Marlon Brando
“The actor who brought raw, naturalistic power to the screen and changed acting forever.”
His electrifying 1947 Broadway performance as Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire," reprised on film in 1951, made him the leading exponent of Method acting. It announced a raw, naturalistic style that transformed American screen acting.
Nebraska to New York
Born in Omaha in 1924, Brando moved to New York in 1943 after being expelled from military school. He studied the Method under Stella Adler, developing the intense naturalism that became his hallmark.
A New Kind of Star
His Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and his Oscar-winning role in "On the Waterfront" overturned the polished acting of the studio era. His mumbling, instinctive style influenced generations.
Comeback and Controversy
After a fallow stretch, Brando triumphed as Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather," winning a second Oscar he refused on Native American rights grounds. Roles in "Last Tango in Paris" and "Apocalypse Now" confirmed his enduring power.
Career Timeline
- 1924Born in Omaha, Nebraska
- 1943Studies under Stella Adler in New York
- 1947Stars as Stanley Kowalski on Broadway
- 1951Reprises Kowalski in the film "Streetcar"
- 1954Wins Best Actor Oscar for "On the Waterfront"
- 1953Plays a rebel biker in "The Wild One"
- 1962Stars in "Mutiny on the Bounty"
- 1972Wins a second Oscar for "The Godfather"
- 1973Declines his Oscar in a famous protest
- 1979Appears in "Apocalypse Now"
- 2004Dies in Los Angeles, aged 80
Biggest Hits
- He declined his 1973 Best Actor Oscar, sending activist Sacheen Littlefeather in protest.
- He was expelled from Shattuck Military Academy before turning to acting in New York.
The Moment You Remember
Slumped in the back of a car, Terry Malloy tells his brother he could have been a contender, and Brando makes a small man's wasted life ache with such truth that screen acting was never the same.
Portrait: Paramount Pictures · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons