antiTainment NEWS: Marlon Brando 1924-2004

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07-04-04
. He was more than a contender; Marlon Brando was a champ of the silver screen that really propelled the art in a different direction when he popularized method acting. His onscreen passion connected with audiences and inspired a new generation of actors with films like “A Street Car Named Desire”, “On the Waterfront”, and the title character in the grand-daddy of all mafia films, “The Godfather”. 

The world lost one of the greats on Thursday when Brando passed away in Los Angeles. Brando died of lung failure at 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening at the UCLA Medical Center. Since his passing, Hollywood stars have gone on record singing his praises but as Francis Ford Coppola said Friday, "Marlon would hate the idea of people chiming in to give their comments about his death. All I'll say is that it makes me sad he's gone." 

So out of respect we will not post such comments here, but the best testament to the man can be found at the local video store. He left behind a body of work that many actors strive to match but fall far short of. 

AP reports that the funeral will be a private affair, according to Brando’s attorney David J. Seeley. 

As people reflect on Brando’s career in the coming weeks, we are left with one of his most ironic and memorable line, "I coulda been a contender ... I coulda been somebody ..."  No one can dispute that in life Brando went far beyond being just somebody. 
 
 
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