What do you think?
Rate this book
The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando – The Definitive Biography from Private Archives of a Cultural Icon and Social Activist
Entertainment Weekly' s BIG FALL BOOKS PREVIEW Selection Best Book of 2019 -- Publisher's Weekly Based on new and revelatory material from Brando’s own private archives, an award-winning film biographer presents a deeply-textured, ambitious, and definitive portrait of the greatest movie actor of the twentieth century, the elusive Marlon Brando, bringing his extraordinarily complex life into view as never before. The most influential movie actor of his era, Marlon Brando changed the way other actors perceived their craft. His approach was natural, honest, and deeply personal, resulting in performances―most notably in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront ―that are without parallel. Brando was heralded as the American Hamlet―the Yank who surpassed British stage royalty Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, and Ralph Richardson as the standard of greatness in the mid-twentieth century. Brando’s impact on American culture matches his professional significance; he both challenged and codified our ideas of masculinity and sexuality. Brando was also one of the first stars to use his fame as a platform to address social, political, and moral issues, courageously calling out America’s deeply rooted racism. William Mann’s brilliant biography of the Hollywood legend illuminates this culture icon for a new age. Mann astutely argues that Brando was not only a great actor but also a cultural soothsayer, a Cassandra warning us about the challenges to come. Brando’s admonitions against the monetization of nearly every aspect of the culture were prescient. His public protests against racial segregation and discrimination at the height of the Civil Rights movement―getting himself arrested at least once―were criticized as being needlessly provocative. Yet those actions of fifty years ago have become a model many actors follow today. Psychologically astute and masterfully researched, based on new and revelatory material, The Contender explores the star and the man in full, including the childhood traumas that reverberated through his professional and personal life. It is a dazzling biography of our nation’s greatest actor that is sure to become an instant classic. The Contender includes sixteen pages of photographs.
736 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2019
148 people are currently reading
1095 people want to read
About the author
William J. Mann
46 books255 followersAlso writes children's books under the pseudonym Geoffrey Huntington.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
June 1, 2023
"You could make a good case that no performance had more influence on modern film acting styles than [Marlon] Brando's work as Stanley Kowalski, Tennessee Williams' rough, sexually charged 'hero' [of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' in 1951]. Before this role, there was usually a certain restraint in American movie performances. Actors would portray violent emotions, but you could always sense to some degree a certain modesty that prevented them from displaying their feelings in raw nakedness. Brando held nothing back, and within a few years his was the style that dominated Hollywood." -- excerpt from an essay by film critic Roger Ebert
Since I'm 'Generation-X' (to put a label on it) my childhood introduction to a Brando performance came via his supporting appearance as Jor-El, the father of Superman in the 1978 blockbuster that pretty much birthed the now-ubiquitous cinematic superhero genre. I recall older family members joking about the character's pompadour hairstyle / wig, the costume that hid weight gain, and the actor's notable megabucks payday that could've resulted in the purchase of a small country. And yet even as a child I could see that Brando brought a certain grace to the role - he saves his only child from annihilation and faces his own death with bravery - and did not simply phone in his brief part. (I mean, he was not yukking it up like he was breezily guest-starring in the mid-60's Batman TV show.)
Well, then a young film fan grows up / older to check out movies such as The Wild One, On the Waterfront, and The Godfather and a realization creeps in that 'Superman's father' was a damned good actor, perhaps worthy of the plaudits that he was the best of his generation and revolutionary within the U.S. film industry. With Mann's biography The Contender - the title obviously copped from Brando's Oscar-winning performance as punchy boxer-turned-dockworker Terry Malloy - the author explores the performer's life and career in a unique way. Instead of the traditional A to Z / birth to death narrative he focuses on certain segments of Brando's existence - his teenage arrival in New York City for theater training and his first taste of Broadway acclaim in the mid/late 1940's; his wild 1950's Hollywood success, punctuated by his winning an Oscar for On the Waterfront; his 1960's severe disillusionment with acting and a turn towards a plethora of political and social issues; and his 1970's 'comeback' of sorts with The Godfather, which won him another Oscar (though infamously refused at the ceremony by proxy) and Last Tango in Paris to cement his status as a respected and influential performer in film. Interspersed throughout these chapters were many flashbacks / explanations to his traumatic Midwestern childhood - both parents were alcoholic, and both were unrepentant in their several extramarital affairs - and the ripple-effect problems he caused in his own later relationships and assignations. This is the type of book I snarkily refer to as "exhaustive, and exhausting," but yet I don't mean that in an insulting tone. It was very detailed, effective in its focus, and just a fascinating look into this non-traditional man's non-traditional life and career.
Since I'm 'Generation-X' (to put a label on it) my childhood introduction to a Brando performance came via his supporting appearance as Jor-El, the father of Superman in the 1978 blockbuster that pretty much birthed the now-ubiquitous cinematic superhero genre. I recall older family members joking about the character's pompadour hairstyle / wig, the costume that hid weight gain, and the actor's notable megabucks payday that could've resulted in the purchase of a small country. And yet even as a child I could see that Brando brought a certain grace to the role - he saves his only child from annihilation and faces his own death with bravery - and did not simply phone in his brief part. (I mean, he was not yukking it up like he was breezily guest-starring in the mid-60's Batman TV show.)
Well, then a young film fan grows up / older to check out movies such as The Wild One, On the Waterfront, and The Godfather and a realization creeps in that 'Superman's father' was a damned good actor, perhaps worthy of the plaudits that he was the best of his generation and revolutionary within the U.S. film industry. With Mann's biography The Contender - the title obviously copped from Brando's Oscar-winning performance as punchy boxer-turned-dockworker Terry Malloy - the author explores the performer's life and career in a unique way. Instead of the traditional A to Z / birth to death narrative he focuses on certain segments of Brando's existence - his teenage arrival in New York City for theater training and his first taste of Broadway acclaim in the mid/late 1940's; his wild 1950's Hollywood success, punctuated by his winning an Oscar for On the Waterfront; his 1960's severe disillusionment with acting and a turn towards a plethora of political and social issues; and his 1970's 'comeback' of sorts with The Godfather, which won him another Oscar (though infamously refused at the ceremony by proxy) and Last Tango in Paris to cement his status as a respected and influential performer in film. Interspersed throughout these chapters were many flashbacks / explanations to his traumatic Midwestern childhood - both parents were alcoholic, and both were unrepentant in their several extramarital affairs - and the ripple-effect problems he caused in his own later relationships and assignations. This is the type of book I snarkily refer to as "exhaustive, and exhausting," but yet I don't mean that in an insulting tone. It was very detailed, effective in its focus, and just a fascinating look into this non-traditional man's non-traditional life and career.
July 7, 2020
This is an interpretive work. In describing Marlon Brando’s personal and professional life, William Mann shows his subject’s character, his influence in theater/film and in the political issues he pursued. Mann is selective and his time line skips around - some years are skipped entirely.
After reading the book you can better understand these areas among others:
-Why such a great actor made so many bad movies.
-Sacheen Littlefeather’s acceptance of Brando’s second Academy Award.
- How his son came to shoot the father of his sister’s child.
-His late in life corpulence
-His bisexuality
- His 3 wives and 11 children
As Brando entered the scene, the philosophy that the director and the actor were in service to the writer’s text was giving way to the philosophy that director and actor should bring the character to the audience. Stella Adler was a strong proponent of this and Marlon was her star pupil. As the child of 2 alcoholics, one being a physically and emotionally abusive father, Marlon’s childhood gave him a wealth of emotion from which to draw his characters.
Mann shows how Marlon saw acting as a job and not a career. Hence, you have the refusal to promote, his dismissive attitude towards awards and the acceptance of lousy roles to pay the bills. Not being sucked into the Hollywood vortex he did not care if his criticism of the emerging consumer culture and being among the first of the stars to take up causes meant fewer roles. He was bisexual at a time that it was a career killer and made no attempt to cover it up. His childhood made him sympathetic to the plight of minorities and his anger at his father colored his relationships.
Mann shows you how Brando had many years in therapy with different therapists. Rage was a major issue. His rage (against his father and maybe subliminally his mother too) was destructive of people, primarily women, and property. At the end of his life, Marlon seemed only somewhat aware of his abusive treatment of women.
Brando's first wife, Anna Kashfi, may have equaled him in rage, but her side of this relationship is not explored. It seems that her complete unfitness as a mother should have convinced a judge to award Brando custody if he had seriously and consistently pursued it. We see her as a self-centered alcoholic with little regard for their son, Christian Devi Brando, whose troubled life resulted in a conviction for murder.
Reading the parts about Marlon's activism while Black Lives Matters has gathered mainstream support, you appreciate how far ahead of the curve he was. I was unaware of the Hollywood and John Wayne reaction to having Sacheen Littlefeather accept his Academy Award. Finally, 2 generations later, Brando's view of Hollywood westerns and their contribution to the distortion of history is mainstream.
The relationships of Brando with his most famous directors, Kazan and Copolla, are very well described.
On Brando’s weight, we only learn that he knows too much about alcohol to drink – his drug is food. We don’t know much about this – does he cook? Is he a milkshake and burger man or a gourmet? We do learn that he recognizes his weight and is teased about it.
One interesting tid bit, is that Marlon’s (perhaps closest) friend was Wally Cox, whom he knew from childhood.
If you like a just the facts style biography, this is not for you. If you like a biography with informed interpretation, you, like me, will be very satisfied.
After reading the book you can better understand these areas among others:
-Why such a great actor made so many bad movies.
-Sacheen Littlefeather’s acceptance of Brando’s second Academy Award.
- How his son came to shoot the father of his sister’s child.
-His late in life corpulence
-His bisexuality
- His 3 wives and 11 children
As Brando entered the scene, the philosophy that the director and the actor were in service to the writer’s text was giving way to the philosophy that director and actor should bring the character to the audience. Stella Adler was a strong proponent of this and Marlon was her star pupil. As the child of 2 alcoholics, one being a physically and emotionally abusive father, Marlon’s childhood gave him a wealth of emotion from which to draw his characters.
Mann shows how Marlon saw acting as a job and not a career. Hence, you have the refusal to promote, his dismissive attitude towards awards and the acceptance of lousy roles to pay the bills. Not being sucked into the Hollywood vortex he did not care if his criticism of the emerging consumer culture and being among the first of the stars to take up causes meant fewer roles. He was bisexual at a time that it was a career killer and made no attempt to cover it up. His childhood made him sympathetic to the plight of minorities and his anger at his father colored his relationships.
Mann shows you how Brando had many years in therapy with different therapists. Rage was a major issue. His rage (against his father and maybe subliminally his mother too) was destructive of people, primarily women, and property. At the end of his life, Marlon seemed only somewhat aware of his abusive treatment of women.
Brando's first wife, Anna Kashfi, may have equaled him in rage, but her side of this relationship is not explored. It seems that her complete unfitness as a mother should have convinced a judge to award Brando custody if he had seriously and consistently pursued it. We see her as a self-centered alcoholic with little regard for their son, Christian Devi Brando, whose troubled life resulted in a conviction for murder.
Reading the parts about Marlon's activism while Black Lives Matters has gathered mainstream support, you appreciate how far ahead of the curve he was. I was unaware of the Hollywood and John Wayne reaction to having Sacheen Littlefeather accept his Academy Award. Finally, 2 generations later, Brando's view of Hollywood westerns and their contribution to the distortion of history is mainstream.
The relationships of Brando with his most famous directors, Kazan and Copolla, are very well described.
On Brando’s weight, we only learn that he knows too much about alcohol to drink – his drug is food. We don’t know much about this – does he cook? Is he a milkshake and burger man or a gourmet? We do learn that he recognizes his weight and is teased about it.
One interesting tid bit, is that Marlon’s (perhaps closest) friend was Wally Cox, whom he knew from childhood.
If you like a just the facts style biography, this is not for you. If you like a biography with informed interpretation, you, like me, will be very satisfied.
May 17, 2020
This book was a truly fascinating glimpse into the life of the man some call one of the greatest actors of all time. (Although he would have hated that statement). I really appreciated the way the author chose to tell this story in a non-chronological fashion, instead beginning the book with Marlon’s arrival in New York City to study acting and then going back to intersperse tales of his childhood throughout the narrative. More than anything, I have a new appreciation for his passion for social justice and the tragedy that fame brought to both him and his family.
January 1, 2020
Review to come.
December 28, 2023
He was a mess but fascinating book
September 9, 2021
Typical Sentences: "Marlon shared Chessman's disdain for society. "I could have been him" he told his friend Jack Larson. But not really. "Chessman had brains" Duffy wrote. "But no wisdom". Marlon had wisdom. Even more important, he had a conscience and a heart. "
This is an unusual Brando biography that I give a mixed review. Let me deal with the flaws first.
1) The book is written like a novel, the hero being Brando. We skip from date to date, and then Mann tells us what "Marlon" is thinking and feeling. Sometimes, Mann pulls back and writes in 3rd person. Or skips back and forth in time. So, its an odd experience.
2) Mann hero-worship's Brando. If Brando spends every week at the psychiatrist, that's not because Brando is crazy, its because he's "Battling family demons of alcohol, a bad childhood, and rage." If Brando commits adultery, has illegitimate children, and leaves a trail of broken hearts - well, that's because he's was trying to fill "an emotional hole left by an alcoholic mother." If Brando's is careless with $$ - that's "freedom from greed." Brando phones in a performance? Its because Brando was devoting all his energy to social justice. Brando insults someone or is rude? Well, they deserved it. Almost everything is excused or an example of Brando's greatness.
3) Mann does little original research, and spends a LOT of time on Brando's politics. I'd say the book is evenly divided into Brando's Film/stage work, his love life, and his politics. We get a detailed analysis of Brando's support for Civil rights, Indians, Israel, the Black Panthers, and Carl Chessman. But William Mann skips over the fact that Brando was not a "Rebel" but a Political Conformist. All his beliefs were standard for Hollywood & Broadway. Everyone in Brando's circle, favored the same Left-wing politics. Brando didn't support Civil Rights by himself. Heston lead a whole group of Hollywood actors to support MLK in 1963 - Brando was just one of them. And the same is true of Israel, Carl Chessman, and the Black Panthers. Its doubtful that Brando - after he went to NYC in 1943 - had a single Republican friend. Even his family was left-wing or apolitical. For example, his sister was married to a Communist and was blacklisted.
4) There's very little analysis of Brando's acting and what is we get is get the standard stuff you can read anywhere.
On the plus side, the book has a lot of information on Brando's life and if you're interested in reading about him from a positive point-of-view this is a good place to start.
This is an unusual Brando biography that I give a mixed review. Let me deal with the flaws first.
1) The book is written like a novel, the hero being Brando. We skip from date to date, and then Mann tells us what "Marlon" is thinking and feeling. Sometimes, Mann pulls back and writes in 3rd person. Or skips back and forth in time. So, its an odd experience.
2) Mann hero-worship's Brando. If Brando spends every week at the psychiatrist, that's not because Brando is crazy, its because he's "Battling family demons of alcohol, a bad childhood, and rage." If Brando commits adultery, has illegitimate children, and leaves a trail of broken hearts - well, that's because he's was trying to fill "an emotional hole left by an alcoholic mother." If Brando's is careless with $$ - that's "freedom from greed." Brando phones in a performance? Its because Brando was devoting all his energy to social justice. Brando insults someone or is rude? Well, they deserved it. Almost everything is excused or an example of Brando's greatness.
3) Mann does little original research, and spends a LOT of time on Brando's politics. I'd say the book is evenly divided into Brando's Film/stage work, his love life, and his politics. We get a detailed analysis of Brando's support for Civil rights, Indians, Israel, the Black Panthers, and Carl Chessman. But William Mann skips over the fact that Brando was not a "Rebel" but a Political Conformist. All his beliefs were standard for Hollywood & Broadway. Everyone in Brando's circle, favored the same Left-wing politics. Brando didn't support Civil Rights by himself. Heston lead a whole group of Hollywood actors to support MLK in 1963 - Brando was just one of them. And the same is true of Israel, Carl Chessman, and the Black Panthers. Its doubtful that Brando - after he went to NYC in 1943 - had a single Republican friend. Even his family was left-wing or apolitical. For example, his sister was married to a Communist and was blacklisted.
4) There's very little analysis of Brando's acting and what is we get is get the standard stuff you can read anywhere.
On the plus side, the book has a lot of information on Brando's life and if you're interested in reading about him from a positive point-of-view this is a good place to start.
May 3, 2022
loved and abhorred this in equal measure. mann luridly imagines marlon brando in stunning detail as the engineer of fame, a tumultuously masculine emblem of sexuality and the sculptor of acting as we know it -- but he also cannot reign himself in from repetitiously framing as brando in the iconoclasm of "TRAUMA." TRAUMA TRAUMA TRAUMA. four pages will go by until the reader is assaulted by yet another hammer slap of TRAUMA. almost unbelievably what lengths the author goes to insist upon ptsd as the animating force behind literally every one of the subject's motivators.
what's great, however, is the thoroughly researched narrative of brando written with a kind of tabloid fury. i was so moved and animated by the happenstances and accidents that lead to great artistic careers, the great pains and knots of relationships and love, stacking into an abstract and sensual portrait of the country as a whole. world war ii, civil right, wounded knee and 9/11 all float through this underneath the muscular grasp of brando's work. too bad it has to end with a staggering encapsulation of the author's obnoxious agenda as he writes: LITTLE WOULD MARLON BRANDO KNOW THAT IN HIS DEATH, FAR WORSE CREATURES WOULD APPEAR: KARDASHIANS AND HONEY BOO BOOS! THE HORROR!!
there's a beautiful survey of the man underneath the smarmy eye of the author. worth it for that alone
what's great, however, is the thoroughly researched narrative of brando written with a kind of tabloid fury. i was so moved and animated by the happenstances and accidents that lead to great artistic careers, the great pains and knots of relationships and love, stacking into an abstract and sensual portrait of the country as a whole. world war ii, civil right, wounded knee and 9/11 all float through this underneath the muscular grasp of brando's work. too bad it has to end with a staggering encapsulation of the author's obnoxious agenda as he writes: LITTLE WOULD MARLON BRANDO KNOW THAT IN HIS DEATH, FAR WORSE CREATURES WOULD APPEAR: KARDASHIANS AND HONEY BOO BOOS! THE HORROR!!
there's a beautiful survey of the man underneath the smarmy eye of the author. worth it for that alone
March 15, 2020
An exhaustive biography on one of the more enigmatic actors of all times perhaps. Marlon Brando lead what can only be described as a hectic life much of his own making. Setting his mark from the late fifties and early sixties he rapidly became an icon for a star in his own style that few have probably come close to duplicating.
The author delves much into his childhood and the psychological drama, and trauma mainly provided by his parents that really set the path upon which he never really got off of. The alcoholic parents that he did not follow in line but still affected his behaviors and demons that he never really shook. Particularly his many and odd relationships and children was the outcome.
The book never lagged much in temp and interest as there was so much there to absorb and put into perspective. He did seem to gloss over some of the latter parts, particularly as Jorel in Superman but probably because it was such a minor role and as with many of his works it was simply about the fast paycheck.
Thouhgh in many respects Brando's life was tortured and the tormenting being in his own head it was still a life lived to the fullest that most people can't even imagine much less emulate.
The author delves much into his childhood and the psychological drama, and trauma mainly provided by his parents that really set the path upon which he never really got off of. The alcoholic parents that he did not follow in line but still affected his behaviors and demons that he never really shook. Particularly his many and odd relationships and children was the outcome.
The book never lagged much in temp and interest as there was so much there to absorb and put into perspective. He did seem to gloss over some of the latter parts, particularly as Jorel in Superman but probably because it was such a minor role and as with many of his works it was simply about the fast paycheck.
Thouhgh in many respects Brando's life was tortured and the tormenting being in his own head it was still a life lived to the fullest that most people can't even imagine much less emulate.
May 31, 2020
Marlon Brando is one of my favorite actors to watch on screen- his moodiness, naturalness, and detailedness all really appeal to my sensibilities. I also knew he had sexual relationships with men and women, and I love stories of old Hollywood, so I knew I had to read this biography. I thought it’d be a breezy, light read, which in many ways it is, but I did not expect to like it so much. I read it fairly quickly considering the length as well, surprisingly. I found learning about Brando’s unique acting style (NOT method!), his turbulent childhood, his trauma-influenced adulthood, his thoughtful political activism, and his sexual openness and frankness incredibly interesting and insightful.
December 16, 2019
A very different type of bio that reads like a novel. It covers mostly 3 decades of Brando's life and career 50s, 60s, and 70s and time trips between personal and work moments that interweave and mirror what is happening in both departments of his life. You learn a lot, at least, I did about this truly puzzling frustrating and odd man. It made me want to rewatch or seek out some of his films that I had never seen. A lengthy book, but it flows beautifully.
February 15, 2020
Like so many actors he had a troubled childhood, both parents were alcoholics. He never drank to excess or did drugs, he turned to food instead it seems. And lots of women. Highs and lows, he was often misunderstood, but he struggled throughout his life to become a better person. I have read a lot of biographies over the years and this one was more enjoyable to me than the average bio of an actor. I ususally prefer reading about more historical figures.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2019
Like every book I have read by William J. Mann this was excellent. His books are always well researched and well written. I have read all of the biographies he has written and he just keeps getting better.
July 15, 2025
Many cinephiles believe modern American acting begain with Marlon Brando. The first Brando film I ever saw was A Streetcar Named Desire, and when Brando appeared on screen and stripped his torso bare, I knew why he instantly became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. From the brutish to the refined, from Tennessee Williams to William Shakespeare, from hypermasculine to foppish, Brando could play the full range of masculinity in multiple genres. The general public knows Marlon Brando primarily as the dymanic actor who made Stanley Kowalski and Don Vito Corleone American icons. Yet The Contender reveals a man who wrestled with his craft, his commitment to civil rights, and his fractured relationships, and the monster of celebrity.
It's important to keep in mind that the subtitle of this book is The Story of Marlon Brando Yes, this book is a biography, yet William J. Mann gives it the structure and tone of a novel, diving deep into some areas of Brando's life while condensing or glossing over others (Brando's third act, post-Last Tango in Paris, is rushed through). In this fashion, The Contender offers a nuanced, if overly sympathetic portrait of Marlon Brando, yet Mann's observations, overlayed with facts, accounts from costars, friends, lovers, and admirers, and the actor's own words, buttress the claims and accounts Mann puts forth. Mann makes a stylistic choice to begin a section at one point in time, say with the start of the production of Guys and Dolls, and work his way back. This takes some getting used to, but I didn't find his method off-putting. Marlon Brando was a man who's life and work were so outsized that containing any attempts to contain it will seem inadequate, yet Mann crafts a story of the actor's life that gives every major turning point in Brando's life sufficient attention.
Marlon Brando was a man of appetites, particularly for two things: sex and food. I'd always heard that Brando was bisexual, and Brando himself confirmed his sexual experiences with men. Yet given the array of sexual orientations that abound in 2025, I like to think of Brando as heteroflexible. Though men may not have been the primary object of his sexual or romantic desires, he definitely engaged in same-sex sex whenever it was made available to him. Mann claims Brando's sexual compulsion, which he enjoyed describing in graphic detail to friends, stemmed from complex feelings about the lack of love and security he received from his alcoholic mother, yet I think there's more to it than that. His love of food dominated the second half of his life, with reports of Brando packing away gallons of ice cream and plates of rich food widely known. Many may ask how a man who seemed to have everything could be so reckless, especially in his treatment of women. But as The Contender aptly demonstrates, everyone has multiple sides.
Individuals like Marlon Brando, who revolutionize a field, are puzzles the rest of us spend years tyring to figure out. This infuriated Brando, but it couldn't be helped. Though he held acting in low regard, the dynamic performances he committed to the screen have shaped acting, movie-making, and celebrity for generations of people. As Mann point out, Brando would much rather be rememberd for commitments of civil rights and racial equality rather than his screen portrayls. But I don't want to like in a world without Sky Masterson, Weldon Penderton, Terry Malloy, Corleone, Kowalski, and so many others. As a man Brando was deeply flawed but as an actor he was utterly flawless.
It's important to keep in mind that the subtitle of this book is The Story of Marlon Brando Yes, this book is a biography, yet William J. Mann gives it the structure and tone of a novel, diving deep into some areas of Brando's life while condensing or glossing over others (Brando's third act, post-Last Tango in Paris, is rushed through). In this fashion, The Contender offers a nuanced, if overly sympathetic portrait of Marlon Brando, yet Mann's observations, overlayed with facts, accounts from costars, friends, lovers, and admirers, and the actor's own words, buttress the claims and accounts Mann puts forth. Mann makes a stylistic choice to begin a section at one point in time, say with the start of the production of Guys and Dolls, and work his way back. This takes some getting used to, but I didn't find his method off-putting. Marlon Brando was a man who's life and work were so outsized that containing any attempts to contain it will seem inadequate, yet Mann crafts a story of the actor's life that gives every major turning point in Brando's life sufficient attention.
Marlon Brando was a man of appetites, particularly for two things: sex and food. I'd always heard that Brando was bisexual, and Brando himself confirmed his sexual experiences with men. Yet given the array of sexual orientations that abound in 2025, I like to think of Brando as heteroflexible. Though men may not have been the primary object of his sexual or romantic desires, he definitely engaged in same-sex sex whenever it was made available to him. Mann claims Brando's sexual compulsion, which he enjoyed describing in graphic detail to friends, stemmed from complex feelings about the lack of love and security he received from his alcoholic mother, yet I think there's more to it than that. His love of food dominated the second half of his life, with reports of Brando packing away gallons of ice cream and plates of rich food widely known. Many may ask how a man who seemed to have everything could be so reckless, especially in his treatment of women. But as The Contender aptly demonstrates, everyone has multiple sides.
Individuals like Marlon Brando, who revolutionize a field, are puzzles the rest of us spend years tyring to figure out. This infuriated Brando, but it couldn't be helped. Though he held acting in low regard, the dynamic performances he committed to the screen have shaped acting, movie-making, and celebrity for generations of people. As Mann point out, Brando would much rather be rememberd for commitments of civil rights and racial equality rather than his screen portrayls. But I don't want to like in a world without Sky Masterson, Weldon Penderton, Terry Malloy, Corleone, Kowalski, and so many others. As a man Brando was deeply flawed but as an actor he was utterly flawless.
June 1, 2020
The biography grew on me but I wonder if there’s going to be a more comprehensive one later, still, the author interviewed many of Marlon’s friends from earlier days, some like Kaye Ballard, who are gone now. The book discusses the uneasy relationship with Elia Kazan whom he saw as the most powerful mentor in his life and felt that he was only good in his movies (he has a point) but loathed Kazan’s naming of names to the House UnAmerican Affairs Committee. It was clear that On The Waterfront was based on idea that hero Kazan stood up to the corrupt mobbed up Dock union. But it was also good. The book gets a bit soft on Brando’s later behavior, he was committed to civil rights which he was quite knowledgeable about but became contemptuous if acting and Hollywood which he never enjoyed. While he married, usually because a woman got pregnant, he never cared for his children well and had some disturbed wives. His Tahitian wife just asked to go back, and lived her own life. A surprise but not a surprise really was that from a young adult age, he had a mental illness ( not clear) and suffered from breakdowns throughout his life. A compassionate book.
December 18, 2019
My dad took me to see “Mutiny on the Bounty” when it opened in 1962. Brando made no particular impression on me. When I saw “One Eyed Jacks” on TV when I was 15 or 16 I was much taken with his truculent, smoldering persona. I liked “The Godfather” as much as anyone else, but “Waterfront” was the killer. My goodness.
Anyway, that’s where his reputation really rests, “Godfather” and “Waterfront,” and why not, those are two of the best movies ever made. Don’t miss “Julius Caesar,” though. He’s really, seriously good.
Now the bad news. Marlon was a rotten person. Okay, okay, dysfunctional maybe. Both parents alcoholic, father physically and emotionally abusive. (To Marlon but not his two older sisters. Hmmm.). Marlon did terrible things to people, but, in Mann’s telling, comes across as a child who doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions.
Luckily, I’m one of those odd people that can, within reason, separate the artist from their work. Mr. Mann tells us that Brando was contemptuous of the acting profession, which certainly makes sense if he had low self esteem. Though it came easily to him, he was not an immediate success on the New York stage. That’s a tough go, even for someone as profoundly gifted as he. His technique was unconventional, which may explain why it took a little time for him to break through. He seems to have always been the best student in his classes. When he started “Streetcar” simultaneously Tennessee Williams began to rewrite it to feature his character and Jessica Tandy wrote him a letter complaining how he was messing up and giving him performance tips.
Mann never explains why Brando did “Waterfront.” He was angry with Kazan for testifying before the HUA. He clearly understood Kazan saw the film as justifying his testimony. Perhaps, like us, he saw the film as palatable because the justification angle is not convincing - as Mann points out, equating the film gangsters with communists just doesn’t work. The whole episode is a little strange. “Waterfront” was a surprise hit-did audiences in 1954 buy Kazan’s argument? Did they feel it gave THEM absolution?
My favorite story is how, old and retired, Brando would call his friends on the phone and recite Shakespeare to them. “Hey, Ross, check this out-‘Is this a dagger I see before mine eyes...’”. Mann muses on a fat old Marlon doing “King Lear.” Wow. That sounds just about perfect.
Anyway, that’s where his reputation really rests, “Godfather” and “Waterfront,” and why not, those are two of the best movies ever made. Don’t miss “Julius Caesar,” though. He’s really, seriously good.
Now the bad news. Marlon was a rotten person. Okay, okay, dysfunctional maybe. Both parents alcoholic, father physically and emotionally abusive. (To Marlon but not his two older sisters. Hmmm.). Marlon did terrible things to people, but, in Mann’s telling, comes across as a child who doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions.
Luckily, I’m one of those odd people that can, within reason, separate the artist from their work. Mr. Mann tells us that Brando was contemptuous of the acting profession, which certainly makes sense if he had low self esteem. Though it came easily to him, he was not an immediate success on the New York stage. That’s a tough go, even for someone as profoundly gifted as he. His technique was unconventional, which may explain why it took a little time for him to break through. He seems to have always been the best student in his classes. When he started “Streetcar” simultaneously Tennessee Williams began to rewrite it to feature his character and Jessica Tandy wrote him a letter complaining how he was messing up and giving him performance tips.
Mann never explains why Brando did “Waterfront.” He was angry with Kazan for testifying before the HUA. He clearly understood Kazan saw the film as justifying his testimony. Perhaps, like us, he saw the film as palatable because the justification angle is not convincing - as Mann points out, equating the film gangsters with communists just doesn’t work. The whole episode is a little strange. “Waterfront” was a surprise hit-did audiences in 1954 buy Kazan’s argument? Did they feel it gave THEM absolution?
My favorite story is how, old and retired, Brando would call his friends on the phone and recite Shakespeare to them. “Hey, Ross, check this out-‘Is this a dagger I see before mine eyes...’”. Mann muses on a fat old Marlon doing “King Lear.” Wow. That sounds just about perfect.
March 27, 2025
he was a freudian case study but my god his biceps were beautiful….
no, this book was comprehensive and made a strong effort to minimise bias, though not entirely. he was a complex man—deeply flawed yet capable of admirable moments. also, i don’t think therapy works lol.
no, this book was comprehensive and made a strong effort to minimise bias, though not entirely. he was a complex man—deeply flawed yet capable of admirable moments. also, i don’t think therapy works lol.
Read
May 5, 2025audiobook that took me forever but i finally finished 💖
he is really fascinating and I can't ever get enough of media about old hollywood
he is really fascinating and I can't ever get enough of media about old hollywood
December 12, 2025
“The Contender” is an accomplished biography of an accomplished individual that offers an empathetic look at Marlon Brando’s struggle with himself. Meticulously researched, author William J. Mann goes beneath the surface of a complex man and lets the reader know exactly who he was - for better and worse.
April 23, 2024
I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would, for a few reasons. I thought I'd struggle to read a fairly long biography of one man without lapsing into occasional boredom, despite Brando being anything but. This book is as much an indictment of the insidious culture and its institutions that revolved around Brando in his life as it is a biography. I was a little worried at one point that Mann would shy away from fully confronting the hypocrisy at the heart of Brando; who simultaneously championed civil rights, threw 2 fingers to Hollywood and the paparazzi hyenas who fed off its scraps but all the while caused so many women in his life so much pain. He doesn't shy away, and he doesn't condone. Ultimately, his story is a tragedy in the vein of the very plays he would have acted early in his career.
October 26, 2019
Although both critics and other actors generally acknowledged Marlon Brando as one of the world's finest actors, he consistently downplayed his talent and the acting profession. For decades, the media lamented that he found no fulfillment in acting. But in this outstanding, intelligent and insightful biography, THE CONTENDER, William J. Mann (Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn) examines Brando's life and passions from a different angle. He posits that Brando found true satisfaction in his fight for civil rights and his relentless commitment to social justice.
Brando (1924-2004) was a complex and sometimes difficult man, but Mann's expert research finds the reasons behind his actions. Brando was a bookworm and "a thinker, an observer, an examiner of himself and the world with the goal of figuring out both," writes Mann. But he was also a sexual adventurer with both men and women.
Playing Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire (on Broadway and in the 1951 film) catapulted Brando's career, yet by the 1960s, few film projects earned his full attention. His 1961 directorial debut, One-Eyed Jacks, was recut by the studio, leaving him depressed and disillusioned. At this point, his political activism began to take center stage. With few exceptions (The Godfather; Last Tango in Paris), his post-1970 films served only to finance his activism, alimony and lifestyle. Mann calls the last 30 years of Brando's life "a catalog of tragedies that approach the Shakespearean."
At more than 700 pages, THE CONTENDER is a brisk and adroit read that is perceptive, thoughtful and gives fans a new view of their idol.
William J. Mann's outstanding and superbly researched biography, THE CONTENDER, reveals Marlon Brando's real passion was for social justice.
Brando (1924-2004) was a complex and sometimes difficult man, but Mann's expert research finds the reasons behind his actions. Brando was a bookworm and "a thinker, an observer, an examiner of himself and the world with the goal of figuring out both," writes Mann. But he was also a sexual adventurer with both men and women.
Playing Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire (on Broadway and in the 1951 film) catapulted Brando's career, yet by the 1960s, few film projects earned his full attention. His 1961 directorial debut, One-Eyed Jacks, was recut by the studio, leaving him depressed and disillusioned. At this point, his political activism began to take center stage. With few exceptions (The Godfather; Last Tango in Paris), his post-1970 films served only to finance his activism, alimony and lifestyle. Mann calls the last 30 years of Brando's life "a catalog of tragedies that approach the Shakespearean."
At more than 700 pages, THE CONTENDER is a brisk and adroit read that is perceptive, thoughtful and gives fans a new view of their idol.
William J. Mann's outstanding and superbly researched biography, THE CONTENDER, reveals Marlon Brando's real passion was for social justice.
November 7, 2019
So many times I thought that I would put the book down, but I wanted to keep reading to see if some of the rumors I have heard over the years about Marlon Brando are factual. Of course, even that presumption of mine was probably wrong--in this book, Mr. Mann asserts that some of the biographies, articles, and stories about Brando were false or tainted.
At 621 page plus addendums, it was a long read. The overall assumption in the book is that Brando did not feel that acting was his calling, he felt like it was selling out, he didn't do publicity often (and, if he did, he directed it his way), he wanted to make a cultural and environmental difference to society, he wanted to be left alone, and he wanted to carouse.
I usually don't like reading about "celebrities", because it is disillusioning and a lot of the times shows uncouth lifestyles of the people. This book was no exception. I don't know if Brando felt he lived a fulfilling life, but this book doesn't make it appear that he did. He seemed to blame his problems on his parents. He was in therapy for most of his life. He had many wives, lovers, and children--several of those ended up badly.
His films do endure: some I have watched, some I will not watch. If he changed the face of acting as mentioned, I don't know. He was involved in civil rights, and Indian rights, and environmental causes; I do applaud him for that.
At 621 page plus addendums, it was a long read. The overall assumption in the book is that Brando did not feel that acting was his calling, he felt like it was selling out, he didn't do publicity often (and, if he did, he directed it his way), he wanted to make a cultural and environmental difference to society, he wanted to be left alone, and he wanted to carouse.
I usually don't like reading about "celebrities", because it is disillusioning and a lot of the times shows uncouth lifestyles of the people. This book was no exception. I don't know if Brando felt he lived a fulfilling life, but this book doesn't make it appear that he did. He seemed to blame his problems on his parents. He was in therapy for most of his life. He had many wives, lovers, and children--several of those ended up badly.
His films do endure: some I have watched, some I will not watch. If he changed the face of acting as mentioned, I don't know. He was involved in civil rights, and Indian rights, and environmental causes; I do applaud him for that.
January 20, 2020
This is a portrait of Brando more than a biography. As with all portraits, it's as much about the artist as his subject--and, in this case, the reader learns that the artist, William Mann, is absolutely smitten with his subject. Mann is more interested in Brando as a warrior for "social justice" than as an actor; it's like Mann enjoys the acceptance speeches at awards ceremonies more than the films. In the first few pages, he claims, "Brando's acting, as great and as important as it remains, is not the most interesting thing about him." This could hold true were it not for the fact that--even through Mann's always forgiving, soft-focus lens--Brando comes across as a self-righteous hedonist. I don't read biographies to cast the first stone, but gosh: every time Mann has to mention Brando sleeping with six women in seven days or indulging himself, he offers a sophomoric excuse (repeated throughout the book) that he was looking for someone like his mother, he was using sex as therapy, etc.
Human nature tells us that the reason Brando had so many romances was that he looked like Marlon Brando.
Mann quotes Brando as saying, "You have to separate people from their talent"--something he seems unable to do.
Human nature tells us that the reason Brando had so many romances was that he looked like Marlon Brando.
Mann quotes Brando as saying, "You have to separate people from their talent"--something he seems unable to do.
July 2, 2020
That I rattled through it so quickly suggests it's a good read. And it is. Especially the first couple of (mammoth) chapters. The problem is the story stops in 1973. What about the other 30 years? I guess Mann hit his word limit halfway through and had to wrap up the 1973-2004 years in a 20-page epilogue. I've lost count of the number of biographies I've read recently where this happens. And it's a real shame. Especially when the subject-matter is as enthralling and entertaining and complex and multi-dimensional as Marlon Brando. What was needed was something like Simon Callow's multi-volume life of Orson Welles. The other problem with Mann's book is that he sometimes appears to over-embellish and over-dramatise the narrative. Some of the details he includes he can't possibly know. Can he? (Maybe he does, given the access he's been given to Brando's estate.) And the quotes from 'friends' and other anonymous sources are not explained in the footnotes. Brilliant for most of the first half, then tails off a bit.
September 7, 2020
I don't know if anybody ever has truly understood who Marlon Brando is, and I am equally doubtful that anyone ever will
More than most public figures, he has done his best to make his public persona as confusing and esoteric as possible.
Still, this biography does a very good job of shedding on the things he held in the highest regard throughout his life. The interesting thing about this profile is the particular focus it has upon Brando not merely as an actor but as an advocate for social justice and civil rights. His notorious disdain for the profession he so excelled in is usually treated as either some form of posturing or an idiosyncratic side effect of his genius. This book avoids both approaches. It takes Marlon at his word, and assumes he is sincere in believing that acting is not, in the overall scheme of things, very important. This frees up the author to paint a picture of Marlon Brando that is much more nuanced and complex than any I have previously encountered. If you're at all interested in the subject, I highly recommend this book!
More than most public figures, he has done his best to make his public persona as confusing and esoteric as possible.
Still, this biography does a very good job of shedding on the things he held in the highest regard throughout his life. The interesting thing about this profile is the particular focus it has upon Brando not merely as an actor but as an advocate for social justice and civil rights. His notorious disdain for the profession he so excelled in is usually treated as either some form of posturing or an idiosyncratic side effect of his genius. This book avoids both approaches. It takes Marlon at his word, and assumes he is sincere in believing that acting is not, in the overall scheme of things, very important. This frees up the author to paint a picture of Marlon Brando that is much more nuanced and complex than any I have previously encountered. If you're at all interested in the subject, I highly recommend this book!
Read
December 31, 2019A thoughtful attempt to make sense of a man whom I have no trouble describing as America’s greatest film actor. If Waterfront or Streetcar leave you unmoved, please stop reading now. Mann ranges to and fro through his subject’s life and details acreete rather than tumble out in a more straightforward narrative. Too often swinish toward the women in his life and largely unequipped by his unhappy upbringing to be much of a father, Brando really did want to become a ‘good man’ as his devotion to the postwar Zionist cause as well as the American civil rights movement show. He was NOT a ‘Method’ actor But a student of Stella Adler whose technique emphasized fresh and often improvised responses. Elia Kazan, his greatest director, described him as a ‘hoodlum aristocrat’, a beautiful phrase that, upon reflection, seems applicable to many great male American artists of the last half of the twentieth century,including, Bob Dylan, Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock...
June 21, 2022
I've always been interested in Marlon Brando and enjoyed this biography (plus that picture on the cover!). I learned a lot about him (including that Wally Cox was one of his best friends!). It was fascinating to see that he didn't really want to be an actor, didn't really value acting or his skill at it. That, with his abusive background and bouts of depression, made him seem more difficult than he was, perhaps! In many ways, he was a man ahead of his time. He could never understand the whole "celebrity" fascination of the public. He never played nice with Hedda Hopper, et al in their day. I'm glad he didn't have to deal with the added pressure of today's social media! A tortured soul who has left us with many indelible screen moments.
December 19, 2020
I'm amazed Brando got any work done for all his sexing. Eh.
This can be a frustrating read if you mind an author who jumps around in time and leave gaps in history. On the plus side, this book has helped me better understand Brando - who may have supported BLM had he lived. I would have liked a thorough biography, rather than one that dropped off after Last Tango (Mann basically summarizes his last twenty years).
This can be a frustrating read if you mind an author who jumps around in time and leave gaps in history. On the plus side, this book has helped me better understand Brando - who may have supported BLM had he lived. I would have liked a thorough biography, rather than one that dropped off after Last Tango (Mann basically summarizes his last twenty years).
September 1, 2022
I knew Brando was extremely talented, difficult and frustrating...at least to a movie fan.
This biography by William J. Mann gives great insight into why he was what he was. An extremely complicated man, so admirable in some ways, admittedly disappointing in others.
Highly recommended.
This biography by William J. Mann gives great insight into why he was what he was. An extremely complicated man, so admirable in some ways, admittedly disappointing in others.
Highly recommended.
Read
January 13, 2020I really pushed to get through this as quickly as possible. I've been reading oversized books way too much lately. In The Contender, veteran Hollywood biographer William J. Man has written the definitive (so far) biography of Marlon Brando. With over 600 pages of text supplemented by copious annotation, this is an exhaustive, sometimes exhausting study that is both a recounting of the available information about Brando’s life and career and an analysis of Brando the artist.
Mann structures his book to reinforce his theses about Brando. First, that Marlon was psychically damaged as a result of his upbringing by an emotionally distant father and an alcoholic mother. He spent much of his life trying to establish some sort of relationship with his father, even allowing the man to run (badly) businesses Brando owned. Brando would often try to make career choices that would please his mother who loved basking in his reflected glory.
Mann opines that Brando’s traumatic upbringing, which also led to periods of depression and moments of uncontrollable rage, was one of the reasons that the actor was what we would now call a sex addict, unable to sustain a relationship. Brando claimed that marriage was a bourgeois institution, but his sexual activity was more compulsion than policy. Mann catalogues many of the women who were more than one-night stands. He also hints that there were male lovers, but is less forthright with specific information, which is surprising given that Mann has been a chronicler of gay Hollywood. He also argues that Brando willingly fathered so many children as it was his desire to do so, not accidents of passion.
Finally, Mann repeatedly posits that Brando never liked acting, never took his craft seriously, perhaps because it came so easily to him. Acting was something he did for money but seldom enjoyed. He was much more passionate about the political causes he espoused. He made fun of actors who talked about their “art.” Quoting his mentor, Stella Adler, he would say that everyone acted all the time. Brando hated the life of a stage actor in a long-running play even when it was Tennessee Williams’ classic, A Streetcar Named Desire. Being in a hit play was deadening routine, and he hated routine. Acting in films was less onerous although he had little respect for most of the directors he worked with. He loved working with Elia Kazan until they had a falling out and loved working with Francis Ford Coppola on The Godfather, the film that salvaged Brando’s waning career.
Brando had a mercuric personality. He was never happier than when he was cutting up with fellow actors, performing childish practical jokes, and making fun of pretension. He could also fall prey to dark periods of depression and had problems with substance abuse. His rages and his unreliability gained him the reputation of being difficult. He was passionate about his political causes, particularly racial issues. He supported the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and eventually the Black Panthers and cared deeply about the terrible treatment of Native Americans, which lead to his infuriating the Hollywood establishment by sending Sasheen Littlefeather to accept his Academy Award for The Godfather and read Brando’s attack on Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans.
In middle age, Brando began to take his role as father seriously. His older children lived tragic lives. Despite Brando’s efforts, son Christian was sent to jail for killing a man who had been abusive toward his sister, Cheyenne. She later committed suicide. Brando was left with his younger family in Tahiti. Sadly, Brando moved from being a beautiful young man, one of America’s sexiest performers, to a bloated, overweight elderly man. Lovers of film will always cherish Brando’s brilliant performances in A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and The Godfather. To some extent, his memory is tarnished by the poor films he made for the money (over $3 million for a cameo in Superman). However, even in mediocre films, critics found touches of brilliance in Brando’s performances.
One may quibble with Mann’s frequent repetition of his theories about what made Brando tick as a man and an artist. Nonetheless, The Contender is an impressive book, a must for fans of Brando and of film acting. The book offers detailed descriptions of the making of Brando’s major films as well as a rich sense of the inner and outer life of this complex, often troubled man. Mann shows that Brando was always himself, a complex man who found living a challenge, acting a trial, and who hated his celebrity, yet enjoyed the monetary benefits of it.
Mann structures his book to reinforce his theses about Brando. First, that Marlon was psychically damaged as a result of his upbringing by an emotionally distant father and an alcoholic mother. He spent much of his life trying to establish some sort of relationship with his father, even allowing the man to run (badly) businesses Brando owned. Brando would often try to make career choices that would please his mother who loved basking in his reflected glory.
Mann opines that Brando’s traumatic upbringing, which also led to periods of depression and moments of uncontrollable rage, was one of the reasons that the actor was what we would now call a sex addict, unable to sustain a relationship. Brando claimed that marriage was a bourgeois institution, but his sexual activity was more compulsion than policy. Mann catalogues many of the women who were more than one-night stands. He also hints that there were male lovers, but is less forthright with specific information, which is surprising given that Mann has been a chronicler of gay Hollywood. He also argues that Brando willingly fathered so many children as it was his desire to do so, not accidents of passion.
Finally, Mann repeatedly posits that Brando never liked acting, never took his craft seriously, perhaps because it came so easily to him. Acting was something he did for money but seldom enjoyed. He was much more passionate about the political causes he espoused. He made fun of actors who talked about their “art.” Quoting his mentor, Stella Adler, he would say that everyone acted all the time. Brando hated the life of a stage actor in a long-running play even when it was Tennessee Williams’ classic, A Streetcar Named Desire. Being in a hit play was deadening routine, and he hated routine. Acting in films was less onerous although he had little respect for most of the directors he worked with. He loved working with Elia Kazan until they had a falling out and loved working with Francis Ford Coppola on The Godfather, the film that salvaged Brando’s waning career.
Brando had a mercuric personality. He was never happier than when he was cutting up with fellow actors, performing childish practical jokes, and making fun of pretension. He could also fall prey to dark periods of depression and had problems with substance abuse. His rages and his unreliability gained him the reputation of being difficult. He was passionate about his political causes, particularly racial issues. He supported the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and eventually the Black Panthers and cared deeply about the terrible treatment of Native Americans, which lead to his infuriating the Hollywood establishment by sending Sasheen Littlefeather to accept his Academy Award for The Godfather and read Brando’s attack on Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans.
In middle age, Brando began to take his role as father seriously. His older children lived tragic lives. Despite Brando’s efforts, son Christian was sent to jail for killing a man who had been abusive toward his sister, Cheyenne. She later committed suicide. Brando was left with his younger family in Tahiti. Sadly, Brando moved from being a beautiful young man, one of America’s sexiest performers, to a bloated, overweight elderly man. Lovers of film will always cherish Brando’s brilliant performances in A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and The Godfather. To some extent, his memory is tarnished by the poor films he made for the money (over $3 million for a cameo in Superman). However, even in mediocre films, critics found touches of brilliance in Brando’s performances.
One may quibble with Mann’s frequent repetition of his theories about what made Brando tick as a man and an artist. Nonetheless, The Contender is an impressive book, a must for fans of Brando and of film acting. The book offers detailed descriptions of the making of Brando’s major films as well as a rich sense of the inner and outer life of this complex, often troubled man. Mann shows that Brando was always himself, a complex man who found living a challenge, acting a trial, and who hated his celebrity, yet enjoyed the monetary benefits of it.
April 23, 2025
The challenge with reviewing a biography is that you're reviewing a life, not just a book. Better said, what you're really reviewing is a perspective on that life, which can feel constraining. To counter this, I looked at additional sources. I watched the documentary [Listen to Me Marlon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listen_...), based on Marlon Brando's private audio tapes, and his 1994 [interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdmXB...) with Larry King—a sincere attempt to understand the man.
This search for understanding feels crucial because, after all my reading and watching, I don't think people truly listened to Marlon Brando. Yet he persisted, making the biography's title "The Contender" deeply fitting—beyond its reference to "On the Waterfront," it captures someone who never stopped trying.
The book draws extensively from Brando's private archives and interviews, with scholarly rigor. The author draws a portrait that transcends the public persona (which Brando despised) to examine his personal life, acting career, and activism, while giving voice to his prescient—and controversial in his time—views on fame, Hollywood, and the American culture.
This bit particularly resonated: "Marlon was a voice in the wilderness, warning about the celebrity culture he spied coming down the tracks, picking up steam as it prepared to deliver Kardashians and Real Housewives and a dynasty named Duck and creatures called Snooki and Honey Boo Boo and, finally, a president of the United States. Marlon saw it coming, but he was powerless to stop it." How perfectly that last sentence captures our current emotional state.
Several themes emerge throughout the book:
- He revolutionised acting: his naturalistic acting style, showcased in performances like A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, transformed American cinema. Brando's brought authenticity to film and was a model for many great actors. His take: "everybody is acting all the time, I just happen to be familiar with the process"
- Personal turmoil: troubled upbringing, alcoholic parents and emotional neglect. These experiences, according to the book, influenced his relationships (he was a womanizer) and his often tumultuous personal life. In spite of that, he always tried to keep improving, through psychoanalytic therapy among other things—a Contender. Despite profound personal tragedies—his son's imprisonment, his daughter's suicide—he managed to find some measure of peace and joy.
- Activism: Brando's commitment to social justice is very significant. He consistently used his fame to advocate for civil rights, Native American rights, and other causes. He refused his second Oscar for The Godfather to protest Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans.
- Complex relationships: with women, men, friends, colleagues, family and himself. His struggles with intimacy and commitment and his deep need for love are well portrayed in the book.
What stays with me most is Brando's character. His fierce sense of authenticity—how he fought for it, paid for it, protected it—shaped his craft and repeatedly brought him into conflict with others. He was willing to do the work and bear the cost of knowing himself and establishing his place in the world. His relationship with fame was also complex: he hated it, tried to harness it for good, and mostly failed. John Updike's observation comes to mind: "Celebrity is a mask that eats into the face."
His activism and philanthropy, both for major causes and personal ones, reveals someone who believed in the possibility of improvement and worked (long term) to achieve it.
And then there are his contradictions: a sex symbol who became an obese parody of himself, an ethics advocate who was also a womanizer, perhaps one of history's greatest actors who disliked his profession, a trauma survivor who inflicted trauma on others, someone both committed and unfaithful, intimate yet distant, frustrated but hopeful. A fascinating man!
This search for understanding feels crucial because, after all my reading and watching, I don't think people truly listened to Marlon Brando. Yet he persisted, making the biography's title "The Contender" deeply fitting—beyond its reference to "On the Waterfront," it captures someone who never stopped trying.
The book draws extensively from Brando's private archives and interviews, with scholarly rigor. The author draws a portrait that transcends the public persona (which Brando despised) to examine his personal life, acting career, and activism, while giving voice to his prescient—and controversial in his time—views on fame, Hollywood, and the American culture.
This bit particularly resonated: "Marlon was a voice in the wilderness, warning about the celebrity culture he spied coming down the tracks, picking up steam as it prepared to deliver Kardashians and Real Housewives and a dynasty named Duck and creatures called Snooki and Honey Boo Boo and, finally, a president of the United States. Marlon saw it coming, but he was powerless to stop it." How perfectly that last sentence captures our current emotional state.
Several themes emerge throughout the book:
- He revolutionised acting: his naturalistic acting style, showcased in performances like A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, transformed American cinema. Brando's brought authenticity to film and was a model for many great actors. His take: "everybody is acting all the time, I just happen to be familiar with the process"
- Personal turmoil: troubled upbringing, alcoholic parents and emotional neglect. These experiences, according to the book, influenced his relationships (he was a womanizer) and his often tumultuous personal life. In spite of that, he always tried to keep improving, through psychoanalytic therapy among other things—a Contender. Despite profound personal tragedies—his son's imprisonment, his daughter's suicide—he managed to find some measure of peace and joy.
- Activism: Brando's commitment to social justice is very significant. He consistently used his fame to advocate for civil rights, Native American rights, and other causes. He refused his second Oscar for The Godfather to protest Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans.
- Complex relationships: with women, men, friends, colleagues, family and himself. His struggles with intimacy and commitment and his deep need for love are well portrayed in the book.
What stays with me most is Brando's character. His fierce sense of authenticity—how he fought for it, paid for it, protected it—shaped his craft and repeatedly brought him into conflict with others. He was willing to do the work and bear the cost of knowing himself and establishing his place in the world. His relationship with fame was also complex: he hated it, tried to harness it for good, and mostly failed. John Updike's observation comes to mind: "Celebrity is a mask that eats into the face."
His activism and philanthropy, both for major causes and personal ones, reveals someone who believed in the possibility of improvement and worked (long term) to achieve it.
And then there are his contradictions: a sex symbol who became an obese parody of himself, an ethics advocate who was also a womanizer, perhaps one of history's greatest actors who disliked his profession, a trauma survivor who inflicted trauma on others, someone both committed and unfaithful, intimate yet distant, frustrated but hopeful. A fascinating man!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews