Marlon Brando

Top Ten Things to Know About Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando was one of the most notable actors of the mid-twentieth century era and his career lasted more than half a century, producing many different movies. He established himself as one of the best actors of all time with his roles in Julius Caesar, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Godfather.


1. Playing Marc Antony in Julius Caesar

While Marlon Brando was famous for many of his films, one of his best known roles was that of Marc Antony in the 1953 film Julius Caesar', which earned him his third Oscar nomination. He played alongside Louis Calhern who played the role of Julius Caesar.

2. Best Supporting Actor Oscar

Brando received many awards over the course of his career, perhaps the most notable being his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the film Viva Zapata! He had previously been nominated for Best Actor but lost to Gary Cooper for High Noon in 1952. The movie Viva Zapata! was about the Mexican Revolution and the revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata.

2. The Godfather

One of the most notable movies that Marlon Brando starred in was the 1972 film The Godfather, in which he played the role of , the head of the Corleone mafia family living in New York. Al Pacino played alongside him as his son, Michael. An interesting fact about the movie is that he is holding a cat in the very first scene of the movie. The movie is considered a classic and a masterpiece by almost every film critic and is certainly one of the most well known, widely acclaimed movies of all time.

A legend in American cinema.

4. Jor-El

Marlon Brando played the role of Jor-El in the original Superman movie in 1978. Jor-El, Superman's father, appears at the beginning of the film.

5. "I coulda been a contanda"

The oft quoted line 'I coulda been a contanda' is a line from the movie On the Waterfront, in which Marlon Brando plays Terry Malloy, a washed up ex-boxer. This is one of the most famous lines of all time and is often quoted in movies and on TV shows. Most actors who say the line now mimic the way that Brando said it in the original movie.

6. Brando's 1st Movie

Marlon Brando's first movie, called The Men, was released in 1950. He played Ken who was a war veteran confined to a wheelchair. Fred Zimmerman directed the movie and Teresa Wright co-stars with Brando as Ellen, his wife.

7. Viva Zapata!

Marlon Brando was associated with John Huston in the film Viva Zapata! The film was an adaptation of John Steinbeck's book and Edgcumb Pichon's Zapata the Unconquered. He was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in this film.

8. A Street Car Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire was another of the very famous Brando movie. The 1951 movie was directed by Elie Kazan and starred Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois. Brando's first five films established him as one of the premier actors of his time and put his career on a solid path that would span his life.

9. "Stellllaaa!"

Stanley is married to Stella Kowalski, who is the sister of the main character, Blanche DuBois. All kinds of problems plague the family and they have to learn to cope with the problems. One famous line from the movie is when the name Stella is shouted "Stellllaaa!"

10. Inclusion in the Time 100

Marlon Brando, long considered one of the most important people of all time, is included in the TIME 100, which is made up of 100 people who are considered to be the most influential people over the last 100 years.