LOS ANGELES - Actor Marlon Brando has died at age 80. The death occurred at an undisclosed Los Angeles hospital Thursday, attorney David J. Seeley said Friday. The cause of death was being withheld, Seeley said, noting the actor "was a very private man."
Brando revolutionized American acting with his Method performances in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On the Waterfront" and went on to create the iconic character of Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather."
Brando, whose unpredictable behavior made him equally fascinating off the screen, was acclaimed the greatest actor of his generation, a two-time winner of the Academy Award who influenced some of the best actors of the generation that followed, among them Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson."
Marlon would hate the idea of people chiming in to give their comments about his death. All I'll say is that it makes me sad he's gone," said Francis Ford Coppola, who directed "The Godfather." Brando was the unforgettable embodiment of the brutish Stanley Kowalski of "A Streetcar Named Desire," the mixed up Terry Malloy of "On the Waterfront" (which won him his first Oscar) and the wily Corleone of "The Godfather."
But his private life may best be defined by a line from "The Wild One," in which Brando, playing a motorcycle gang leader, is asked what he's rebelling against."Whattaya got?" was his famous reply.His image was a studio's nightmare. Millions of words were written about his weight, his many romances and three marriages, his tireless — and, for some, tiresome — support of the American Indian and other causes, his battles with film producers and directors, his refuge on a Tahitian isle.
His most famous act of rebellion was his refusal in 1973 to accept the best actor Oscar for "The Godfather." Instead, he sent a woman who called herself Sasheen Littlefeather to read a diatribe about Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans.
It was roundly booed."
He influenced more young actors of my generation than any actor," longime friend and "Godfather" co-star James Caan said Friday through his publicist. "Anyone who denies this never understood what it was all about".
Details about funeral plans weren't disclosed and Seeley said arrangements would be private.
Not many comments to make on this one. I grew up knowing Marlon Brando as Superman's father and then as a crazy nutcase. It wasn't until much later that I discovered his "acting" and why he was actually famous. Despite his goofy appearance and attitude over the last 20 years, I know he meant a lot to a great many actors and actresses, and he will surely be missed.
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