Marlon Brando

Who was Marlon Brando?

Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American screen and stage actor. He is widely regarded for bringing a gripping realism to film acting and is widely considered to be the greatest movie actor of all time. A cultural icon, Brando is most famous for his Oscar-winning performances as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront and Vito Corleone in The Godfather, as well as influential performances in A Streetcar Named Desire, Viva Zapata!, Julius Caesar, The Wild One, Reflections in a Golden Eye, Last Tango in Paris and Apocalypse Now. Brando was also an activist, supporting many issues, notably the African-American Civil Rights Movement and various American Indian Movements.

He initially gained popularity for recreating the role of Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, a Tennessee Williams play that had established him as a Broadway star during its 1947–49 stage run; and for his Academy Award-winning performance as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront, as well as for his iconic portrayal of the rebel motorcycle gang leader Johnny Strabler in The Wild One, which is considered to be one of the most famous images in pop culture. Brando was also nominated for the Oscar for playing Emiliano Zapata in Viva Zapata!; Mark Antony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1953 film adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar; and as Air Force Major Lloyd Gruver in Sayonara, Joshua Logan's adaption of James Michener's 1954 novel. Brando made Top Ten Money Making Stars, as ranked by Quigley Publications' annual survey of film exhibitors, three times in the decade, coming in at number 10 in 1954, number 6 in 1955, and number 4 in 1958.