“The Godfather”, “Tram“ Desire ”,“ Last Tango in Paris ”,“ At the Port ”,“ Julius Caesar ”- paintings with Marlon Brando, which almost everyone heard about. During his life, this talented man managed to star in about 50 film and television projects. Brando’s name forever entered the history of cinema. What can be told about his life and work?
Marlon Brando: Family
The hero of this article is a descendant of the German immigrant Johann Wilhelm Brandau, who settled in New York State at the beginning of the 18th century.
Marlon Sr., father of Marlon Brando, was born in 1895 in Omaha. At the age of four, he lost his mother, which became a severe psychological trauma for him. It is possible that this explained the stiffness that the man showed in raising his own children. Often, Marlon Sr. applied to the bottle, harassing others. His rudeness revolted people, repelled them. At first he made a living by producing feeds, later he found a job as a sales manager.
Dorothy, the mother of Marlon Brando, came from a family of gold miners and dissidents. She was an actress, played in a local theater. Once she happened to participate in the same performance with the young Henry Fonda.
In the article you can find a photo of Marlon Brando in his youth and adulthood.
Childhood
Marlon Brando was born in Nebraska, or rather, in Omaha. It happened in April 1924. The boy’s childhood could hardly be called happy. Parents raised Marlon and his older sisters Joslin and Francis in severity. The father punished the children for the slightest offenses, forbade them almost everything, never praised them. Mother preferred alcohol to her daughters and son. The only entertainment in the house was the piano.
The first years of Marlon’s life passed in Omaha. He was six when his family moved to a suburb of Chicago. Until 11 years, Brando could not make friends. Then he met Wally Cox, who was destined to become a famous actor. From this guy, Marlon and picked up the dream of cinema.
A year later, Brando's parents decided to live separately from each other. Dodi moved with her children to California, where her mother lived. She continued to drink, not at all interested in children. Some time later, Marlon's mother and father came together again, the family settled in Illinois.
Youth
Marlon Brando was a rebel in his youth. The young man dressed brightly and brilliantly, allowed himself extravagant antics, clashed with others. In high school, he began to participate in school productions. Most often, the young man got the roles of villains and dramatic heroes.
Another major passion of Marlon was sports. The young man even set several records. Also, for some time he was actively interested in music, was a drummer in a local group.
After graduation, Marlon became a cadet at a military school. He did this at the insistence of his father, who hoped that his son would change for the better. At the school, Brando became even more interested in dramatic art. He brilliantly played in an amateur production of "Message from Hafu." After that, the teacher of English and literature Wagner convinced Marlon's parents to allow him to begin an acting career. The father gave his consent extremely reluctantly, since he was afraid that this profession would corrupt his son.
From obscurity to fame
The list of actors who had to achieve fame for a long time does not include Marlon Brando. His filmography began with the drama "Men", in which he played a key role. The aspiring actor brilliantly played a paralyzed war veteran. His hero is broken, refuses to meet his girlfriend. Doubts, self-pity, anger devour him.
In preparation for the role, Marlon spent a lot of time in the hospital. He talked a lot with real soldiers.
"Tram" Desire "
A year later, the tape “Tram“ Desire ”was presented to the audience, the plot of which was borrowed from the work of the same name by Tennessee Williams. In this picture, Brando brilliantly played Stanley Kowalski.
This guy is the epitome of simplicity and rudeness. The actor did not hide the fact that a brutal, uncouth and primitive character does not cause him anything but disgust. Is it any wonder, because the only advantage of Stanley is attractive appearance. The role of Kowalski brought Marlon an Oscar nomination. For a novice actor, this was a great achievement.
"Julius Caesar"
The film “Tram“ Desire ”attracted the attention of directors to Marlon Brando. Films with his participation began to go out one after another. In 1953, the aspiring actor starred in the film "Julius Caesar." The biographical drama, as the name suggests, tells the story of the life and death of the famous Roman dictator.
Marlon in this picture embodied the image of Mark Anthony, one of the supporters of Julius Caesar. The actor, dressed in a toga and high sandals, looked incredibly sexy. Needless to say, he has even more fans. Brando also again won an Academy Award nomination.
"In Port"
“At the Port” is a picture published in 1954. Thanks to this tape, Marlon Brando, whose photo can be seen in the article, proved that he is able to play not only in romantic comedies and melodramas. He had already managed to become a star by then, but it was thanks to the film “In the Port” that the audience, critics and directors looked at him in a new way.
The drama tells of corruption that flourishes in the unions of young movers. Marlon embodied the image of Terry Malloy. His character is an uneducated worker who is mercilessly exploited by management. For this role, Brando finally received the coveted Oscar.
Scandalous movie
In 1972, the play of Marlon Brando was immediately noted in two cult paintings. “The Last Tango in Paris” is the name of one of these films. The actor was assigned the main role in this tape, the young Maria Schneider became his partner.
Brando embodied the image of an adult man, who begins an affair with a young girl. With the help of a new relationship, he is trying to get out of the depression into which he plunged after the death of his wife. The hero hopes that a strange and eccentric Parisian will help him to forget. Communication is turning into an incredible passion that is getting out of hand.
Interestingly, the leading actors were dissatisfied with the collaboration with the director Bernardo Bertolucci. Marlon promised that he would no longer star in such provocative films. However, the film replenished the golden fund of cinema. It is still considered a classic of the past century.
the main role
There are films about the existence of which at least once every person has heard. This list definitely includes the picture "The Godfather". Marlon Brando is the person who created the image of the head of the mafia clan Vito Corleone. Now it’s hard to imagine that someone else could have played this role. However, initially the creators of the picture did not want to attract Brando to the shoot. The artist was famous for his extravagant antics on the set, he also had serious problems with alcohol then.
Marlon really wanted to embody the image of Vito Corleone. Is it any wonder that he gave all the best on the samples. Especially to create the image Brando wore a mouth guard, this allowed his jaw to resemble a bulldog.
The talented actor managed to create an incredibly vivid image. His Vito Corleone is a confident, courageous, influential person. Everyone is afraid of him and they are doing absolutely right. Of course, such a role brought Brando an Oscar. However, he refused to receive the coveted statuette, which allowed him to protest discrimination against the indigenous people of the United States.
Personal life
Marlon Brando - a man who had a very hectic personal life. He officially recognized 11 children, of which three were adopted. It is assumed that he actually has more native children.
The actor’s first wife was his colleague Anna Kashfi. He married this woman in 1957. Anna gave Marlon the son of Christian, but this did not save the marriage. In 1959, the couple divorced. Already in 1960, Marlon married a second time. His chosen one was the actress Movita Castaneda, who was several years older than him. The actor also broke up with his second wife after two years. Soon after, he married Tarita Theriipia, who gave birth to two children from him. This union lasted about ten years.
Marlon also cohabited with his housekeeper Marina Cristina Ruiz. This girl was 36 years younger than the actor. She gave birth to three children from Brando, whom he recognized. The woman tried to convince the public that she was his bride, but Marlon himself denied this fact. He stated that their relationship never went beyond sexual contact.
Death
Marlon Brando was obese in his old age. It is known that by the end of the 90s its weight was over 136 kg. The development of diabetes has led to visual impairment, serious liver problems.
The famous actor, who played many vivid roles, died in June 2004. Doctors called pulmonary fibrosis the cause of death. In accordance with his will, Marlon was cremated. His ashes were scattered in different places: partly in the Death Valley, partly in Tahiti. Brando was awarded his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. So his indisputable contribution to the cinema was noted.
Filmography
What films of Marlon Brando have not yet been mentioned? Below are listed tapes in which you can see a talented actor.
- "Viva, lettuce!".
- "Savage".
- "Love of the Emperor of France."
- "Guys and dolls."
- "Tea ceremony".
- Sayonara.
- "Young Lions."
- "From the breed of fugitives."
- One-eyed Jacks.
- "The rebellion on the Bounty."
- "Ugly American."
- "Chase".
- Appaloosa.
- "Countess of Hong Kong."
- "Glare in the Golden Eye."
- "Sweet tooth."
- "The night of the next day."
- "Night Aliens."
- "Superman".
- "Apocalypse today."
- "Dry white season."
- "Island of Dr. Moreau."
- "Brave man."
- "Easy Money".
- Bear Bear.
Confessions
In the autobiographical work “Songs that Mother Sang to Me”, the famous actor makes a sensational confession. He claims to have had a love affair with sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. According to Marlon, their relationship began at a party. The novel turned out to be short, after the breakup Brando and Monroe did not communicate.
In 1976, the famous actor openly stated that he had experience of homosexual relationships. He did not consider such a connection out of the ordinary, he was not ashamed of his confession. The actor even joked that he allows the public to consider himself Jack Nicholson's lover.