Marlon Brando is one of the most iconic actors in Hollywood history. He was born on April 3, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska and passed away July 1st 2004 of respiratory failure at age 80. Throughout his career he was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two.
Brando’s breakthrough role came when he starred as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). This performance earned him a Best Actor nomination from the Academy Award. His next successful film was Viva Zapata! (1952), which also earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. In 1954, Brando starred as Terry Malloy in On The Waterfront and this time he won the award for Best Actor.
The following year he portrayed Marc Antony in Julius Caesar and received another Academy Award nomination for this performance. Later that same year Brando made a lasting impression with his portrayal of Jor-El Superman’s father in the movie version of DC Comics’ Superman: The Movie (1978).
In 1972 Marlon Brando wrote, directed, produced and played the lead role in The Godfather which became one of his most famous roles to date; it also earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor although he ultimately lost out to Gene Hackman who won that year’s award instead. It wasn’t until 1979 when Brando finally took home another Oscar after winning Best Supporting actor for his portrayal of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II where again he reprised his role as Don Corleone but this time set against a backdrop spanning multiple decades including flashbacks to Sicily during World War I era Italy before ending up back stateside during prohibition New York City nightlife scenes featuring Frank Sinatra singing “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”.
Despite critical successes such as these throughout much of 1970s & 1980s Marlon began to receive less positive reviews due mainly to conflicts between himself & directors over artistic control or direction resulting from lackadaisical performances by some accounts though still garnering strong fan support despite mixed press overall.
More recently however following death 2004 attention shifted back towards legacy left behind through numerous classic films considered timeless even today often cited inspiration for many modern day actors alongside being named the greatest movie star all time 2011 Empire magazine poll.
Ultimately Marlon Brando will go down history books one finest performers ever grace silver screen whose influence continues be felt industry long after passing both front behind camera leaving us wealth incredible memories embody true spirit artistry craftsmanship power emotion put into every single character brought life.
Brando was known for being a method actor who immersed himself completely into each character he portrayed. He often used improvisation techniques to bring out more realistic performances from himself. This unconventional approach made him a favorite of directors like Elia Kazan and Francis Ford Coppola who were looking for new ways to tell stories with their films. It also earned him much praise from critics who admired his commitment to each role.
Although best remembered for his acting roles, Marlon Brando was also an outspoken civil rights activist throughout much of the 1960s and 70s. He strongly opposed racism against African Americans during this time period, even refusing his Oscar winnings from The Godfather due to what he perceived as Hollywood’s mistreatment of minorities. In later years he became involved with environmental issues too, speaking out against pollution caused by industrialization around the world.
Marlon Brando passed away at age 80 on July 1st 2004 due to respiratory failure resulting from pulmonary fibrosis brought on by years of smoking cigarettes heavily during his life time. Despite that fact, his legacy still lives on through fans all over the world who continue to revere him today as one of cinema’s greatest stars ever.
