INFAMOUS SCANDALS (True Crime) by Anne Williams, Vivian Head Read Free Book Online Page A

until in October of that year, he died at his home in Beverly Hills, aged 59. He was one of the first, and most visible, gay men to die of AIDS and it came as a great shock to the public that this iconic symbol of American manhood should die in so tragic a fashion. After his death, another scandal broke when his former partner Marc Christian sued Hudson’s estate, saying that Hudson had continued to have sex with him after he knew he was HIV positive, thus jeopardising his health. This, however, was later disputed.
    Today, Rock Hudson is remembered with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As one of the most handsome Hollywood stars of his day, he tragically became one of the first famous victim of AIDS; but today, it is his youth, health, fitness and vitality that will forever be captured on screen.

Marlon Brando

     
    Marlon Brando was one of the most celebrated actors of the 20th century, introducing a new style of acting on to the screen, and becoming an icon to a rising generation. However, despite his massive success and international stardom, his life was a troubled one. Throughout his career he attracted notoriety: for example, in one instance he sent a Native American woman to pick up his Oscar award and deliver a long speech about America’s oppression of the Native American tribes; in another, he was accused of making anti-Semitic remarks in an interview. His behaviour was also erratic to the point of showing mental instability, and his ludicrous demands earned him a reputation for being a spoiled, rich film star – both on and off set – and for this he became legendary. However, all this was nothing compared to the final scandal that seemed to break his spirit when in May 1990, his son Christian shot and killed his half-sister Cheyenne’s boyfriend. Not long afterwards, to add to the tragedy, Cheyenne, who was suffering from depression, killed herself. At this point, Brando publicly announced in the courtroom that he had failed his children and went on to spend his declining years in semi-retirement, seldom appearing in films and demanding vast sums when he did. In addition, he grew ever more obese, which limited the number of roles he could take on. His behaviour grew increasingly bizarre and scandals continued to surround his personal life, until his death at the age of 80 in 2004, when it was revealed that he had been suffering from a form of dementia exacerbated by other illnesses.
     
    T URBULENT CHILDHOOD
     
    Brando was born on 3 April 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Marlon Brando Sr and Dorothy Brando. He had two younger sisters, Jocelyn and Frances. His parents separated when he was a child, only to reconcile once more when he was 13, and together the family moved to an area north-west of Chicago. There was little security for him and his sisters as they were growing up, since their mother was an alcoholic who often spent long periods away from home, causing their parents’ relationship to be somewhat turbulent. However, Brando later recalled his mother with affection as a talented and kind person, who supported him and his sisters in their artistic ambitions.
    After dropping out of military school, where he had repeatedly got into trouble for disobedience, Brando’s father got him a job digging ditches, but, not surprisingly, he soon tired of this occupation and moved to New York, where his sisters had gone to pursue their careers. His sister Jocelyn was training as an actress and introduced him to the theatrical world in the city. He soon impressed those he met with his personal charisma and began to study under Stella Adler. At her school, he learned method acting, which involved the actor submerging him or herself in the part, recreating the conditions under which the character lived, and drawing on parallel emotions in his or her own life.
    In his first screen role for the 1950 movie The Men , Brando took this method to extremes, spending a month in bed at a hospital for veterans, so