Marlon Brando Biography: Life, Career & Legacy of a Hollywood Icon
Discover the complete story of Marlon Brando, the legendary actor who revolutionized cinema with his method acting and unforgettable performances.
Marlon Brando studied at the renowned Actors Studio, the legendary acting school in New York. He began his career on the Broadway stage, starring in the 1947 production of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. His rebellious attitude and striking good looks quickly drew attention and helped propel him to stardom. Brando made his film debut in The Men (1950), and by 1951, he had already earned his first Academy Award nomination for the film adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, reprising the role he had performed on stage.
During the 1950s, Brando worked nonstop, delivering memorable performances in acclaimed films such as Viva Zapata! (1952) and Julius Caesar (1953), a Shakespeare adaptation. The years 1953 and 1954 are often considered the peak of his artistic career. In that period, he starred in The Wild One (1953), On the Waterfront (1954)—which earned him his first Oscar—and Désirée (1954), where he portrayed Napoleon Bonaparte.
In the following decade, Brando made his directorial debut with One-Eyed Jacks (1961). Around this time, while filming Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), he met Tahitian dancer Tarita Teriipaia, whom he later married and had two children with.
Brando’s second Oscar came with The Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In a bold political statement, he refused to attend the ceremony and sent Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather in his place to protest Hollywood’s portrayal of Indigenous people. That same year, he starred in another controversial classic, Last Tango in Paris (1972).
In the 1970s, Brando bought a private island in Tahiti and chose to live in seclusion, although he still appeared in major films such as Superman (1978) and Apocalypse Now (1979). In the 1990s, he returned to the screen in Don Juan DeMarco (1994), acting alongside Johnny Depp. By then, he had gained significant weight and no longer resembled the heartthrob of his youth—except for his unforgettable, intense gaze. Brando had become a man deeply marked by life.
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