Marlon Brando — the man, the myth, the actor who loved to hear people speculate about which actors he’s slept with — often feels larger than life. But even though he was one of the biggest actors during Hollywood’s golden age, he was also a real human being (and occasionally a jerk if Christopher Reeves has anything to say about it).
Born on April 3, 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska, Brando demonstrated acting talent from a young age and began his career on Broadway. He ascended to stardom following his role in A Streetcar Named Desire and would go on to star in films like Julius Caesar and On the Waterfront. While his career is prolific, Millennial and Gen Z audiences will primarily recognize him for playing Vito Corleone in the 1972 classic The Godfather and for the time he refused to accept the Oscar for Best Actor for that same role.
Speaking of The Godfather, Brando’s Italian, right? Right?
They massacred my boy(‘s ethnicity)
I hope you’re sitting down because, Brando is not Italian. Multiple sources cite Brando as being of German, Irish, Dutch, and English descent. According to Stefan Kanfer’s book Somebody: The Reckless Life and Remarkable Career of Marlon Brando, the actor’s last name, which admittedly sounds pretty Italian, comes from his ancestor, a German immigrant named Johann Wilhelm Brandau. Not so Italian now, huh?
Brando’s grandson Shane Brando competed on season 3 of Claim to Fame and nearly took it all, if not for a pesky clue related to The Godfather. Even sans Italian heritage, we can’t deny Brando played that role convincingly! But if they wanted to hint at Brando’s heritage, it may have been more accurate to reference Ireland.
In the 1990s, Brando embraced his Irish heritage for a period while filming the movie Divine Rapture and even considered applying for citizenship. The short-lived love affair with Ireland ended as abruptly as it started when the film “collapsed into financial ruin,” according to a report by the Irish Independent.