Hailed by
admirers of "The Method," the acting style of Lee Strasburg's Actor's
Studio, as the greatest actor of all time, Marlon Brando died July 1, 2004,
at 80 years of age. Though he sabotaged his own career with poor
professional choices and an irresponsible personal life, Brando delivered a
number of immortal performances in undisputed classics such as A Streetcar
Named Desire 91951) and On the Waterfront (1954).
Brando's first foray into the Western genre garnered him an
Oscar for Best Actor as Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata in Viva
Zapata! (1952), co-starring Anthony Quinn. In 1961, Brando was joined by
his frequent co-star Karl Malden and veteran Western actress Katy Jurado in
One-Eyed Jacks, a cult classic which Brando also directed--his only
directing effort. Later, Brando filmed The Appaloosa (1966), the saga
of a man seeking to recover his horse from convincing Mexican bandit John
Saxon.
To add to his controversial career, Brando turned down his
1972 Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Godfather in protest
of society's treatment of Native American Indians. Finally, Brando closed
out his career in Westerns with The Missouri Breaks (1976) with his
good friend and long-time next-door neighbor Jack Nicholson. |
