Overview

Over the last eighty years, Marlon Brando has become such an object of fascination, buried under so many accreted layers of mythos and half-truth, that it is all but impossible to see the man behind the icon. As we approach the centennial of this undisputed American legend, Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel is a revelatory biography that tells its story the same way the man himself approached a role: from the inside. Author, journalist, and pop culture authority Burt Kearns digs deep into the unexplored aspects of Brando’s career, interests, and singular personality, revealing how his roles on stage and screen, combined with his wild and restless personal life, helped to transform popular culture and society writ large. His influence was both broad and deep. Brando’s intense approach to acting technique was emulated by his contemporaries as well as generations of actors who followed, from Nicholson and DeNiro to DiCaprio and Gosling. But his legacy extends far beyond acting. His image in The Wild One helped to catalyze a youth revolution, setting the stage for rock ‘n’ roll culture in a way that directly inspired Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Andy Warhol, and punk rock culture. Brando was also frank about his affairs with both sexes; a leader of the sexual revolution and a hero of gay culture, he defied stereotypes and redefined sexual boundaries in his life and the roles he played. But of all his passions, activism was even more important to Brando than acting: he was an early supporter of Israel, civil rights, the American Indian movement, Black Power, gay rights, and environmentalism. Startlingly intimate and powerfully told, Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel shows how the greatest actor of the twentieth century helped lead the world into the twenty-first.

Full Product Details

9781493072507

Table of Contents

Reviews

"As one of the few American adults whom Marlon Brando did not attempt to take to bed, Burt Kearns is uniquely positioned to write an impartial biography. In Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel he delivers and then some, producing a crisp, lively book that's sure to send readers straight to archival footage of Brando, as well as his many successors. --Jay Ruttenberg, Editor, The Lowbrow Reader Burt Kearns has done it again with this diligently-researched and eloquently-presented experience, Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel. Just as Lawrence Tierney: Hollywood's Real-Life Tough Guy allowed us to go on and off the wagon with one of Hollywood's most problematic tough guys, Hollywood Rebel allows us to time travel through decades with the ""Godfather"" of rock 'n' roll aesthetics and style and punk rock attitude as he and his art influence pop culture and provoke social change. If you want to know where Marlon Brando was born, you read a biography. If you want to know that he fisted Tennessee Williams' toilet, you read Burt Kearns. --Eric Todd, Host, This Week in Charles Bronson podcast Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel is a testament to the enduring influence of Marlon Brando and the passion he continues to inspire in his fans, colleagues, admirers, and imitators. Burt Kearns's enthusiasm for his subject shines through on every page! --Jason Colavito, Author of Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel vividly illustrates why Brando is still speaking to us, impacting us, and showing us why he was so ahead of his time a hundred years after he was born. Kearns colorfully examines how the man who perfected the ""Method"" and the fine art of rebellion methodically transformed popular culture, and the countless ways his influence endures. --Ray Richmond, Author, syndicated entertainment writer/critic and university lecturer Over the years there have been countless books on the life and work of the legendary Marlon Brando. With the 100th anniversary of his birth upon us, author Burt Kearns has come up with probably the best of the bunch. Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel does infinitely more than retell the same old legends of previous tomes. Kearns has put together THE most unique exploration of Brando's staggering influence. It's a wonder it hasn't been done before. Thankfully, it was left to the furtive mind of Mr. Kearns. It belongs on the bookshelf of anyone fascinated by film, culture, and society at large. An astounding work! --Dwayne Epstein, Author of Lee Marvin Point Blank & Killin' Generals: The Making of The Dirty Dozen."

"""Hollywood Rebel"" is a worthy addition to the Brando bookshelf ... This is a book about how one facet of one man captured in one image from one film can send ripples through the world. -- ""Los Angeles Times"" As one of the few American adults whom Marlon Brando did not attempt to take to bed, Burt Kearns is uniquely positioned to write an impartial biography. In Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel he delivers and then some, producing a crisp, lively book that's sure to send readers straight to archival footage of Brando, as well as his many successors. --Jay Ruttenberg, Editor, The Lowbrow Reader Burt Kearns has done it again with this diligently-researched and eloquently-presented experience, Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel. Just as Lawrence Tierney: Hollywood's Real-Life Tough Guy allowed us to go on and off the wagon with one of Hollywood's most problematic tough guys, Hollywood Rebel allows us to time travel through decades with the ""Godfather"" of rock 'n' roll aesthetics and style and punk rock attitude as he and his art influence pop culture and provoke social change. If you want to know where Marlon Brando was born, you read a biography. If you want to know that he fisted Tennessee Williams' toilet, you read Burt Kearns. --Eric Todd, Host, This Week in Charles Bronson podcast Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel is a testament to the enduring influence of Marlon Brando and the passion he continues to inspire in his fans, colleagues, admirers, and imitators. Burt Kearns's enthusiasm for his subject shines through on every page! --Jason Colavito, Author of Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel vividly illustrates why Brando is still speaking to us, impacting us, and showing us why he was so ahead of his time a hundred years after he was born. Kearns colorfully examines how the man who perfected the ""Method"" and the fine art of rebellion methodically transformed popular culture, and the countless ways his influence endures. --Ray Richmond, Author, syndicated entertainment writer/critic and university lecturer Over the years there have been countless books on the life and work of the legendary Marlon Brando. With the 100th anniversary of his birth upon us, author Burt Kearns has come up with probably the best of the bunch. Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel does infinitely more than retell the same old legends of previous tomes. Kearns has put together THE most unique exploration of Brando's staggering influence. It's a wonder it hasn't been done before. Thankfully, it was left to the furtive mind of Mr. Kearns. It belongs on the bookshelf of anyone fascinated by film, culture, and society at large. An astounding work! --Dwayne Epstein, Author of Lee Marvin Point Blank & Killin' Generals: The Making of The Dirty Dozen."

Author Information

Burt Kearns is an author, journalist, and “show business and pop culture savant” (Vanity Fair). His books include Lawrence Tierney: Hollywood’s Real-Life Tough Guy and The Show Won’t Go On. Kearns has broken major stories as a television and print journalist. He is perhaps best known as an Emmy-winning television and motion picture producer, director, and writer. He has written and produced dozens of nonfiction television series (Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura and Kardashian: The Man Who Saved OJ Simpson), the nonfiction comedy film High There, and documentaries (Death of a Beatle and Bin Laden’s Escape).

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available