Marlon brando actor biography for program

(1924-2004)

Who Was Marlon Brando?

After early promise in the 1940s and '50s, including a legendary performance in the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon Brando's film career had more downs than up until his starring role in The Godfather.

Marlon brando actor biography for program

Later, he received huge salaries for small parts. He became known for self-indulgence but was always respected for his finest work.

Early Life

Brando was born on April 3, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska. Brando grew up in Illinois, and after expulsion from a military academy, he dug ditches until his father offered to finance his education.

Brando moved to New York to study with acting coach Stella Adler and at Lee Strasberg's Actors' Studio. Adler has often been credited as the principal inspiration in Brando's early career, and with opening the actor to great works of literature, music and theater.

While at the Actors' Studio, Brando adopted the "method approach," which emphasizes characters' motivati