Marlon Brando Biography

On April 3rd 1924, Marlon Brando is born in Omaha, Nebraska, the third and last child of Dorothy Pennebaker Brando and Marlon Brando, Senior; sisters Jocelyn and Frances; descended from Irish immigrants.

In 1935, his parents separate, and his mother move with her 3 children to Santa Ana in Orange County, California.

In 1937, his parents are reconciled again, and the family moves to Libertyville, Illinois, north of Chicago near lake Michigan.

In 1940, he is sent to a military boarding school - Shattuck Military Academy in Fairbult, Minnesota, from which he is eventually expelled for insubordination.

In 1943, Brando arrives in New York; he enrolls in a course at the Dramatic Workshop of the New School for Social Research, directed by German emigrant Erwin Piscator. His teacher at the Workshop is Stella Adler. Stella Adler had lived in Moscow in the early 1930s, and hd studied with Konstantin Stanislavsky at the Moscow Arts Theatre. On returning to America, she taught the members of the left-wing Group Theatre using Stanislavsky's "method", according to which actors have to develop every part they play out of the emotion of their own personality - a method also later taught by Lee Strasberg, from whom Brando explicitly distances himself.

In 1944, Brando has his stage debut at the Dramatic Workshops as Jesus in Gerhart Hauptmann's play Hannele. During the same the same year, Brando gets his first engagement with the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway production of "I Remember Mama", by John Van Druten; it is very successful and runs for 2 years.



In 1947, Elia Kazan suggests him for the part of Stanley Kowalski in Tennesse Williams's "A Streetcar Named Desire".

Between 1950 and 1955, Brando acts in landmark/memorable movies like The Men (1950, his first), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952), The Wild One (1953), On the Waterfront (1954) and Guys and Dolls (1955).

Awards: 1952: Cannes Film Festival, Best Actor Award, Viva Zapata!
British Film Academy Award, Best Foreign Actor, Viva Zapata!

1953: British Film Academy Award, Best Foreign Actor, Julius Caesar.

On March 31st 1954, Brando's mother dies at the age of 57.

In 1955, Brando receives his first Oscar for his part as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront.

1954: New York Film Critics Circle Award, Best Actor Golden Globe Award, Best Actor
British Film Academy Award, Best Foreign Actor Cannes Film Festival, Best Actor Award - for On the Waterfront.

1955: Golden Globe Award, World Film Favorite, Male.

In the spring of 1955, Brando founds his own production company, calling it "Pennebaker Productions", after his mother's maiden name.

On October 11th 1957, Brando marries the actress Anna Kashfi, from Wales. His second marriage is to Mexican actress Movita Castaneda, in 1960.

In 1961, Brando makes his directorial debut in One-Eyed Jacks. In 1960-61, during the shooting of Mutiny on the Bounty in Tahiti, he discovers the coral atoll Teti'aroa, which he will purchase in 1966.

In the spring of 1965, his father dies.

1960s, Brando comes up with a string of poor movies. During that time he makes a contribution toward ending racial discrimination and social injustice by involving in the Civil Rights Movement.

During the 1970s, Brando would resurface with powerful acting in memorable roles - marking his come back!

In 1972, Marlon Brando marks his come back and gives the world audience a lasting taste of his acting genius with his portrayal of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather, for which he receives his second Oscar award.

Brando is represented by an Indian, Sasheen Littlefeather, at the Oscar ceremony on March 27th 1973 and she makes the following declaration: "To his great regret Marlon Brando feels unable to accept his award. The reasons lie in the treatment of the Indian in TV and the movies in this country, and in the recent events at Wounded Knee."

1970s, also saw Brando's very strong performance in Burn! (Brando's personal favorite), The Nightcomers and Last Tango in Paris.

In 1979, Brando makes a brief appearance as Major Kurtz in Francis Ford Coppola's, yet another epic, Apocalypse Now.

In 1990, after yet another long absence, Brando comes back with a thump in The Freshman, in his portrayal of Carmine Sabatini - a parody of the role, Don Vito Corleone, he played in The Godfather.

In 1994, Brando publishes his autobiography "Songs My Mother Taught Me ".
In 1995, Brando comes up with another memorable role, as Dr. Jack Mickler, in Don Juan DeMarco.

July.01.2004, Marlon Brando bids farewell- may your soul rest in peace Marlon; we will miss you but you will always remain in our memories...GOD bless!

Marlon Brando the legend has captivated the audience and shall captivate the audience for generations to come. Marlon Brando's contribution to the art of Acting and to the Film Industry is indescribable and shall always be remembered not only for for his priceless contribution to the Film Industry, but, also for his support and dedication for the Civil Rights Movement and for the Native American Indians.
Name Release Date Director
The Men/Battle Stripe 1950 Fred Zinnemann
A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 Elia Kazan
Viva Zapata! 1952 Elia Kazan
Julius Caesar 1953 Joseph L. Mankiewicz
The Wild One 1953 Laslo Benedek
On The Waterfront 1954 Elia Kazan
Desiree 1954 Henry Coster
Guys And Dolls 1955 Joseph L. Mankiewicz
The Teahouse Of The August Moon 1956 Daniel Mann
Sayonara 1957 Joshua Logan
The Young Lions 1958 Edward Dmytryk
The Fugitive Kind 1960 Sidney Lumet
One-Eyed Jacks 1960 Marlon Brando
Mutiny On The Bounty 1962 Lewis Milestone
The Ugly American 1962 George Englund
Bedtime Story 1964 Ralph Levy
The Saboteur : Code Name Morituri 1965 Bernhard Wicki
The Chase 1966 Arthur Penn
The Appaloosa 1966 Sidney J. Furie
A Countess From Hong Kong 1967 Charlie Chaplin
Reflections In A Golden Eye 1967 John Huston
Candy 1968 Christian Marquand
The Night Of The Following Day 1969 Hubert Cornfield
Quemada! / Queimada! / Burn! 1970 Gillo Pontecorvo
The Nightcomers 1971 Michael Winner
The Godfather 1972 Francis Ford Coppola
Last Tango In Paris 1972 Bernardo Bertolucci
The Missouri Breaks 1976 Arthur Penn
Superman 1978 Richard Donner
Roots: The New Generation (Mini TV Series) 1979 George Stanford Brown, Charles S. Dubin
Apocalypse Now 1979 Francis Ford Coppola
The Formula 1980 John G. Avildsen
A Dry White Season 1989 Euzhan Palcy
The Freshman 1990 Andrew Bergman
Christopher Columbus - The Discovery 1990 John Glen
Don Juan DeMarco 1995 Jeremy Leven
The Island Of Dr. Moreau 1996 John Frankenheimer
The Brave 1997 Johnny Depp
Free Money 1998 Yves Simoneau
The Score 2001 Frank Oz
Apocalypse Now Redux 2001 Francis Ford Coppola