Brando dead

Just in case you hadn’t heard:-

Screen legend Brando dies at 80
Screen legend Marlon Brando, famous for his roles in On the Waterfront and The Godfather, has died aged 80 in a Los Angeles hospital, his lawyer has said.
Brando, who had been ill for some time, was regarded as one of the pivotal actors of the post-war period.

He starred in more than 40 films, including Apocalypse Now, and won two best actor Oscars.

He is perhaps best known for his role as mafia leader Don Corleone in the 1972 classic The Godfather.

Brando’s lawyer, David J Seeley, said the cause of death was being withheld and added that the actor “was a very private man”.

Funeral

Mr Seeley said Brando’s funeral arrangements would be private.

Actor Robert Duvall, who starred with Brando in The Godfather, paid tribute, saying: “His memory will live forever.”

Long-time friend and Godfather co-star James Caan said on Friday, via his publicist: “He influenced more young actors of my generation than any actor.

“Anyone who denies this, never understood what it was all about.”

Bernardo Bertolucci, who directed Brando in Last Tango in Paris said: “None of us had ever encountered such a living legend, and for lovers of cinema he was perhaps the only true legend who’d ever lived. ”

British film-maker Michael Winner, director of The Nightcomers in 1972, said: “I’ve no doubt he was the most admired screen actor ever. And rightly so. He transcended fame just as an actor.

“Marlon was the most marvellous, principled, kind, sincere and above all witty, amusing and loyal friend I’ve ever had.”
The BBC’s Peter Bowes in Los Angeles commented: “He was a film icon, often described as the greatest actor of his time.

“He was a very, very private character, reclusive even.”

Brando received eight Oscar nominations during his lifetime – all for best actor apart from his most recent nod in 1990 for A Dry White Season, which was for best supporting actor.

Oscar wins

His two Oscar wins were for On the Waterfront and The Godfather.

He refused to collect the latter in protest at the US Government’s treatment of native Americans.

The other nominations were for Last Tango in Paris (1974), Sayonara (1957), Julius Caesar (1953), Viva Zapata! (1952) and Streetcar Named Desire (1951).

He once said: “The only thing an actor owes his public is not to bore them.”

His personal life was well documented and marked by tragedy.

The Brando family was in the spotlight at the murder trial of the actor’s son Christian, accused of killing the abusive fiance of his sister Cheyenne in 1990.

Christian later served five years of a 10-year sentence for manslaughter.

Brando’s daughter Cheyenne committed suicide in 1995.

He had at least 11 children with three ex-wives and various other women.

In later years, he became increasingly reclusive.

Brando, who had a well documented weight problem, told an interviewer in the 1990s that he had withdrawn under the stress of being constantly in the public eye.

“I’ve had so much misery in my life, being famous and wealthy,” he said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/film/3860723.stm

Published: 2004/07/02 20:17:45 GMT

Hollywood remembers Brando

By Peter Bowes
in Hollywood

Hollywood has been paying tribute to screen legend Marlon Brando who has passed away at the age of 80.

According to a spokeswoman for the UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles, he died of lung failure.

But those close to the star have been reluctant to elaborate on the cause of death, citing their respect of Brando’s long-time desire for privacy.
Funeral arrangements have not been disclosed and the service is expected to be a private affair.

The iconic star, who will be remembered as much for his turbulent private life as his work on the silver screen, was loved and admired by many.

Within minutes of the official announcement of Brando’s death, fans had gathered at the spot of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame where flowers were laid on the actor’s star.

‘A real man’s man’

One fan said: “There are just no actors like him anymore, he is one of the classics. He’s like a real man’s man, I don’t think we’ll be able to replace him.”

“He was a wonderful actor – when I saw him in Apocalypse Now he really got into his character and it was amazing how he made the character come alive,” added another fan.

Many of those who turned out to pay their respects were aspiring actors. Brando was seen as the ultimate mentor and an inspiration to people starting out in the business.

Robert Duvall, who starred alongside Brando in The Godfather, acknowledged his ability to inspire young actors.

He said: “He was like a godfather to many young actors worldwide but particularly in this country.
“He had enormous positive influence on younger performers. His memory will live forever.”

Actor James Cromwell learned of Brando’s death as he was riding his bike close to the star’s Hollywood home.

He said the world had lost a stage and screen legend: “Marlon looked not only like he came off the street but he happened to be as beautiful as a god. It was quite a combination.”

While tributes have been pouring in from around the world, Francis Ford Coppola, who directed The Godfather, said: “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.”
Most of Brando’s friends and colleagues have respected his desire for little fuss at the time of his passing, limiting their comments to a few words.

“He was a great actor. We all loved him and I’ll really miss him,” said Robert De Niro.

Elizabeth Taylor said: “I will miss him beyond belief.”

‘A hell-raiser’

“America has lost its leading film star. He was the best. As far as I’m concerned, he was also a very good friend. The world will miss him,” said James Garner.

Brando had a formidable reputation as a hell-raiser. He was known for his disruptive influence on the set and in latter year developed a reputation as a lazy actor. He used cue cards and even an ear-piece as tools to help him remember his lines.

“He could be rude, crude and whatever else he felt like at the moment both on and off the set and that was part of his appeal,” said James Parish, author of Hollywood Bad Boys.

“As he got fatter and fatter in his declining years it was harder and harder to cast him and he remained temperamental to the end,” he added.
Brando perfected the art of so-called method acting – using a free-form, emotionally inspired way of performing rather than a formal technique.

“Professionally his biggest plus was that he brought a very naturalist style to acting that had long been missing in the profession.,” said Mr Parish.

“When he appeared in A Streetcar Named Desire he really sizzled audiences by his very dynamic performance,” he said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/film/3861665.stm

Published: 2004/07/02 22:07:17 GMT

Stars pay tribute to legend Brando
Critics and actors have paid tribute to the “extraordinary” influence of Marlon Brando on American film, who has died aged 80.
Brando, who starred in more than 40 movies, was perhaps best known for his role as mafia leader Don Corleone in the 1972 classic The Godfather.

The film’s director, Francis Ford Coppola, said: “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.”

“With tears in my eyes, it occurs to me that in the very act of dying Marlon has become immortal,” said Bernardo Bertolucci, who directed Brando in the 1975 film, Last Tango in Paris.

“But perhaps he already was immortal back then in Paris, on the Pont de Passy – that’s certainly what the whole crew of Last Tango in Paris thought, hypnotized as they were by his very presence.”

“For lovers of cinema,” said Bertolucci, “he was perhaps the only true legend who’d ever lived.”

‘Dear friend’

Actor Robert Duvall, who appeared with him in The Godfather, said in a statement: “He was like a godfather to many young actors worldwide but particularly in this country.

“He had enormous positive influence on younger performers.”

British actor Terence Stamp, who appeared with Brando in Superman, said the actor was a “rare diamond”.
“He had it all yet didn’t take himself or life too seriously. He was also the funniest guy and a joy to be with. ‘Good night sweet prince’.”

Sophia Loren said Brando was a “dear friend”.

In a statement, she said : “He had some real tragedies in his life and perhaps stopped looking after himself for that reason.”

Robert Tanitch, author of the book Brando, said the actor had a huge influence when he burst onto the scene in the 1950s.

But he said Brando “threw his career away”.

“He threw it away because he hated acting – he was rather ashamed of it. He didn’t think there was such a thing as a great movie.”

Alan Frank, another biographer, was an extra in 1978’s Superman, for which Brando was paid a reputed £2.5m for about 10 minutes of acting.

‘Legend’

“I did admire the fact that he didn’t bother to learn his lines but claimed reading it off autocue could make them fresh, and then he upset the director,” Mr Frank told BBC News Online.

What he did was change acting forever
Jason Solomons, Observer film critic
“He was a kind of legend. It was more interesting to see him than anything and he still had charisma.
“When you see a legend, even if it was a long time ago, you admire it immensely.”

Film critic John Marriott told the BBC that Brando had already won a loyal audience in the 1950s, long before his Godfather days.

“When he came of age as an actor, when he was rising through the ranks, he really appealed to a young audience who adopted him as a kind of rebel figure,” he said.

Mercurial nature

“Their parents disapproved of him – he was in film terms pure rock and roll.”

Mr Marriott said not all Brando’s films were great – but in his most powerful roles “clearly he was a great actor”.

“With just a handful of performances he gave in On the Waterfront and The Godfather, these are amongst the great post-war performances on the screen,” he said.

Richard Fitzwilliams, former editor of International Who’s Who said it was Brando’s mercurial nature which had fascinated Hollywood.
“He was an absolutely extraordinary actor and very, very unpredictable,” he said.

He recalled how he “exploded onto the screen” with tremendous force in Streetcar Named Desire or addressed the crowds with “such panache” in Julius Caesar.

Observer film critic Jason Solomons said it was Brando’s experiments in method acting which gave him such a huge influence over American film.

He said: “What he did was change acting forever – screen acting, film acting. No-one had ever done, no-one had tried to do, what he did.”

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/film/3861657.stm

Published: 2004/07/02 20:46:39 GMT

Brando’s rollercoaster career
Actor Marlon Brando, who has died aged 80, starred in some of history’s most iconic films but he also made his share of flops. BBC News Online looks back at the actor’s eclectic career.
Brando began his acting career on the Broadway stage and when he came to make A Streetcar Named Desire in 1951 it was only his second film.

But the role as the brooding Stanley Kowalski in the steamy Tennessee Williams drama instantly got Brando noticed, earning him his first best actor nomination.

Follow-up films Viva Zapata! and Julius Caesar saw Brando nominated again. But The Wild One in 1954 finally sealed Brando’s status as a star.

He played the rebellious leader of a motorcycle gang, full of angst and attitude.

The role proved Brando’s powerful screen presence and created one of the most iconic and emulated movie images to date.

Yet, it was On the Waterfront later that same year that finally won Brando the coveted best actor Academy Award.

Brando’s performance as the dock worker Terry Malloy struggling against the corruption of union bosses also helped secure the movie an Oscar for best film.

But despite the early accolades, perhaps his best known and most lauded role was as mafia leader Don Corleone in the 1972 classic The Godfather.

While, the sexually explicit The Last Tango in Paris will be considered by many Brando fans as the actor’s most powerful and memorable role – even though the film was denounced as obscene by many others.

Brando made more than 40 films and will go down in history as a true Hollywood great.

But along with the praise came equal amounts of criticism for the poor film choices made by an actor who many thought should have known better.

Mutiny on the Bounty in 1962 was an early Brando disappointment.

It went through numerous screenplay rewrites and cost MGM $19m before it finally found its way into cinemas where audiences branded it a flop.

Films such as The Ugly American, The Chase, and A Countess From Hong Kong were derided by critics and Brando fans as self-indulgent and unworthy of the actor’s abilities.

Yet, Brando’s most eccentric career choices came in the latter part of his career following a period of absence from the big screen.

Claiming he continued to act only for the money, Brando appeared in Superman and earned a then staggering $3.7m for little more than a cameo performance.

In Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 Vietnam epic Apocalypse Now , Brando was virtually unrecognisable and incoherent.

A speech at the end of the film was said to have been ad-libbed by the star.

While in The Formula in 1980, Brando appeared in only three scenes.

Brando’s fleeting and eccentric screen appearances finally dried up and the star became a recluse – but his fans have now been left with an image of Brando as the icon he once was.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/film/3861443.stm

Published: 2004/07/02 18:45:53 GMT

On the other hand he could just be taking method acting to new heights…;)

Flood.™