4. Marlon Brando
Possibly the greatest actor of all time, and yet the biggest waste of talent. Brando in his early years was electrifying to watch: good looking with a herculean physique, enforced by a charming adolescent drawl, the young actor swallowed the attention whenever he was in a scene, a quality that was most magnificently displayed in his performance as Stanley Kowalski in the film adaption of Tennessee Williams play,
A Streetcar Named Desire in 1951. It was his first big break, and quite possibly his peak performance, a sad thought considering he had yet to reach thirty. The debate over his finest work will probably rage on forever, but in
Streetcar Brando was almost pure, unaffected by the trappings of celebrity and not yet a figure of acrimony in the film industry. As his fame rose and his star soared, Brando began to create a bad reputation for himself, acting out on set, refusing to learn his lines, and frequently losing interest in the roles he occupied, often walking through his scenes with complete disregard. When it came to immorality, Brando was not the rock star of his generation; he did not have a penchant for drugs or dangerous amounts of alcohol, although his debauchery was, naturally, of a newsworthy status, but no more so than any of his other acting compatriots. What really causes much dispute even to this day is whether he fulfilled his potential, along with his positioning as a true great in cinematic history. Many people loved and admired him - some even hero-worshipped him, including an avid follower by the name of James Dean.
On the other hand, his antics on set were often highly disrespectful and considerably expensive to accommodate, which did not win him any favour in the eyes of directors, producers, and various co-stars. In 1954, under contractual obligation, Brando played Napoleon in Henry Kosters
Desiree, a film in which he let the makeup do the work, much to the fury of Koster, who did not believe him to be suitable to play the French dictator. Cameron Mitchell, who played Joseph Bonaparte, commented, Marlon didnt give a damn. He was fucking 20th Century Fox. He would walk onto the set and go from chalk mark to chalk mark without the slightest show of interest. He flubbed and fumbled his way through everything. Such an occurrence was unfortunately not irregular, and to further compound matters Brando had an astronomical salary demand for every project he was approached to take part in, which was one of the pivotal factors that would make him box office poison before his renaissance in Francis Ford Coppolas
The Godfather, a film that won him an Oscar which he infamously turned down based on his principles about the representation of Native Americans in Hollywood. In his later years, he became a recluse and a compulsive eater, ballooning to an enormous size which would eventually lead to his tragic demise in the year 2004. Though he achieved much in his lifetime, one cannot help but ponder on what might have been if he had not lost his passion so early.