Marlon Brando dead at 80

Jul 02, 2004 by Ian Evans

Marlon Brando, who mesmerized audiences with his performances in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 80. Brando “was a very private man,” said family attorney David J. Seeley, noting that the cause of death was being withheld.

The two-time Oscar®-winner, whose influence was seen in actors like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, was also famous for his iconic performance as Don Vito Corleone in “The Godfather”. It was for that film that Brando refused to accept the Best Actor Oscar®, instead sending a woman who called herself Sasheen Littlefeather to read a statement about Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans.

The actor, whose weight had ballooned to over 300 pounds, had experienced a tragic personal life. In 1990, his son was convicted of killing his half-sister’s boyfriend. She committed suicide five years later.