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Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando

Actor, also director and writer · Died July 1, 2004, aged 80 · Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned six decades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and three British Academy Film Awards. Brando was also an activist for many causes, notably the civil rights movement and various Native American movements. Having studied with Stella Adler in the 1940s, he is credited with being one of the first actors to bring the Stanislavski system of acting and method acting, derived from the Stanislavski system, to mainstream audiences. He initially gained acclaim and his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for reprising the role of Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire, a role that he originated successfully on Broadway. He received further praise, and a first Academy Award and Golden Globe Award, for his performance as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront, and his portrayal of the rebellious motorcycle gang leader Johnny Strabler in The Wild One proved to be a lasting image in popular culture. Brando received Academy Award nominations for playing Emiliano Zapata in Viva Zapata! (1952); Mark Antony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1953 film adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar; and Air Force Major Lloyd Gruver in Sayonara (1957), an adaptation of James A. Michener's 1954 novel. The 1960s saw Brando's career take a commercial and critical downturn. He directed and starred in the cult western One-Eyed Jacks, a critical and commercial flop, after which he delivered a series of notable box-office failures, beginning with Mutiny on the Bounty (1962). After ten years of underachieving, he agreed to do a screen test as Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972). He got the part and subsequently won his second Academy Award and Golden Globe Award in a performance critics consider among his greatest. He declined the Academy Award due to alleged mistreatment and misportrayal of Native Americans by Hollywood. The Godfather was one of the most commercially successful films of all time, and alongside his Oscar-nominated performance in Last Tango in Paris (1972), Brando reestablished himself in the ranks of top box-office stars. After a hiatus in the early 1970s, Brando was generally content with being a highly paid character actor in supporting roles, such as Jor-El in Superman (1978), as Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (1979), and Adam Steiffel in The Formula (1980), before taking a nine-year break from film. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Brando was paid a record $3.7 million ($16 million in inflation-adjusted dollars) and 11.75% of the gross profits for 13 days' work on Superman. Brando was ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth-greatest movie star among male movie stars whose screen debuts occurred in or before 1950. He was one of only six actors named in 1999 by Time magazine in its list of the 100 Most Important People of the Century. In this list, Time also designated Brando as the "Actor of the Century".

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 3, 1924
Died
July 1, 2004 (aged 80)
From
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Works as
Actor, also director and writer
Titles
48 on MovieCove · 58 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 14% in 30 days

What are Marlon Brando's films like?

Across their 49 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
23%
Self
19%
Bonds
18%
Power
17%
Society
9%
Survival
8%
Ideas
6%
Identity10 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love9 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom7 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 49 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 15 · Serious 11 · Dark 23

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 19 · Stylized 23 · Heightened 7

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 10 · Charged 21 · Intense 18

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 18 · Shifting 26 · Whiplash 5

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 37 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 6

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 29 · Even-paced 20 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 20 · Engaged 21 · Full focus 8

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 16 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 20

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 32 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 9

Roles they play

45 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 16 of 45 analyzed roles.

Hero
16 of 45
Shadow
13 of 45
Mentor
6 of 45
Trickster
4 of 45
Shapeshifter
3 of 45
Threshold guardian
3 of 45
Show the 45 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
31
Melancholic
18
Dread
13
Romantic
12
Contemplative
11
Other
52

How their films linger

Thought-provoking18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet18
  • Tragic11
  • Ambiguous8
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Marlon Brando's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 26 of their 48 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Marlon Brando's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

58 credits, 48 with a MovieCove page; 78 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Mickey Rourke: Just Like a Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation(2020)

    as Stanley

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood(2019)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Hollywood, No Sex Please!(2018)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen(2012)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Vixen Highway 2006: It Came from Uranus! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Thanks

  • Hollywood sul Tevere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Actor

  • Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut(2006)

    as Jor-El

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Superman Returns(2006)

    as Jor-El

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Lost in "The Thinking" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Jor-El (archive footage)

  • Michael Jackson: The One(2004)

    as Boss (segment: You Rock My World)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Score(2001)

    as Max

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Free Money(1998)

    as Warden Sven 'The Swede' Sorenson

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Brave(1997)

    as McCarthy

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Island of Dr. Moreau(1996)

    as Dr. Moreau

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Stanley Kowalski / Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier (archive footage)

  • Don Juan DeMarco(1994)

    as Dr. Jack Mickler

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • In the Name of the Father(1993)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Don Vito Corleone

  • Christopher Columbus: The Discovery(1992)

    as Tomas de Torquemada

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Freshman(1990)

    as Carmine Sabatini, aka Jimmy The Toucan

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • A Dry White Season(1989)

    as Ian McKenzie

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Black Leather Jacket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Johnny Strabler (segment "The Wild One") (archive footage)

  • The Formula(1980)

    as Adam Steiffel

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Apocalypse Now(1979)

    as Colonel Walter Kurtz

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Roots: The Next Generations(1979)

    Show 1 episode · as George Lincoln Rockwell

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Superman(1978)

    as Jor-El

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 4 episodes · as Don Vito Corleone

  • The Missouri Breaks(1976)

    as Robert E. Lee Clayton

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Last Tango in Paris(1972)

    as Paul

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Godfather(1972)

    as Don Vito Corleone

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Nightcomers(1971)

    as Peter Quint

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Burn!(1969)

    as Sir William Walker

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Night of the Following Day(1969)

    as Chauffeur

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Candy(1968)

    as Grindl

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Reflections in a Golden Eye(1967)

    as Maj. Weldon Penderton

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • A Countess from Hong Kong(1967)

    as Ogden Mears

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Appaloosa(1966)

    as Matt

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Chase(1966)

    as Sheriff Calder

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Morituri(1965)

    as Robert Crain

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Bedtime Story(1964)

    as Freddy Benson

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Ugly American(1963)

    as Ambassador Harrison Carter MacWhite

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Mutiny on the Bounty(1962)

    Writer · as First Lieutnant Fletcher Christian

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • One-Eyed Jacks(1961)

    Director · as Rio

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Fugitive Kind(1960)

    as Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Young Lions(1958)

    as Lt. Christian Diestl

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Sayonara(1957)

    as Major Lloyd Gruver

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Teahouse of the August Moon(1956)

    as Sakini

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Guys and Dolls(1955)

    as Sky Masterson

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • MGM Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Désirée(1954)

    as Napoleon Bonaparte

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • On the Waterfront(1954)

    as Terry Malloy

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Wild One(1953)

    as Johnny Strabler

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Julius Caesar(1953)

    as Mark Antony

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Viva Zapata!(1952)

    as Emiliano Zapata

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • A Streetcar Named Desire(1951)

    as Stanley Kowalski

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Men(1950)

    as Ken

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 56 titles from 1950 to 2022; peak year 1979.

Biggest box office

Superman Returns (2006)

$391M worldwide

Highest rated

The Godfather (1972)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19502022

Peak 1979 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 32 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting54 of 56: 53 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stDirecting1 of 56: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 56: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1950s12 · acting1960s13 · 13 acting · 1 crew1970s8 · acting1980s3 · acting1990s10 · 9 acting · 1 crew2000s5 · acting2010s4 · 3 acting · 1 crew2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 65% of 43 roles
505565708095

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Marlon Brando's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 47; across their 49 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Approval · how many liked their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Midcredits score across 48 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up24
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

30 of their 48 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser30
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood (2019)

81st percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Godfather (1972)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 45 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Marlon Brando's work okay for kids?

Across up to 27 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore17 titles31–87 · median 47 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity27 titles11–63 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity15 titles16–78 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs15 titles28–52 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense15 titles21–70 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Marlon Brando work with?

People who share at least 2 of Marlon Brando's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Francis Ford Coppola shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles