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Marlon Brando Biography

Birth Name:
Marlon Brando Jr.
Birth Place:
Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Profession
Actor

Fast Facts

  • Mother founded the Omaha Community Playhouse, where she mentored a young Henry Fonda
  • Expelled from both high school and military academy
  • Worked as a ditch digger before moving to New York
  • Made Broadway debut in 1944's I Remember Mama
  • Voted by critics as Broadway's most promising actor in 1946 after appearing in Truckline Café
  • Breakthrough role came as Stanley Kowalski in the 1947 Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire
  • Nominated for Oscars for four consecutive years and won on his fourth try for On the Waterfront
  • Refused to accept his Best Actor Oscar for his role as Don Vito Corleone in 1972's The Godfather because he disapproved of Hollywood's negative depiction of Native Americans
  • Bought a 12-island Polynesian atoll, Tetiaroa, and occasionally lived there
  • In 1999, named by Time magazine as one of the 100 Persons of the Century
  • Best friend and former roommate was actor Wally Cox; he kept Cox's ashes and they were scattered with his own in Death Valley

Awards

  • 1990BAFTA Film Awards-Best Actor in a Supporting Role: nominated
  • 1990Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1989Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: nominated
  • 1974BAFTA Film Awards-Best Actor: nominated
  • 1973BAFTA Film Awards-Best Actor: nominated
  • 1973New York Film Critics Circle-Best Actor: winner
  • 1973National Society of Film Critics-Best Actor: winner
  • 1973Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: winner
  • 1973Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 1973BAFTA Film Awards-Best Actor: nominated
  • 1972Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: winner
  • 1972Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: winner
  • 1964Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 1961Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated
  • 1959BAFTA Film Awards-Best Foreign Actor: nominated
  • 1958Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 1957Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 1955BAFTA Film Awards-Best Foreign Actor: winner
  • 1955Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: winner
  • 1954Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: winner
  • 1954BAFTA Film Awards-Best Foreign Actor: winner
  • 1954New York Film Critics Circle-Best Actor: winner
  • 1953Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 1953BAFTA Film Awards-Best Foreign Actor: winner
  • 1952Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 1952Cannes Film Festival-Best Actor: winner
  • 1951Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated

Relationships