The career of the one and only Marlon Brando is truly incredible. His roles, along with all the drama that was happening while he was not on the silver screen, make him a fascinating Hollywood icon to talk about. Today, I am sharing with you the top 10 best Marlon Brando roles from his legendary career.
As is the case with any best of or top 10 list, this is all subjective. So rather than putting a horse’s head in my bed because you did not like the fact your favorite movie was missing. Have some fun and try to put together your own best Marlon Brando roles list.
This may seem like a strange one to start off with as you could technically argue that this is a cameo, but 1978’s Superman was a huge massive deal, and having an actor of Marlon Brando’s stature attached to it, even at that stage of his career, gave the movie that little bit extra oomph it needed to be taken seriously.
Also, he does a fine job playing the last leader of Krypton, who is forced to send his son away as the planet is destroyed. It is well worth reading about the drama of this movie, as Christopher Reeve had some very interesting things to say about Marlon Brando. This may have been a “small part” in terms of screen time, but Marlon Brando proved there was no such thing as small parts with his performance.
Some cinema snobs may not be pleased that 1990’s The Freshman is on this 10 best Marlon Brando roles list. Too bad! This movie is a lot of fun, and puts Marlon Brando with a young Matthew Broderick. The latter plays a film student who is blown away by how New York gangster Carmine Sabatini resembles Don Vito Corleone. (Get it?)
What is so fun about this role is that Brando does all the mannerisms that made Don Vito Corleone so famous and such a memorable and iconic character. Some may argue that this is a slap in the face of such an iconic character and all those involved should be sleeping with the fishes! However, this is a super fun performance and the fact they got him to do it so late in his career is pretty awesome.
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STELLA!!!! STELLA!!!! Ok, now that we have that out of the way we can talk about the 1951 classic A Streetcar Named Desire. This is one of the most famous Marlon Brando performances and the way that this cool, handsome, and barrel chested (which is often on display) New Orleans native has his life turned upside down by the arriving Blanche is just as entertaining today as it was back then.
This is one of the movies that showed what great range Marlon Brando had as an actor. He goes from having some real passion and desire to be with Blanche to being angry and almost disgusted with her in regards to the way she is throwing away the family fortune! Of course, you cannot talk about this without mentioning the hilarious parody of this movie that The Simpsons did. How many people back in the 90s were introduced to A Streetcar Named Desire thanks to The Simpsons? Although Flanders doesn’t have the acting chops that Brando did.
It is kind of crazy that 1961’s One Eyed Jack is the only movie that Marlon Brando directed! An interesting bit of trivia is that the legendary Stanley Kubrick was initially slated to be behind the camera for this classic Western!
Brando plays the role of a bank robber called Rio who along with his partner “Dad” ends up robbing a bank, but Dad turns on him and this leads to Rio doing a stint in jail. Of course, Rio is a little bit mad about this so he tracks down Dad, only to discover he has become a lawman and he has a daughter that Rio is falling for. This is a fantastic Western and the whole thing where Rio is wrestling with if he should or should not kill Dad is powerful stuff. With how good this movie is, it does make you wonder why he did not sit in the director’s chair more often.
Last Tango in Paris is a movie that is hard to watch. Look, there is no denying that as Paul, Brando is fantastic. Playing the role of a man whose wife killed herself, he then gets involved in a sick and twisted sexual relationship with a woman called Jeanne. The performance here is great, but there is a particular scene in the movie that has been talked about to death. Jeanne actress Maria Schneider has talked about the massive emotional trauma that she suffered as a result of this movie.
It is also interesting that this movie came out after Brando won the Oscar for The Godfather, so his stock as an actor was arguably never higher. This was probably a very shocking movie for those who knew very little about it and only went to see it because Marlon Brando was in it.
The Wild One could arguably have appeared a little higher on this top 10 Marlon Brando roles list. You could argue that motorcycle gang leader Johnny Strabler is the original “rebel” and tough biker. This movie is famous for the line, “What are you rebelling against?” for a cocky and so cool looking Johnny to reply, “What you’ve got?”
This is truly an epic performance and his sheer screen presence lets you know that Johnny is not a guy that you mess with. Johnn’ys attitude and the fact that he wants to do what he wants to do makes him a cinematic icon. You could make a strong argument for Johnny Strabler being the original bad boy that all the girls went wild for!
One of the stranger aspects of Marlon Brando’s career is that 1955’s Guys and Dolls is the only musical that he did! It is a real shame too, as he is fantastic as Sky Masterson, who is a gambler but at heart, he is a real romantic. He does a fantastic job with his performance of “Luck Be A Lady Tonight” “and he is one of the most memorable characters in this entire movie.
Also, a fun bit of trivia is that Brando actually had a rivalry on set with Frank Sinatra and this rivalry would be simmering in the background for many years, all the way up to the release of The Godfather. Guys and Dolls is also parodied in The Simpsons.
“Bone chilling” is probably the best way to describe Marlon Brando’s performance as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz. Col. Kurtz has gone nuts during the Vietnam War and has retreated into the jungle where he is now the leader of a cult who sees him as some kind of God!
Marlon Brando gives a very unsettling performance that is both memorizing and fear-inducing. You can see why all these cult members followed him. The way the movie is shot with Brando in the darkness just adds to the mystique this character has. It is worth noting that the Apocalypse Now Directors Cut does feature more scenes with Brando and they flesh out this deranged character even more. It may not be his biggest role as far as screen time goes, but it is certainly one of his most memorable.
It is impossible to watch On the Waterfront and not just fall in love with Terry Malloy. This is the role that made America and the world love Marlon Brando and for good reason, too. He could have been a contender you know!
This is the story of a boxer who throws a fight for a mob boss and ends up having to take a job at the docks, running errands for that same mob boss. Add to this a tricky love story with a dead man’s sister and you have a performance from Marlon Brando that hits all the right points. You can tell that Terry has a good heart and a loving soul and you just want him to be happy and find a better life for himself. This is one of those movies that has aged like a fine wine and it is just as good and entertaining today as it was back in 1954.
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Number 1 – Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather, 1972
Let’s face it: while any top 10 list is subjective, there is no way any top 10 Marlon Bando roles list could have anyone but Don Vito Corleone at the number one spot! Francis Ford Coppola well and truly got the very best out of Marlon Brando and this movie in many ways was his major comeback. He would win an Oscar for his performance here and it is the little mannerisms that truly make Don Vito Corleone one of the most iconic characters in any gangster movie.
The Godfather is a timeless classic and a huge reason for that is the acting of Marlon Brando. He manages to play the role with a softness in many ways, but you can also tell that this is a man who has done some stuff in the past. What more can really be said about this performance? It is not just the best Marlon Brando performance, but one of the greatest performances of all time in any movie!