Marlon Brando, whose blend of sensitivity and savagery brought him acclaim as the greatest actor in some of the finest American films of his generation, died Thursday. He was 80.
He died at a Los Angeles hospital, whose spokeswoman said he had lung failure. He also suffered from heart aliments.
He won two Academy Awards, for “On the Waterfront” and “The Godfather,” created a menagerie of unforgettable performances, from “A Streetcar Named Desire” to “Apocalypse Now,” and became an icon of defiance onscreen and off.
It was clear from Brando’s cinema debut as a scornful, paraplegic war veteran in “The Men” (1950) and his explosive work as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951) that he was a towering new breed of actor, able to display a raw soul that ached with passion but also was unpredictably bestial.
Few other actors made so many instant classics: “Viva Zapata!” (1952), as Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata; “Julius Caesar” (1953), as Marc Antony; “On the Waterfront” (1954), as longshoreman Terry Malloy, who takes a lonely stand against organized crime; “The Wild One” (1954), as a motorcycle gang leader; and “Sayonara” (1957), as an Army officer who romances a Japanese dancer.
After a series of 1960s flops, he experienced an unexpected renaissance with “The Godfather” (1972), as mafia chieftain Vito Corleone; “Last Tango in Paris” (1973), as a man who, after his wife’s suicide, goes on a sexual spree that is both liberating and tortuous; and “Apocalypse Now” (1979), as Army Col. Walter Kurtz, a symbol of madness during the Vietnam War.
Of eight Oscar nominations, he won twice for best actor, in “On the Waterfront” and “The Godfather.” He won an Emmy Award for a supporting role as George Lincoln Rockwell, the American Nazi, in the television miniseries “Roots: The Next Generations” (1979).
He memorably refused to appear at the Oscar ceremony to accept his award for “The Godfather.” Instead, he dispatched to the Academy Awards a woman who claimed to be an American Indian named Sacheen Littlefeather, who read an abridged version of Brando’s 15-page indictment of policies toward the Indians. Later, she was revealed to be an actress named Maria Cruz, winner of the 1970 Miss American Vampire competition.
In later years, Brando came to be seen more as a tabloid curiosity as his personal setbacks seemed boundless. With time, he represented the disintegration of a sex symbol as his muscular physique crumbled and he ballooned to more than 300 pounds. He was a hulking and teary presence at his son’s 1990 trial for the shooting death of his half-sister’s lover.
The public read about the bitterness of his three marriages; the many paternity suits; his daughter Cheyenne’s 1995 suicide; and his odd public behavior, such as kissing television host Larry King on the mouth during an interview before Brando signed off with, “Darling, goodbye.”
Marlon Brando Jr., the youngest of three children, was born in Omaha to the former Dorothy Pennebaker, a vivacious beauty and local actress, and Marlon Brando Sr., an insecticide salesman of French-Alsatian lineage.
The elder Brando sent his son to Shattuck Military Academy in Minnesota, where he first began acting at the behest of a drama coach. In 1943, he moved to New York. Brando enrolled at the New School for Social Research’s dramatic workshop. One of his instructors was Stella Adler, who became Brando’s mentor, and he learned from her what many call “method acting.”
In 1944, Brando was hired to play the teenage son Nels in John van Druten’s “I Remember Mama.” The hit play brought Brando a swath of admirers, including director Elia Kazan.
Kazan persuaded producer Irene Selznick to hire Brando for the Broadway role of Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Kazan was said to have helped Brando overcome his fear of not memorizing lines and also taught the young actor to use props to his advantage, a skill he put to use when gently stroking objects (a countertop, a glove, a cat) in later film roles.
He won the Oscar for best actor, as a conscience-stricken former boxer, in Kazan’s “On the Waterfront.” Brando delivered the “I coulda been a contender” speech, considered one of the great film moments of all time.
He relied on star power to carry many of his next films. Dealing with film and marital woes, he was depressed and began another of his increasingly habitual eating binges. He retreated to Tahiti, where he bought an entire atoll for $270,000.
Author Mario Puzo sent Brando the “Godfather” script, hoping he would play Don Vito Corleone. Brando agreed. His next role, in “Last Tango in Paris,” featured a highly improvisational Brando using many autobiographical details to flesh out his character.
He earned his final Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor, as a lawyer in apartheid South Africa in “A Dry White Season” (1989).
Morbidly obese and depressed after the deaths of family members and friends, he largely resigned himself to insubstantial parts in panned films such as “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (1996).
A week before his death, Brando was at work making script changes for a new movie, “Brando and Brando,” that was to start shooting this month. “Brando and Brando” tells the story of a young Tunisian who journeys to the United States in pursuit of the American dream – embodied by Brando.
French-Tunisian director Ridha Behi said Friday that he would go on with the film.
Brando’s marriages to actresses Anna Kashfi, Movita Castenada and Tarita Teriipaia ended in divorce. Survivors include a son from his first marriage, Christian; two children from his second marriage, Miko and Rebecca; and a son from his third marriage, Teihotu.
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