"People constantly lie, saying things they don't think or feel, trying to give an appearance to fit in. That's acting.
We do it every day, to save ourselves." With these words in 1973, Marlon Brando encapsulated what acting meant to him—a survival strategy—in an interview with Dick Cavett.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1924, and passing away on this day in 2004, the actor experienced a tumultuous and violent childhood, marked by emotional disorders, stormy romances, the tragic suicide of a daughter, and the imprisonment of another for a fatal crime of passion.
Brando, often described as impulsive, egocentric, hedonistic, and wild, became an enduring myth, immortalized beyond the silver screen.
Comparisons with his iconic character Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951) portrayed him as a myth surrounded by ceaseless questions. Like Ava Gardner, another "most beautiful animal in the world," Brando served as a keen observer of human behavior, acting as a mirror for other figures in the entertainment industry. His flawless acting method brought truth to cinema, yet he diverged when facing the roles inscribed in the script of his own life.
Sixteen years after his death at the age of 80, a retrospective journey through some of the personal milestones of "The Godfather" actor allows us to revisit events that shaped his extraordinary life.
Brando's upbringing in a dysfunctional and violent home, marked by a tyrannical father and an alcoholic mother, fueled resentment and instilled a sense of inferiority. His mother's abandonment and struggles with alcohol left a lasting impact, shaping a personality that sought refuge in acting to channel traumas. According to writer William J. Mann in "The Contender" (2019), Brando's early life was characterized by dyslexia, theft, lies, loud drumming, and expulsion—a rebellion that paved the way for his formative years in New York.
A high school dropout, Brando, at 18, found himself sleeping on the streets of New York, a far cry from his Nebraska origins. However, his trajectory soon shifted as he precociously and voraciously developed his acting prowess under the tutelage of teachers like Stella Adler, a disciple of Stanislavski.
Sixteen years after his passing, Marlon Brando's legacy endures as a complex and multifaceted icon, transcending the boundaries of traditional Hollywood narratives.
