Maxim Legends: Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando, Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor and one-time director. He is hailed for bringing a gripping realism to film acting, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time. A cultural icon, Brando is most famous for his Oscar-winning performances as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront and Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Brando was also an activist, supporting many causes, notably the African-American Civil Rights Movement and various American Indian Movements. Brando was ranked by the American Film Institute as the 4th greatest screen legend among male movie stars whose screen debuts occurred in or before 1950. Considered to be one of the most important actors of American cinema, Brando was one of only three professional actors, along with Sir Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe, named in 1999 by Time magazine as one of its 100 Persons of the Century.