Marlon Brando became a household name the world over for his legendary performances in everything from A Streetcar Named Desire to The Godfather. The multi-award winning actor was branded the “greatest screen star of all time” – and yet his life was plagued with complex tragedies.
Born to an alcoholic mother whom he lamented “spent most of her time on the floor” and a rage-prone father he feared, his early life was challenging – but he overcame his struggles to become a successful Oscar-winning actor, at first. He made his screen debut aged 26 starring in 1950 film The Men, although his portrayal of a bitter paraplegic required huge sacrifices: he reportedly lay in bed at a veteran’s hospital for an entire month to prepare for the role. Life became more glamorous the following year when he landed the huge role of Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, and by 1954 he’d won his first Oscar for On The Waterfront as boxer turned troubled dockworker Terry Malloy.
By 1962, he was shooting in exotic locations like Tahiti – and the scenery inspired him so much that he bought his own island, Tetiroa and moved there.
He’d followed in his mother’s footsteps to become an actor but, increasingly disillusioned with the profession and describing it as a “bum’s life”, he turned his back on Hollywood, insisting the cult of celebrity and focus on stars’ personal lives was “unsettling”.
He still landed huge acting roles, excelling as Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather in 1972 – but he shunned the subsequent Academy Awards, sending a “Red Indian”, “Sacheen Littlefeather”, to the ceremony to refuse his gong on his behalf in protest at how he felt the industry treated natives.
Amid the controversy the stunt caused, he seemed to have been demoted to supporting roles, while his increasingly eccentric behaviour worried producers, after he requested to pay Superman’s father as a “voice coming from a piece of luggage”.
Nevertheless, the money was good, with a ten minute appearance in the Superman movie earning him millions of dollars and a percentage of the profits.
He later quipped: “The only reason I’m in Hollywood is that I don’t have the moral courage to refuse the money!”
His weight gain, which first became apparent in Apocalypse Now, caused concern, while he became a virtual recluse – and his LA home, next to pal Jack Nicholson’s, started to fall into disrepair.
His son Christian – one of 11 children – caused him agony when he shot dead his pregnant half-sister Cheyenne’s fiancé Dag Drollet in protest against alleged mistreatment of her.
He served five years in jail after admitting his crime, while his distraught sister went on to commit suicide – and the legal fees left Marlon broke.
His housekeeper, Maria Ruiz, who gave birth to three of his kids, also launched a $70 million (£51 million) case against him for child support – and by the time of his 2004 death, he was $15 million in debt (£10.9 million) and living on a pension.
