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NEWS : STORIES
Legendary actor Marlon Brando has died. Brando passed away at an undisclosed Los Angeles hospital on Thursday, according to The Associated Press. He was 80. The cause of death has not been released. Brando, born April 3,
In recent years, Brando worked hard to keep his private life out of the public eye. When he did make appearances, they were scattered, including a cameo in Michael Jackson's 2001 video for "You Rock My World." Fifty years ago, however, Brando set the standard for the brooding cool character with his roles in films like "Waterfront" and "The Wild One" (1953). Brando's role as Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" secured his legendary status. His brooding, powerful portrayal of the mafia boss gave audiences their first idealized look at a mob kingpin and helped romanticize mafia life in popular culture. The pervasive effect of Brando's character is evident in the way crime bosses are portrayed in shows like HBO's "The Sopranos." James Gandolfini's character of Tony Soprano, a short-tempered but in-control mafia boss, owes a debt to Brando's Corleone. "The Godfather" is likewise echoed in films like "Scarface," "Goodfellas" and "Donnie Brasco." Brando's influence today reaches even into the hip-hop community, with artists including Jadakiss, Nas and Snoop Dogg co-opting and fetishizing the themes of power, loyalty and respect that "The Godfather" represented and that Brando personified. One of the best and most well-known practitioners of "method acting," Brando personalized every role he undertook, identifying with the individual personality of his characters to provide a more realistic performance. Brando acted in more than 40 films during his career. This story updated July 2 at 1:44 p.m. ET
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