Marlon Brando

by Patricia Bosworth

Published 22 August 2001
From moody Omaha teenager to Method-trained star with the face of a poet to eccentric recluse in his later years, Marlon Brando offers a penetrating look at Brando's evolving persona and legendary roles: the volcanic Stanley Kowalski of A Streetcar Named Desire, the sensitive rebel of The Wild Ones, and the iconic Don Corleone of The Godfather. He achieved unparalleled critical acclaim for his many memorable characters. Bosworth probes the influence of Brando's alcoholic parents on his acting, his decades of psychoanalysis, and his tumultuous personal relationships. Here, from rebellious unknown to reluctant idol to falling star, is the complex, charismatic genius who changed the face of acting. Patricia Bosworth is an acclaimed biographer whose work includes A Portrait of Montgomery Clift, praised by Newsweek as 'the best film star biography in years.' Her firsthand knowledge of the entertainment industry infuses her writing with an intimacy and vividness that The Washington Post Book World calls 'extraordinary.' In Marlon Brando she evokes the magnetic sexuality, passion, and vulnerability of the icon and the man.