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After having decided to study acting, Brando moved to New York. He eventually ended up on Broadway. His first notable role was as Stanley Kowalski in 'A Streetcar Named Desire.' Pictured is a 24-year-old Brando on the set of the play.
Brando's final screen appearances were few and far between. By the mid-1990s he weighed over 140 kg (300 lbs) and suffered from Type 2 diabetes. He managed a decent outing in the Johnny Depp film 'Don Juan DeMarco,' which was box-office hit.
But afters years being critically sidelined, Brando found himself nominated for a second Best Actor award in a row. He didn't win, and the actor later admitted that he was emotionally drained by the experience.
'The Island of Dr. Moreau' is rated by many as Brando's worst-ever film. Co-star Val Kilmer behaved disgracefully on set while Brando often turned up late or not at all—conduct attributed in part to the tragic news of his daughter Cheyenne took her own life that year.
An obese and sluggish Brando nevertheless gave a compelling performance as the murderous Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in Coppola's epic war film 'Apocalypse Now.' Few images of Brando on set are available, but pictured is the director at work.
Brando pulled off an amazing one-two with his next film, the controversial 'Last Tango in Paris,' directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. The film's raw portrayal of sexual violence and emotional turmoil polarized critics.
Brando won his second Best Actor Academy Award for 'The Godfather,' but refused to accept the Oscar. Instead, activist Sacheen Littlefeather represented the actor, who read out a statement written by Brando voicing his protest of Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans.
The actor's "difficult" reputation, troubled personal life, and struggle with weight had by now made him a near-pariah in Hollywood. But director Francis Ford Coppola gambled his own reputation by casting the actor as Vito Corleone in 'The Godfather.' The film proved a career turning point.
Considered Brando's signature role, his performance was glowingly reviewed by critics. The film, meanwhile, is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made.
By 1963, Brando's box-office pull had evaporated. 'Mutiny on the Bounty' was a critical and commercial flop, and only sporadically were any of films throughout the 1960s deemed worthy. One exception was 'The Chase,' which also featured Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.
Brando ended his troubled 1960s by appearing in this Gillo Pontecorvo-directed drama, which tells the story of a slave revolt in the Caribbean. The actor cited 'Burn!' as his favorite personal film and claimed he did some of his best acting in it. The movie received worldwide critical acclaim.
The opportunity to work with his childhood hero Charlie Chaplin persuaded Brando to play the lead in this romantic comedy, directed by the legendary comic. But the pair frequently clashed, with Brando often arriving late on set and unhappy about Chaplin's style of direction. Chaplin's cameo marked his final screen appearance.
If one film represents the lowest point of Brando's film career, it's this one. A sex farce that satirizes pornographic stories through the adventures of its naive heroine, Candy, Brando admitted he only did the film as a favor to a friend.
Brando, however, fell in love with the film's location, Tahiti, and in 1966 acquired a 99-year lease on the Tetiaroa atoll. He married actress Tarita Teri'ipaia —his third wife—who'd appeared in the film, and they had two children, Simon Teihotu and Tarita Cheyenne.
Framed by Charleton Heston, singer Harry Belafonte, and writer James Baldwin, Brando is pictured at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C., in August 1963. The event provided the setting for the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr's iconic "I Have a Dream" speech.
By the time production started on 'Mutiny on the Bounty,' Brando was already disillusioned with his career and his personal life. Filming was plagued by bad weather and script problems, and Brando's notorious behavior on set did nothing to endear him to either cast or crew.
The actor achieved a modicum of long-overdue success in his role as a gay army officer in this John Huston-directed drama, which costars Elizabeth Taylor. Dealing with elements of repressed sexuality, both homosexual and heterosexual, the film received positive reviews but failed at the box office.
Brando's costar was Karl Malden, who'd appeared in 'On the Waterfront' and who believed Brando a "genius" despite his friend's filmmaking ineptitude. The movie was a disappointment, and made little money. In fact, it marked the beginning of a slew of unsuccessful films for Brando.
Brando made his directorial debut with this Western, the only time he worked behind the camera. He also starred in the film, but declared later that doing both meant the whole production was shot "on the run."
Regularly cited as another all-time classic, 'On the Waterfront' garnered a Best Actor Oscar for Brando.
Brando goofing around backstage with host Bob Hope after winning his Best Actor Oscar for 'On the Waterfront.'
Brando's biker character Johnny Strabler helped boost the sales of leather jackets and blue jeans and made the actor a role model for a new generation of teenagers. The movie itself is regarded as the first to examine American outlaw motorcycle gang violence.
Brando appeared as Mark Anthony in this film adaptation of the Shakespeare play. The film was a critical and commercial success. By all accounts, Brando looked to his British costar John Gielgud for advice on how to approach the role, and adopted all the classical actor's recommendations.
The following year he was nominated again in the same category for his portrayal of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. Before filming he traveled to the town where Zapata was born and lived in, to study the local culture and get an ear for speech patterns.
Having played the character on Broadway, Brando brought Stanley Kowalski to the big screen in the film adaptation of Tennessee Williams's play.
Brando was of was German, Dutch, English, and Irish ancestry. Brando's mother was an alcoholic, and his parents separated in 1935 when he was 11 years old. They reconciled a couple of years later, but the split had a lasting effect on the youngster.
Brando had two older sisters, Jocelyn (1919–2005) and Frances (1922–1994). Jocelyn also became an actress.
By 1953 the US was on the cusp of a cultural revolution, with teen rebellion and rock 'n' roll just around the corner. 'The Wild One' helped accelerate the scene.
Brando's first screen role was as a bitter paraplegic veteran in 'The Men.' To prepare for the role, he spent a month in bed at a army hospital.
Early in his career, Brando gave up trying to memorize lines and instead relied on cue cards.
The crime drama, directed by Elia Kazan, was critically acclaimed, and a box-office hit. The iconic scene in which Brando's character laments to his brother (Rod Steiger) his failings and declares, "I coulda' been a contender..." was for the most part improvised.
Brando's first and last musical role teamed him with Frank Sinatra. The two didn't get on, with Sinatra later calling his costar "the world's most overrated actor." For his part, Brando made fun of the singer's near-bald head.
Marlon Brando's final film was 'The Score' (2001). Positively received, it was the only time Brando and Robert De Niro appeared onscreen together. On July 1, 2004, the actor died of respiratory failure from pulmonary fibrosis with congestive heart failure.
See also: 45 actors who didn't make it until later in their lives
On May 16, 1990, Dag Drollet was fatally shot by Cheyenne Brando's elder half-brother, Marlon's son Christian (pictured), at their father's home. Drollet had been dating Cheyenne since 1987 but she later claimed Drollet had been abusing her. Christian confronted the boyfriend and in the ensuing struggle, the gun went off.
This eagerly awaited Western costarring Jack Nicholson saw Brando once again disappoint critics and audiences with a performance that one newspaper described as "out of control."
Marlon Brando was born on April 3, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential actors in cinema.
Starring opposite Vivien Leigh, Brando's performance is regarded by many as one of his greatest. The role earned him his first Best Actor Academy Award nomination.
Infamous for the US$3.7 million (nearly US$18 million in 2020) paid to Brando for two weeks' work, the actor's performance as Superman's father Jor-El was equally derided.
Since its release, 'Candy' has become a cult classic from the psychedelic years of film. It costars Richard Burton, James Coburn, Walter Matthau, and Ringo Starr, among other unlikely names from the world of entertainment.
Marlon Brando's career spanned some 60 years during which he appeared in some of cinema's most iconic and influential films. But Brando was always regarded as difficult to work with, a fact compounded by his tumultuous private life which at times was tinged with sadness and tragedy. A complex man, Brando became disillusioned with Hollywood and made only a handful of films in his later years. But his legacy is the undeniable cultural impact he made on 20th-century film and his enduring appeal as one of moviedom's most exciting and dynamic stars.
Click through the gallery for a look back at the wild and complicated life of Marlon Brando.
Why Marlon Brando's most difficult role was playing himself
The legendary actor passed away on July 1, 2004
CELEBRITY Retrospective
Marlon Brando's career spanned some 60 years during which he appeared in some of cinema's most iconic and influential films. But Brando was always regarded as difficult to work with, a fact compounded by his tumultuous private life which at times was tinged with sadness and tragedy. A complex man, Brando became disillusioned with Hollywood and made only a handful of films in his later years. But his legacy is the undeniable cultural impact he made on 20th-century film and his enduring appeal as one of moviedom's most exciting and dynamic stars.
Click through the gallery for a look back at the wild and complicated life of Marlon Brando.