Marlon Brando is the Oscar-winning thespian who both delighted and perplexed his fans with his Method-inspired performances and disdain for his profession, marked by increasingly bizarre behavior on and off set. Yet several of his movies remain classics despite his many career ups-and-downs. Let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1924, Brando studied the Stanislavski system under acting coach Stella Adler, who encouraged her students to explore inner and external turmoil within their characters. He shot to stardom on both the stage and screen with his performance in Tennessee Williams‘ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” in which he brought a startling naturalism and reality mixed with vulnerability, machismo, and humor to the character of Stanley Kowalski. The 1951 film version brought him his first Oscar nomination as Best Actor.
He picked up a statuette just three years later for playing a ex-prize fighter in “On the Waterfront” (1954), which reunited him with his “Streetcar” director Elia Kazan. 18 years after that, he collected a second Best Actor prize for his startling transformation as a Mafia don in Francis Ford Coppola‘s “The Godfather” (1972). Though he happily accepted his first award, he famously declined the second one due to the treatment of Native Americans in the entertainment industry, sending actress Sacheen Littlefeather to accept on his behalf.
Brando earned five more Oscar nominations throughout his career: Best Actor for “Viva Zapata!” (1952), “Julius Caesar” (1953), “Sayonara” (1957), and “Last Tango in Paris” (1973), and Best Supporting Actor for “A Dry White Season” (1989). On the TV side, he collected an Emmy for his performance in “Roots: The Next Generation” (Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actor in 1979).
Tour our photo gallery of Brando’s 20 greatest films, including the titles mentioned above, plus “Superman,” “Apocalypse Now,” “The Wild One” and more.
-
20. REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE (1967)
Image Credit: GTV Archive/REX/Shutterstock Directed by John Huston. Screenplay by Gladys Hill and Chapman Mortimer, based on the novel by Carson McCullers. Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Brian Keith, Julie Harris, Robert Forster, Zorro David.
John Huston’s “Reflections in a Golden Eye” is, to put it mildly, one of the most bizarre films to come out during the transition from the studio system to the New Hollywood, when loosening censorship gave way to more daring subject matter being presented onscreen. Based on the novel by Carson McCullers, it stars Brando as a closeted army major stationed at a Georgia military base in the 1940s. When his ball-busting wife (Elizabeth Taylor) begins an affair, his attentions drift towards a handsome young private (Robert Forster). Audiences howled at its operatic emotions, overt symbolism and campy plot twists, yet all of that combines into a haunting, steamy examination of human sexuality.
-
19. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1962)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Lewis Milestone. Screenplay by Charles Lederer, based on the novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Starring Trevor Howard, Richard Harris, Hugh Griffith, Richard Haydn, Tarita Teriipaia.
A massively expensive Technicolor remake of 1935’s Academy Awards champ, “Mutiny on the Bounty” was a box office bomb that nevertheless managed to snag seven Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) by sheer studio campaigning alone. Brando is Fletcher Christian, 1st Lieutenant of the “HMS Bounty,” a British ship that sets sail for Tahiti in 1787. The harsh conditions imposed under the leadership of Captain Bligh (Trevor Howard) force a mutiny led by his second-in-command. Various on-set problems beset the film, from original director Carol Reed quitting to Brando’s ad-libbing antics to a tempestuous location. What remains is a curiously staid epic that’s great to look at, but a little flat.
-
18. GUYS AND DOLLS (1955)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Ben Hecht, based on the musical by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling (book), Frank Loesser (music and lyrics), and Damon Runyon (stories). Starring Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine.
Casting Brando in “Guys and Dolls,” a lavish adaptation of the long-running Broadway hit, was met with dubious skepticism, to say the least. Yet the deadly serious Method actor proves to be a great match for the material, which is, after all, based on a series of short stories written by Damon Runyon, the patron saint of tough guys. He plays Sky Masterson, a gambler who agrees to take a saintly and stern missionary (Jean Simmons) to Havana as a ploy to finance a craps game. But he ends up falling in love with her despite the odds. Frank Sinatra is a highlight as fellow gambler Nathan Detroit, who sets the bet in motion. The box office hit earned four Oscar nominations and won two Golden Globes: Best Comedy/Musical Film and Best Comedy/Musical Actress (Simmons). Brando, meanwhile, went unrecognized for his singing and dancing skills.
-
17. THE YOUNG LIONS (1958)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Screenplay by Edward Anhalt, based on the novel by Irwin Shaw. Starring Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin, Hope Lang, Barbara Rush, May Britt, Maximilian Schell, Lee Van Cleef.
This rousing adaptation of Irwin Shaw’s epic novel centers on three disparate soldiers during WWII: a German (Brando) disillusioned with Nazism; a Jewish American (Montgomery Clift) who has to deal with antisemitism within his own ranks; and an entertainer (Dean Martin) drafted into service just as his career is taking off. Though trimmed for censorship concerns, director Edward Dmytryk and screenwriter Edward Anhalt capture the scope and intimacy of the original story. The film snagged Oscar nominations for its gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, propulsive sound, and sweeping score. Brando also competed at BAFTA.
-
16. SAYONARA (1957)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Joshua Logan. Screenplay by Paul Osborn, based on the novel by James Michener. Starring Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott, Miiko Taka, Miyoshi Umeki, Red Buttons, Ricardo Montalban.
Brando spent his life advocating on behalf of social justice, becoming an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement. So it’s little wonder he’d make “Sayonara,” a Korean War drama centered on racism and prejudice. He plays Major Lloyd Gruver, a US Air Force serviceman stationed in Kobe who falls in love with a beautiful Japanese performer (Miiko Taka). Like a fellow cadet (Red Buttons) recently married to a Japanese woman (Miyoshi Umeki), he finds himself at odds with bigoted Army officials who oppose interracial marriage. Though a tad heavy-handed in its messaging, it still benefits from strong performances and gorgeous location shooting. The film earned 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, winning four: supporting prizes for Buttons and Umeki, art direction, and sound. Brando contended in Best Actor, losing to Alec Guinness (“The Bridge on the River Kwai”).
-
15. JULIUS CAESAR (1955)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written for the screen and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the play by William Shakespeare. Starring James Mason, John Gielgud, Louis Calhern, Edmond O’Brien, Greer Garson, Deborah Kerr.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz brings Shakespeare’s epic historical play to the big screen to stellar results. The all-star cast features Brando as Mark Antony, James Mason as Brutus, John Gielgud as Cassius, Louis Calhern as Julius Caesar, Edmond O’Brien as Casca, Greer Garson as Calpurnia, and Deborah Kerr as Portia, each one tearing into their juicy roles. Producer John Houseman mounts an impressive production, with Oscar-winning art direction recreating the palaces and colosseums of ancient Rome. The film earned a Best Picture nomination and brought Brando a Best Actor bid, plus a BAFTA as Best Foreign Actor (he lost at the Academy to William Holden in “Stalag 17”).
-
14. THE CHASE (1966)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Arthur Penn. Screenplay by Lillian Hellman, based on the novel and play by Horton Foote. Starring Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, E. G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, James Fox.
“The Chase” was far from a happy experience for the filmmakers involved, with director Arthur Penn clashing frequently with producer Sam Spiegel. Yet the results speak for themselves, and time has rendered this once largely dismissed flop into a forgotten little gem. Brando stars as Calder, sheriff of a small Texas town who’s in the pocket of a rich oil tycoon (E. G. Marshall). When local criminal Bubber Reeves (Robert Redford) breaks out of prison, Calder has to hunt him down before he finds out the oilman’s son (James Fox) is sleeping with his wife, Anna (Jane Fonda). Penn and screenwriter Lillian Hellman use this as a way to explore issues of racism, corruption, and sexuality, while at the same time crafting an exciting and entertaining Southern thriller.
-
13. THE MEN (1950)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Written by Carl Foreman. Starring Teresa Wright, Everett Sloane, Jack Webb, Richard Erdman, Virginia Farmer, Dorothy Tree, Howard St. John.
Brando made his film debut with Fred Zinnemann’s sensitive and penetrating character study about the scars of combat. He plays Ken, a World War II veteran who returns home paralyzed and embittered. As he adjusts to life in a wheelchair, he slowly but surely learns to more fully appreciate his life. Although it leans towards the sermonizing and didacticism typical of Stanley Kramer productions, “The Men” nevertheless benefits from Brando’s performance, which brought a refreshing vulnerability to masculine characters. It’s the kind of role that would make characterize the actor’s career, making him an icon for future performers. Carl Forman earned an Oscar nomination for his screenplay.
-
12. SUPERMAN (1978)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Dc Comics/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Richard Donner. Screenplay by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton, story by Puzo, based on the DC Comics character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Starring Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Phyllis Thaxter, Susannah York.
It seems almost quaint to remember a time when superhero movies didn’t dominate the box office, but such was the cinematic landscape before Richard Donner’s “Superman” changed the game. At $55 million, it the most expensive film ever made, with a huge chunk of that cash going to Brando as the caped crusader’s (Christopher Reeve) intergalactic father, Jor-El, and Gene Hackman as his arch-nemesis, Lex Luther. Yet it’s that A-list treatment that proved comic books didn’t have to be make for B-movies, pointing the way towards “Batman,” “X-Men,” the Marvel MCU, and countless others. Credit goes to the actors, who manage to play it straight while at the same time winking-at-the-camera, and its groundbreaking special effects, which upped the ante for genre filmmaking.
-
11. BURN! (1969)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. Written by Franco Solinas and Giorgio Arlorio. Starring Evaristo Marquez, Renato Salvatori, Dana Ghia.
Brando teamed up with Italian maestro Gillo Pontecorvo, fresh off his Oscar-nominated “The Battle of Algiers,” for this daring, incendiary look at colonialism. He plays Sir William Walker, a mercenary sent by Britain to a fictional Portuguese island to improve their sugar trade. He plans to instigate an uprising amongst the island’s African slaves, which would in turn lead to the local government being replaced by compliant white planters. Though at times muddled in its messaging, the film is always visually striking, and Brando delivers a typically fiery turn. Ed Harris played the same character years later in Alex Cox’s “Walker” (1987).
-
10. THE FUGITIVE KIND (1960)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Sidney Lumet. Screenplay by Meade Roberts and Tennessee Williams, based on the play “Orpheus Descending” by Williams. Starring Anna Magnani, Joanne Woodward, Maureen Stapleton, Victory Jory.
Brando launched to stardom with Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” first on the stage, then on the screen. So it’s little wonder he would return to the Williams well with “The Fugitive Kind,” adapted from his play “Orpheus Descending.” He plays Val Xavier, a snakeskin-clad drifter trying to better his life. He arrives at a sleepy Mississippi town and finds work at a general store run by the sexually-repressed Lady Torrance (Anna Magnani), whom he quickly romances along with the alcoholic hellcat Carol Cutrere (Joanne Woodward). Director Sidney Lumet elicits outstanding performances from his cast, including Maureen Stapleton as a local artist. Though it failed to receive the same level of acclaim as “Streetcar,” the film nevertheless holds up as a steamy, compelling character drama.
-
9. A DRY WHITE SEASON (1989)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Euzhan Palcy. Screenplay by Colin Welland and Euzhan Palcy, based on the novel by Andre P. Brink. Starring Donald Sutherland, Janet Suzman, Zakes Mokae, Winston Ntshona, Susan Sarandon.
Brando took a nine year break from acting following the failure of his Razzie-nominated turn in “The Formula” (1980). He came out of retirement to costar in “A Dry White Season,” a project that spoke to his own lifelong commitment to social justice and civil rights. Set in apartheid-era South Africa, it centers on a schoolteacher (Donald Sutherland) who keeps himself out of local politics until his black gardener (Winston Ntshona) is victimized by racial violence. He enlists the help of a prominent lawyer (Brando) to bring the matter to trial, inspiring the ire of white police officials. Brando steals the show in just a handful of scenes as a brilliant attorney given to grand, theatrical gestures. The role brought him a Supporting Actor nomination, which he lost to Denzel Washington (“Glory”). Of special note: with this film, Euzhan Palcy became the first black woman to direct a major Hollywood production.
-
8. VIVA ZAPATA! (1952)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Elia Kazan. Written by John Steinbeck. Starring Jean Peters, Anthony Quinn, Joseph Wiseman, Arnold Moss, Alan Reed, Margo, Harold Gordon, Lou Gilbert, Frank Silvera, Mildred Dunnock.
Admittedly, it’s a bit jarring to see Brando donning dark makeup and a thick accent to play Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata in this epic biopic. Still, Elia Kazan’s “Viva Zapata!” is a rousing retelling of his life, from his peasant upbringing to his rebellion against the tyrannical dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz (Fay Roope). Anthony Quinn won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for playing Zapata’s hard-drinking, skirt-chasing brother, Eufemio. And questionable makeup aside, Brando does get to the heart of the enigmatic Zapata, a man thrust into leadership almost by chance. He contended in Best Actor, losing to Gregory Peck (“High Noon”), although did win the BAFTA as Best Foreign Actor, so at least he walked away with some hardware for the performance.
-
7. ONE-EYED JACKS (1961)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Marlon Brando. Screenplay by Guy Trosper and Calder Willingham, based on the novel ‘The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones’ by Charles Neider. Starring Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Pina Pellicer, Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens.
After falling into public domain, Brando’s lone directorial outing languished in cheaply-produced home video copies before Criterion swooped in and released it on Blu-ray. It’s a fitting presentation for a forgotten gem that was largely dismissed in its time as an overlong, overindulgent vanity project. Yet that’s an unfair characterization for this oddball western about a bandit (Brando) seeking revenge against a former partner (Karl Malden) who left him to die after a bank robbery. Charles Lang earned an Oscar nomination for his Technicolor cinematography (which can finally be seen in all its glory), while Brando snagged a DGA bid as Best Director; sadly, the Academy wasn’t as keen on nominating actor-directors back then as they are now.
-
6. THE WILD ONE (1953)
Image Credit: Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Laszlo Benedek. Screenplay by John Paxton and Ben Maddow, based on the short story ‘The Cyclists’ Raid’ by Frank Rooney. Starring Mary Murphy, Robert Keith, Lee Marvin, Peggy Maley.
The original biker flick, “The Wild One” cemented Brando’s reputation as a bad boy with a soft side. In a performance that inspired countless imitators (not to mention parodies), he plays Johnny Strabler, leader of a motorcycle gang that descends upon a small California town. His quest for destruction is quieted when he falls in love with the sweet-natured Kathie (Mary Murphy), whose father (Robert Keith) happens to be the local police chief. But going straight is complicated by the arrival of a rival gang leader (Lee Marvin) who brings added mayhem. Perhaps best known for the famous exchange in which local girl Mildred (Peggy Maley) asks Johnny what he’s rebelling against, to which he replies: “What’ve you got?” Few people may remember the context, but no one misunderstands the intent.
-
5. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
Image Credit: Snap Stills/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Screenplay by John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola, narration by Michael Herr, based on ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad. Starring Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Larry Fishburne, Dennis Hopper.
“The horror. The horror,” whispers Col. Kurtz (Brando), and throughout Francis Ford Coppola’s haunting Vietnam War saga, we see firsthand the horrors of which he speaks. Based in part on Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” it centers on Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), who’s sent on a perilous mission through Cambodia to assassinate the renegade Kurtz. After a long and deadly journey on a riverboat, he finds the colonel living as a deity amongst a local tribe, quoting poetry while recounting the terrors that drove him mad. Critics of the film often point to the third act as where it goes off the tracks, yet its in this section that Coppola gets to the true heart of darkness of his material, showing the fragile tightrope on which a happy existence exists. After winning the Palme d’Or, the film earned eight Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and won two (cinematography and sound).
-
4. LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1973)
Image Credit: Pea/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Written by Bernardo Bertolucci, Franco Arcalli, Agnes Varda, and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Starring Maria Schneider, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Maria Michi, Massimo Girotti, Giovanna Galletti.
Questions have abounded in recent years about the making of “Last Tango in Paris,” of whether or not Bernardo Bertolucci went too far during the filming of a rape scene involving Brando, Maria Schneider, and butter. Some say the action was real, while others contend it was simply the use of butter — which was improvised on the day — that caught Schneider off guard and led to her sense of violation. While the details remain murky, there’s no denying the films awesome emotional impact, which centers on a middle aged American (Brando) living in Paris reeling from the death of his wife. He enters into an clandestine affair with a younger Parisian woman (Schneider) who’s set to marry a boring young man (Jean-Pierre Leaud). Though best remembered for its explicit sex scenes, it also contains some of the actor’s most piercing work, particularly a scene where he confronts his dead wife’s body. The role earned him an Oscar nomination as Best Actor, which he lost to Jack Lemmon (“Save the Tiger”).
-
3. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Elia Kazan. Screenplay by Tennessee Williams, based on his play. Starring Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden.
Is there a sexier scene in cinema history than the one when Stanley Kowalski (Brando) — drenched in sweat and clad in a ripped T-shirt — beckons his wife (Kim Hunter) into his arms by screaming “Hey Stella!” to her? In adapting Tennessee Williams’ taboo-shattering stage hit, Kazan (who also directed the original Broadway production) fills the screen with so much heat you might need a shower afterwards. Best Actress winner Vivien Leigh is the genteel, disturbed Blanche DuBois, who clashes with her brutish brother-in-law (Brando) after moving into her sister’s (Supporting Actress victor Hunter) New Orleans apartment. Despite her best efforts to start afresh with a new beau (Supporting Actor champ Karl Malden), her life quickly unravels. Brando shot to stardom by reprising his stage role, ushering in a new generation of Method-inspired leading men. Despite critical acclaim, he was the only cast member to go home empty-handed on Oscar night, losing Best Actor to Humphrey Bogart (“The African Queen”).
-
2. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
Image Credit: SNAP/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Elia Kazan. Screenplay by Budd Schulberg, suggested by ‘Crime on the Waterfront’ by Malcolm Johnson. Starring Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, Eva Marie Saint.
It’s hard to watch “On the Waterfront” without considering the circumstances under which it was made. Elia Kazan directed this story of an ex-prizefighter-turned-longshoreman (Brando) who testifies against his corrupt union bosses as justification for his own decision to name fellow filmmakers to the House Un-American Activities Committee, a choice that forever blemished his reputation. Yet Kazan’s past does nothing to diminish the impact of his film, in which Brando’s Method-inspired performance steered screen acting towards a more naturalistic approach. Its most famous scene, Terry’s “I coulda been a contender” speech to his older brother Charley (Rod Steiger) — who has pulled a gun on him in the backseat of a taxi — retains its power despite countless imitations (including Robert De Niro in “Raging Bull”). The film swept the Oscars, taking home eight trophies including Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress (Eva Marie Saint as the love interest), and Screenplay (Budd Schulberg).
-
1. THE GODFATHER (1972)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Written by Mario Puzo and Coppola, based on the book by Puzo. Starring Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton.
It’s an interesting comment on American culture that our most profound illustration of the importance of family comes from a film about the Mafia, yet that’s the ultimate takeaway from Francis Ford Coppola’s beloved masterpiece. “The Godfather” centers on Don Vito Corleone (Brando), the aging patriarch of a crime syndicate who must transfer power to his reluctant son, Michael (Al Pacino). As Michael slowly learns the true thickness of blood, his wide-eyed idealism is slowly chipped away at, leading to a shattering conclusion. Brando famously transformed himself through makeup and method acting to play the Don, creating an oft-imitated character that sticks in the minds of viewers even when he’s offscreen. The box office smash won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Coppola and Mario Puzo). (Brando famously refused his statuette due to the treatment of Native Americans in movies, sending actress Sacheen Littlefeather to accept on his behalf.)
