An Angry Spirit Plagued Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando

I was surprised to read a short account recently that mentioned the famous actor Marlon Brando felt a ghost haunted him. 

Brandon died in July of 2004, at age 80. The decade before his death, he told friends and family that an angry ghost plagued his life.

In earlier years, Brando had actually become obsessed with the paranormal. This was not widely known for despite his celebrity Brandon managed to lead a private life—at least up until his oldest son Christian committed manslaughter.

Brando rose to fame in the The 1940s and 50s after attending the Actors’ Studio, where he learned the Method Approach. Method acting emphasizes characters’ motivations.

Streetcar Named Desire

He gained celebrity status after starring in Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire in 1947. He played the role of Stanley Kowalski—a brute that rapes his sister-in-law the fragile Blanche DuBois.

His early film roles, The Wild One and On the Waterfront, both in 1954 made him an international star. His became known as one of Hollywood’s “Bad Boys.”

As Don Corleone

His career had many ups and downs. He had a successful comeback in 1971 when he starred as Mafia chieftain Don Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. But his ongoing struggle with weight precluded him from receiving roles.

Brando, a womanizer, was married three times and had eleven children, five of them in wedlock. He had three others with a housekeeper and three from affairs. 

In 1991, Brando oldest son Christian became involved in a fight with his half sister’s fiancé, Dag Drollet. He felt Drollet was abusing Cheyenne, who was pregnant. He shot Drollet in the face during this struggle. Christian was drunk at the time.

Cheyenne Brando with
Dag Drollet

Brando, who was in the house during this fight, administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Drollet and then called 911. At Christian’s trial, he said, “I tried to be a good father, I did the best I could.”

Brando with Christian
during trial.

Christian received a ten-year prison sentence for manslaughter. He was released 5 years later. He found himself in trouble again in 2005, accused of spousal abuse. He died from a diagnosed case of pneumonia in 2008.

Cheyenne struggled with drug addiction for years. She spent time in and out of drug rehab as well as mental hospitals. After Dag’s death, she fell into a deep depression and became a recluse. Her mother, Tarita Teriiparia, was given custody of her child.

In 1995, while visiting her mother over Easter, she committed suicide by hanging herself at age 25. She once said she despised her father—for he ignored her as a child.

Cheyenne with Brando

Friends and family, including Brando’s former wife, Anna Kashfi stated after these two painful episodes Brando was traumatized. He believed that Dag Drollet’s angry ghost haunted him.

He experienced sheets being violently ripped from his bed as he lay in it. He also heard a voice whisper repeatedly, “I should not have died.” These incidents were said to terrify Brando.

Always fascinated by the paranormal, Brando spent the last few years of his life developing a project that involved the famous legend of the Angel of Mons. I share information about this legend here.

He collaborated on this paranormal project with the Hollywood director, Tony Kaye. He hoped Brando would portray the main character in their story. But Brando died before the script was complete.