Why Marlon Brando Basically Cut His Children Out Of His Will
Marlon Brando had to spread what was left of his wealth around to his multiple baby mamas and 11 children.
Marlon Brando left his grandchildren with some crazy stories, but he probably didn't leave them much more than that. When he died, he left behind over ten children (two died before him) and over 30 grandchildren. The actor famously disinherited some of his children and grandchildren, notably his grandson Tuki Brando and his daughter Cheyenne, who tragically killed herself in the 1990s. His family was so huge, scattered, and divided by the time he died that there's no way each member got a large sum.
Also, in all likelihood, not an awful lot was left by the time Brando died. He loved good food, exotic travel, exotic beauties, and each of these in excess, so while he wasn't broke, he wasn't good for more than a few million, which isn't an enormous sum for an actor of his stature. In an interview with Connie Chung in 1989, Brando admitted to being forced to work in many movies of questionable quality in writing just because the money was good so that he could use it to support his dying youngest children financially with the profits.
Who Were Marlon Brando's Three Wives?
In 1957, Brando married his first wife, Anna Kashfi. Their son Christian was born a year later. After a short marriage, a divorce followed. In 1960, Brando quietly and secretly gave the Mexican-American actress Movita Castaneda the word of consent. Seven years later, their divorce was final too.
The actor finally seemed to have found happiness with dancer Tarita Teriipaia. The two were together for 43 years until his death. The couple had two children, Teihotu and Cheyenne. The actor had three other children with his housekeeper, Christina Ruiz. However, the fate of his daughter Cheyenne is particularly tragic.
Marlon Brando's Children Faced Misery and Loss
Cheyenne's relationship between her and her famous father wasn't always easy. She also struggled with many mental health problems. After an accident in which she drove her Jeep into a ditch, her face had to be reconstructed. Her modeling career came to an end.
Severe depression followed. Brando's daughter slipped further and further into drug addiction. The young girl sought psychiatric treatment. Then, living with her ex-boyfriend Dag Drollet and heavily pregnant, she finally moved to her father's house on Mulholland Drive in the early 1990s, and the misfortune continued.
On the night of May 16, Cheyenne's half-brother, Christian Brando, shot her boyfriend after a quarrel was said to have broken out beforehand. Christian was sentenced to 10 years in jail for manslaughter. Cheyenne's mental state continued to deteriorate. She tried twice to kill herself. On April 16, 1995, Cheyenne Brando hanged herself at her mother's home in Tahiti. Her son Tuki was raised by his grandmother.
The Tragedy And Turmoil In Marlon Brando's Family
Since the day he was born, Marlon Brando didn't stand a chance at being normal. His father was an absent figure, aggressive, distant, always on the road. His mother was an actress, as drunk as his father was absent. Nobody noticed little Marlon, so he had to act the clown to make it through the day, distract his parents, distract the world, and distract himself.
When he was still very young, he had an inappropriate relationship with his female babysitter, as he later stated. His mother was still drunk. His father was still absent, and on top of that, perpetually unfaithful to his mother.
Years later, as an act of revenge, Marlon slept with his father's new wife after his mother had already passed away from her alcoholism. Marlon Brando left as many as eleven (other reports say seventeen) children and paid for many abortions. When he died, he left behind an enormous family, baby mamas of all nationalities, nations, races, and creeds, including a harem in Tahiti. As much as he resented his father and pitied his mother, he never had an example of "normal." Average family life wasn't what he knew growing up.
Marlon Brando Suffered the Consequences Of A Troubled Childhood
The actor could not give his children the stability he always craved but never got. Did he hate turning into his father in a sense? It's clear Brando was haunted. He had his demons and tried to fight them, but even as he may have won a few battles here and there, he lost the war in the end.
Probably a lot of his income wasn't even spent on himself but his loved ones, which pretty much depleted any inheritance.
It's doubtful they lived very lavishly, seeing as though there were so many Brando heirs around. Either way, his life was well-lived. He had fascinating experiences, made inventions, changed the acting world forever, ate the best food, traveled worldwide, and made the most of his time on earth. When Brando died, one of his friends eulogized him thus, "Marlon died at the age of 80, but packed 160 years into those 80."
