Even if you weren’t born during Marlon Brando’s lifetime (the actor passed away in 2004, at the age of 80), you’re likely familiar with the name, and at least a handful of his movies. He had some high-profile film roles in the 1950s, and continued to work over the following decades, sometimes having small roles in very big movies (like 1978’s Superman and the following year’s Apocalypse Now).
When it comes to the actor’s most committed and legendary performances, they’re almost certainly for the two movies that won Brando Oscars. There were six other films he starred in that earned him nominations, and most of these are worthy of mention, too. Nominations and wins alike are ranked below, providing a look at those performances of Brando’s that voters at the Academy Awards seemed to be particularly big fans of.
8 ‘Sayonara’ (1957)
Nominated for best Actor in a Leading Role
Marlon Brando had one hell of a run throughout the 1950s, earning four Best Actor nominations in a row, and then, three years later, earning his fifth nomination for My sayard. This is a romantic drama that’s a little obscure and also not great, but it’s okay for its time, as a movie that explores prejudice and (at the time) taboo relationships, following US military personnel who are stationed at an air base in Japan.
It’s not to My sayard’s favor that the whole thing ends up being nearly 2.5 hours long, which makes the film dragsince there isn’t quite enough by way of narrative, scope, or complexity to keep it going that long. For a melodrama of its time, you could certainly do worse, but if you’re looking at Oscar-nominated Marlon Brando movies, you could (well, will) do better, as the following movies will hopefully show.
7 ‘A Dry White Season’ (1989)
Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
A Dry White Season was the last movie that earned Marlon Brando an Oscar nomination, and is also noteworthy because out of his eight nominations, this was the only one that wasn’t for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Donald Sutherland plays the main character here instead; specifically, he’s a white teacher in apartheid-era South Africa who looks into the death in custody of a young black boy.
It turns into something of a courtroom drama, too, with Brando playing the lawyer Sutherland’s character hires for help. As a drama that looks at social issues and unpacks racism quite bluntly, A Dry White Season sort of works, even if parts of it might feel naturally dated or a little too in-your-face. Again, it’s one of those “probably fair for its day” kind of movies.
6 ‘Live Zapata!’ (1952)
Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role
A biographical film that earned Marlon Brando his second Oscar nomination, Long live Zapata! sees the actor portraying Emiliano Zapatawho was a Mexican revolutionary best known for, well, being a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of the 1910s. Brando playing Zapata is a bit of an odd casting decision by today’s standards, but the 1950s was a different time and had, you know, different standards, for better or worse.
As for the quality of the film itself, it’s just fine. It retells a dramatic story in a fashion that could’ve benefited from being a little more hard-hitting or impactful somehow, but at least there was some attempt here. And Brando probably disappeared into the role fairly well for the time (again, when watching it today, it’s a little distracting to see him play a Mexican man, but oh well).
5 ‘Julius Caesar’ (1953)
Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Another significant early Marlon Brando movie, Julius Caesardoes not see the actor playing the titular role, but instead playing Mark Antony. And that is a bigger role, of course, seeing as (spoilers) Caesar himself dies pretty early on. Nah, no spoilers. It’s history. And the film – as an adaptation of the Shakespeare play – is about the aftermath of Caesar’s assassination, and the inevitable chaos that ensues.
As a movie, it’s faithful to the play from beginning to end, pretty much, which does ultimately make it feel a bit stagey and not wholly cinematic. Still, when the play is as solid as it is, and the acting’s all similarly strong, what you get with Julius Caesar is a pretty good Shakespeare adaptation. If you can’t see a live performance of the actual play, then this movie has pretty much got to be the next best thing.
-4 ‘Last Tango in Paris’ (1972)
Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Without a doubt, Last Tango in Paris is one of the most controversial erotic/romance films of all time, and it’s a difficult one to assess, as a result. If you’re able to separate the film from aspects of its production, then sure, it has a good deal to offer, and is technically well-made, provocative, and thought-provoking… but also, lines were crossed, and you have to acknowledge that, to some extent.
But, for what Last Tango in Paris does do right, it’s still getting ranked here; it would feel a little out of balance to say it was the worst film Brando was nominated for, since there are things here that make it a good movie, just as there are things here (at least behind-the-scenes) that make it a difficult movie. Let’s leave it there.
3 ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ (1951)
Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role
A star-making role in every sense of the term, A Streetcar Named Desire was the second film Marlon Brando ever starred in, and has always remained one of his best movies. It’s another somewhat stagey film, being an adaptation of a play and not feeling shy about letting you know that, but the strength of the dialogue and consistently big performances ultimately carry the entire thing.
There’s an emotional intensity to A Streetcar Named Desire that still feels raw to this day, and that’s high praise for a drama that’s well over 70 years old.
Narratively, A Streetcar Named Desire is about a tense living arrangement with three key people: a woman, her sister, and her brother-in-law (played by Brando). It feels of its time in some ways, but there’s also an emotional intensity to A Streetcar Named Desire that feels raw to this day, and that’s high praise for a drama that’s well over 70 years old at this point.
2 ‘On the Waterfront’ (1954)
Won Best Actor in a Leading Role
Marlon Brando won his first Oscar for On the Waterfrontdoing so when he was just 30 years old. He plays a down-on-his-luck dockworker named Terry Malloy here, with the story revolving around him standing up to corruption after he ends up being partially responsible for the death of someone close to him. From there, further challenges and tragedies ultimately ensue.
It has one of the best casts of the entire 1950s, and overall could well also be called one of the greatest films of all time. On the Waterfront has a grit and authenticity to it that still strikes pretty hard all these decades laterand there’s also a timeless quality to Brando’s performance here, which manages to be big yet also naturalistic at the same time.
1 ‘The Godfather’ (1972)
Won Best Actor in a Leading Role
What else could it be but The Godfather? Brando won his second Oscar for this movie, and it’s the performance for which he’ll probably always be best remembered. That being said, he’s not necessarily as front and center here as he was in On the Waterfront, given the movie is ultimately about To the Pacino’s character, Michael Corleone, taking over the family business from Vito (Brando), but still, Brando was in the film enough to win Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Also, even if he’s not in every scene, he steals just about all the ones he does appear in, which is saying a lot when the quality of acting across the board is so high. Otherwise, what else can be said about The Godfather? It’s another all-timer, and might well be “the” gangster movie in the eyes of many. That’s that, you know?
NEXT: Movie Endings That Hit You Like a Ton of Bricks
