Contents
Marlon Brando
Playing Stanley Kowalski, Terry Malloy and Vito Corleone in performances that changed screen acting.
A Streetcar Named Desire · On the Waterfront
- Born
- 3 April 1924
- Birthplace
- Omaha, United States
- Died
- 1 July 2004
More people
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando brought an unusually intimate, unpredictable realism from the stage to Hollywood. His career combined landmark performances with outspoken political commitments.
Early life
Midwestern childhood
Born in Omaha and raised partly in Illinois; his mother acted in amateur theatre.
Acting training
Moved to New York and studied with Stella Adler.
Career
- 1944
Broadway beginnings
Made his Broadway debut in I Remember Mama.
- 1950
Into film
Played a wounded veteran in The Men after his stage breakthrough in A Streetcar Named Desire.
- 1955–1973
Leading actor
Won Oscars for On the Waterfront and The Godfather.
- 1970s–2001
Later roles
Combined major supporting parts with increasingly selective screen appearances.
Selected work
A Streetcar Named Desire
Reprised his stage role as Stanley Kowalski.
On the Waterfront
Played a dockworker confronting corruption and his own compromises.
The Godfather
Created the restrained voice and presence of Vito Corleone.
Beyond work
Civil rights
Joined the 1963 March on Washington and supported civil-rights campaigning.
Oscar refusal
Declined his 1973 Oscar; Sacheen Littlefeather spoke at the ceremony about the treatment of Native Americans.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Academy Awards: On the Waterfront ↗Photo: None visible/Paramount Pictures. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
