Beginning with his early career in the films of the 1950s, through his powerful roles in such classics as On the Waterfront ,A Streetcar Named Desire, and The Godfather, Marlon Brando (born 1924) has captivated the American public with his intense onscreen presence, as well as with his personal life of controversy and excess.

Before James Dean, Marlon Brando popularized the jeans-and-T-shirt look, with and without leather jacket, as a movie idol during the early 1950s. The theatrically trained actor began to turn away from his youth-oriented persona with such movie roles as Mark Antony in Julius Caesar(1953). After winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for On the Waterfront(1954), he portrayed a wide variety of characters on-screen, garnering popular acclaim and critical consensus as one of the greatest cinema actors of the late twentieth century.

Early Career

Brando was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on April 3, 1924. He grew up...