Marlon Brando, Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor, film director, and activist. He is credited with helping to popularize the
Stanislavski system of acting, today more commonly referred to as
method acting. A
cultural icon, Brando is most famous for his
Academy Award-winning performances as Terry Malloy in
On the Waterfront (1954) and
Vito Corleone in
The Godfather (1972), as well as influential performances in
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951),
Viva Zapata! (1952),
Julius Caesar (1953),
The Wild One (1953),
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967),
Last Tango in Paris (1972), and
Apocalypse Now (1979). Brando was also an
activist for many causes, notably the
African-American Civil Rights Movement and various
American Indian movements.