroa, or at his Hollywood villa.
For most of his life, Marlon Brando did not consider acting a serious profession. He claimed it was just a way to meet girls. He was more passionate about his political endeavors than he was. He was heavily involved in 1960s civil rights marches and Native American Indian rights.
Marlon Brando was unique, a true rebel and outsider. When he died of heart failure in 2004 at the age of 80, television and newspapers were filled with tributes for weeks. Along with James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, he is a true icon of the history of cinema.
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