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| 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.
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.
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| 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.”
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| 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.
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| 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.”
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| 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.
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| 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.
